Gran's Apple Pie

Ingredients:

180g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk (reserve egg white for glaze)
1 and 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 and 1/4 cups SR flour, sifted
6 Granny Smith apples
1 lemon, juiced and zest
butter for greasing
6 whole cloves or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp plain flour
Extra Tbsp caster sugar

Method:

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence with an electric beater until smooth and creamy and increased in volume. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until well combined.

Transfer to a large bowl. Add the sifted flours and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Place onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 even pieces. Knead each gently until mixture comes together. Wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Peel apples, cut into quarters and remove the seeds. Cut each quarter into thin slices.  Place in bowl, cover with cold water and lemon juice. Refrigerate until required.

Preheat oven to moderately hot (about 200 degrees C). Brush a 20cm x 4.5cm deep loose-bottom fluted tin or round cake tin with melted butter.

Roll out one piece of pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to fit the base and sides of the tin. Carefully ease the pastry into the tin.  Drain apples and dry well in a clean tea towel.  Place apples in a large bowl, add the grated rind, cloves or cinnamon, caster sugar and plain flour.  Mix with your hand to combine.  Pile the apples onto the pastry base.  Apples will sit about 5cm above the rim of the pastry.

Take the remaining pastry and roll out large enough to cover the apples completely. Place pastry on top and gently press the edges together. Using a sharp knife trim away the excess edges of the pastry.  Place the reserved egg white in a small bowl and beat with a fork until foamy.  Brush the top with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.  Cut a cross in the top of the pastry.

Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C then reduce to 180 degrees C for 25-30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and stand on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

Serve a slice of pie with a scoop of ice cream.

NOTE: To remove pie from the tin, stand the tin on an upturned bowl and tap the edge of the tin. The tin should fall away.