The cold season is coming closer, and even now snow begins to pile outside our houses. Even in parts of the world that don’t experience icy weather often, the winds at this time of year are still quite chilly. One of the best ways to warm yourself up in these icy indoor times is to make something nice and warm to eat. So, why not a country apple pie? This kosher dish is a lovely dessert that you can prepare and savor with your family during the coming cold season. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
Shortcrust Pastry
- 12 oz Plain Flour
- 4 oz icing sugar
- 8 oz chilled butter cut into square
- 2 egg yolks
FILLING
- 6 large apples, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsps. brown sugar
- 1 tsp grated lemon rind
- ½ Teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pastry:
In a bowl, sift together the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the butter and work together briefly with your fingers until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg yolk and enough cold water (around 1 – 1 ½ tsp) to make the mixture come together in a ball. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth.
Roll three-quarters of the pastry between sheets of plastic wrap, greaseproof or baking paper until large enough to line a deep 9-inch flan tin. Trim edges with rolling pin; refrigerate pastry case for 30 minutes. Refrigerate remaining pastry and any scraps of pastry while preparing filling.
Then carefully spread the cold filling into the pastry case and dot with the butter.
Roll remaining pastry out to 1-inch thickness, cut into strips just a third of an inch thick. Brush edge of pastry with egg white. Place pastry strips over filling in a lattice pattern, press gently against the edge of pastry, and brush with egg white.
Bake for 10 minutes, at (preheated) 400 °F. At this point I like to cover the edges of my pie with foil for the first half of the cooking time to prevent them from becoming overdone. Then, reduce heat to 375 °F and bake about 20 – 30 minutes, until filling is bubbling. Cool pie for at least an hour before slicing.
Filling:
Combine all ingredients except butter and leave for 30 minutes. Lightly cook in a minimum amount of water till slightly soft. Leave to cool.
Malcolm Green comes from three generations of caterers and has spent his life running kosher hotels, catering companies, destination weddings, and more than 70 glatt-kosher cruises around the world. Having absorbed global cuisines throughout his travels, he brings that experience into every menu he creates. Today, he oversees our kosher menu planning and food logistics, with all meals freshly prepared in our onboard kosher kitchens.
