In this recipe series, we bring you recipes by Julia Toon, culinary motivator and author of the book ‘Good Eating: A Taste of Qatar’. New recipes every week, straight from Jules of the Kitchen.
Skillet Apple Pie
Many tend to think that apple pie originated in the United States but this is not true. Apple pie is originally British and to many of us in the UK, it represents union, love, and comfort. For me, apple pie is all about comfort and when accompanied by thick clotted cream I believe nothing can beat it. I made this delicious pie in a skillet pan for a change but of course, any oven-proof dish can be used.
Serves 6
Preparation: 45 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes +
Oven temperature: 180˚C
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
400 g plain flour – sifted + extra for rolling
250 g butter – chilled and cut into cubes
1 egg
2 tbsp cold water
Filling
600 g gala apples – washed, cored, and cut into chunks. Peel left on.
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 orange – rind and juice
2 tbsp sugar
Glaze
1 egg – beaten to glaze
A sprinkling of caster sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Make filling
Place all filling ingredients in a pan and cook gently on the stove until apples begin to break down and a chunky puree is formed. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Make pastry
Hand method: Sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg with 2 tbsp cold water and stir with a round-bladed knife until the mixture forms a dough. Chill.
Machine method: Place flour and butter into a food processor and process until resembles breadcrumbs and then add beaten egg with 2tbsp cold water. A quick process to pull together before turning out onto a floured work surface to form a soft dough. Chill.
Assemble
Set aside one-third of the pastry for the lid. Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface and line the skillet. Fill the centre of the skillet with the cooled apple puree. See image below.
Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg. Roll out the reserved ball of pastry. Cover the pie with the pastry and press the edges together firmly to seal. Using a sharp knife, trim off the excess pastry, then gently crimp all around the edge. Score the top of the pie with the tip of a knife. Finally, glaze the top with beaten egg and a sprinkling of caster sugar. See image below.
Bake
Place a baking tray into the oven to preheat and when hot, place the skillet pie on top and bake in the oven for 45–55 minutes or golden-brown all over and the apples are tender.
Serve
Delicious hot or cold with clotted cream, ice cream, or custard.
Jules Tips: Traditionally, a British apple pie is made with old-fashioned Bramley Apples and I still recommend using these but for a change, a quality eating apple can be used. If you using a Bramley apple always best to remove the peel. This pie can be frozen and assembled prior to baking or after baking. For this recipe, I used a 22cm round, deep skillet pan.
Contributed by: Julia Toon, Jules of the Kitchen
Click here for more recipes in this series.