Apple Pie with Orange & Red Pepper
Hands up who hasn’t seen a recipe, or two, flying around the internet in the last few weeks for apple pie?
Or maybe you’re planning to make one yourself using the apples from your garden?
This time of year, with a glut of apples literally hanging around, falling from the branches, just lying there with no one claiming them, it’s really unrealistic for any “owners” to think that someone won’t claim them for a good cause.
And when I say someone, I mean me.
And when I say good cause, I mean an apple pie for the lovely Mr G.
But you all knew that, right?
Hey, this isn’t because I can’t afford a few apples for a pie or two, right now they are as cheap as chips?
I’ve never known where that saying came from, so if you can help me out, let me know?
Anyway, back to the apple.
I’m a little partial to “liberating” apples an overhanging branch or two.
No need for any therapy to figure out where this came from.
All down to a couple of my sisters, sending me up a few trees in the local orchard.
Let’s make this clear, I was a whipper snapper when this coercion took place. I can’t remember the age, but I’m pretty sure one of my siblings will jog my memory.
There must be many of you reading this who’ve had that experience, shimmying up trees to give the branches a good old shake to loosen the ripe apples, letting them fall to the waiting audience below.
Fun, right?
It would have been much more fun than it was, if the owner of the orchard hadn’t appeared, with a shot gun and a red face.
Fun if the sisters involved hadn’t legged it leaving me up the tree far too scared to come down.
I’m sure I wasn’t the first to venture up those apple trees, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the last.
No harm was done.
After I good telling off, a few choice words and a warning that he was going to tell my Mum and Dad, he helped me down from the tree and I wandered home with my tail between my legs.
No apples!
So, this apple pie was made with a “few’ apples from a dusk ground forage with the lovely Mr G and Ellie, the new member of our family.
I added a few crushed Bo Tree Red Kampot Pepper corns I bought during a pre-north of England lockdown, 10th anniversary celebration trip to St Andrews.
These added a nice little bite to the apple pie filling, no heat, not hotness on your tongue, just a subtle flavour that brings out the sweet taste of the apple.
If I didn’t have the Red pepper Corns, I would be using Pink instead.
Stay away from black pepper corns, too sharp for this dish and make sure that you grind them up to a fine powder before adding them to the mixture.
I served the pie warm with ice cream and home made blackcurrant basil and lime preserve for the lovely Mr G. For me, just a huge amount of cream.
They fit perfectly in Linda Bloomfields pots – click the link to see more of her amazingly beautiful and useful ceramics.
Go on, give it a go and let me know how it goes?!
Enjoy Your Sweet Life
Crisp on the outside, sweet and spicy on the inside
Apple Pie with Red Pepper & Orange
What You Need
Filling
900g Apples of choice – Peeled and sliced – See Tip Box
1 Heaped Cup of Soft Brown Sugar
2 Medium Oranges - Zest and juice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp Red Pepper Corns – crush very finely - See Tip Box
Packed full of apple
Pastry
250g Butter – cut in to small pieces
400g – Plain Flour – Plus more to roll
100g Castor Sugar
Pinch of salt
Cold water – if needed
1 egg plus tablespoon of milk– beaten lightly for the egg wash
Make It Pretty
How It’s Done
Pastry
Add the flour, salt and the castor sugar to a food processor, let is run for a few seconds to mix together the dry ingredients
Feed the pieces of butter one at a time, through the top of the processor, until all the pieces are used
Let the processor run until the pastry comes together to form one piece.
At this stage, if it feels too dry, add a little cold water to get it to a stage where it can be rolled out.
Take it out onto a worksurface and bring it together with your hands until it’s a nice ball.
Divide the ball into two pieces -1/3 and 2/3
Wrap in cling film and let them rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Serve it hot with vanilla ice cream in Linda Bloomfield bowls
Filling
Combine all the ingredients for the filling into a large bowl, mix really well so that all the apple pieces are covered.
Cover and set aside for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.
Heat your oven to 200c
After 30 minutes, roll out the larger piece of the pastry, using a little flour to stop it from sticking, and line the bottom of your pie dish – See Tip Box
Use a knife or scissors to cut off any excess pastry from around the edges – leave a little over hang to help attach it to the lid.
Pour all the filling into the pie base. Make sure it’s packed nice and tightly.
Roll out the remaining pastry and place on top of the filling.
Use your fingers, a spoon, fork or whatever method you want to crimp the lid to the base pastry and seal it well – See Tip Box
Use any remaining pastry to decorate
Cut a small X in the top of the lid to release the steam
Glaze with the beaten egg wash and place in the hot oven for 40 minutes – until the top is golden brown.
Cover the pie loosely with foil and return to the oven for another 30 -40 minutes until piping hot all the way through. – See Tip Box
Get it all in
Tip Box
Apples – a) As I said, I used foraged apples, but it’s entirely up to you what kind of apples you use for your pie. Don’t be restricted by the idea that it should be a bitter cooking apples in the pie filling. I certainly don’t want a bitter taste, but if that’s suits your taste, go for it.
b) The number/weight of apples is approximate. To an extent is depends on how big your pie dish is. The apples should be piled high in the middle.
Pepper – If you don’t have red pepper corns, use pink
Pastry- a) Don’t worry too much of the bottom layer of your pastry breaks up a little, once it’s all in, you can repair it really easily by gently pushing it together.
b) Make sure that the edges are sealed well so the filling doesn’t bubble out while cooking.
Ovens - All oven vary so adjust cooking time accordingly
Try it with cream and home made blackberry jam too
