Cinnamon and walnuts apple pie

Difficulty: 3/5

This apple pie is honestly the best I’ve tasted so far. The apples remain with a bit of a crunch (so they’re not mushy or almost purée), it’s sweet, with a semi-salty crust, crunchy from the walnuts and crust, and really fragrant from the apples and cinnamon. It’s truly one to do for your loved ones (or even better, for yourself!). Warm it up a bit before eating and enjoy the amazing taste of this apple pie 🙂

Portion: 10 / deep 24cm pie mould

Ingredients:
For the crust:
– 250g butter
– 300g flour + extra for dusting
– 50g sugar
– 1 1/2 tsp salt
– drizzle vanilla essence
– 2 eggs

For the filling:
– 6 royal gala or pink lady apples
– juice of 2 lemons
– 300g brown sugar
– 50ml water
– 1 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp salt
– 100g butter
– 30g walnuts, slightly toasted in the oven at 170C and roughly chopped
– 20g white sugar for sprinkling

Procedure:
1. First we’ll do the crust. Soften the butter by leaving it outside the fridge or event microwaving for 20secs intervals, until it’s very smooth. Whisk together with the sugar until fluffy.

2. Add the eggs, vanilla essence and continue whisking. Then, add the flour and salt and bring together using a spatula. Cling film this and leave it in the fridge to rest for 1 hour at least.

3. Peel the apples and cut them in 1-2mm thick slices. This is because we’re not going to cook them on the stove to keep some of the crunch. Keep them in the lemon juice and enough water to keep them soaking for at least half an hour. This not only prevents the apples from turning brown, but it also makes them more acidic, yet not so acidic as the green apple, which for me, is a bit too much for a pie. So that’s a tip right here for you.

4. Roll out the dough to 3mm thick using flour and a rolling pin and be very gentle because this dough is really delicate. Keep turning it around and dusting flour to make sure it doesn’t stick. You might also want to make sure your hands are not particularly warm as you will melt the butter again, so give them a good rinse in cold water before starting. Lift it by rolling it around the rolling pin and onto the mold very gently. lift the edges to make sure the corners of the mould are filled in and then cut the excess and keep it wrapped in cling film in the fridge. Let rest in the fridge 30min.

5. Blind bake using cling film baking beans, making sure they reach the corners and all the way to the top so the dough doesn’t melt but sets in its place.  The oven should be at 170C for around 20min or until slightly golden around the edges and dry under the cling film. Here goes the before and after:

Then remove the baking beans and keep cooking until completely nice and golden.
6. Now for the filling, bring the sugar, cinnamon and water to a boil and let it evaporate until the bubbles become larger and thicker (more viscous)

7. Add the butter, which should be cold and cut up, and whisk together on the fire. Finish with the salt.

8. Sieve the apples to remove the lemony water and start lining the slices on the mould, making sure you do it carefully to not leave any gaps. Then add a layer of walnuts and using a ladle, add about 1/2 of the sugar mix on top of that, making sure you go all over the mould, including the sides.

9. Then fill up with apples, more walnuts and sugar mix. Leave a couple table spoons behind to paint the top.

10. Roll out the excess dough and cut strips, lay them on the top like a lattice

11. Paint on top using a brush (do dabs more than actual painting so you don’t ruin your work) with the remaining sugar mix and then sprinkle some white sugar on top

12. Bake at 180C for 20min or until the lattice is fully golden.

C’est ça!! Serve pretty and enjoy!!