Apple Pie - using a lattice structure crust

i'd finally realized one of Dear's request! 


i'm glad i took an extra effort to make the pie crust from scratch instead of buying readymade frozen pie crust. 

Apple Pie 

Pie Crust (adapted from simplyrecipe.com) - for recipes that need double pie crusts 


Ingredients:


2 1/2 cups --------------- all-purpose flour
1 cup --------------------- unsalted butter, cubed, frozen
1 tsp ---------------------- salt
1 tsp ---------------------- sugar
6 tbsp -------------------- ice-water


Method:


1. in a large mixing bowl, mix well flour, sugar and salt
2. cut in butter. mix until mixture resembles coarse meal
3. add ice-water 1 tbsp at a time until mixture just begins to clump together. do not over add water
4. remove dough from the large bowl and place in a mould on a clean surface. gently shape the dough mixture into 2 disks, work the dough enough just to form the round disks; do not over-knead
5. sprinkle a little flour around the disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 2 days
6. remove one disk from refrigerator. let it sit at room temp for about 5-10mins and roll out on a well-flour surface into a 12-in circle (1/8-in thick).
7. carefully transfer the rolled-out dough onto a 9-in pie dish. gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of pie dish. using a pair of scissors, trim the dough to within 1/2-in of the edge of the pie dish
8. add pie filling
9. roll out the second dough, as before, gently place pie dough on top of filling. pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. design the sides as you wish. (after rolling out the second disk, i cut it into strips)
10. score top of the pie with four 2-in long cuts


Apple Pie Filling (adapted from allrecipes.com)


Ingredients:


115g --------------------- unsalted butter
2 tbsp -------------------- plain flour
60ml --------------------- water
100g --------------------- white sugar
110g --------------------- packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peel, cored and sliced


Method:


1. preheat oven to 220degC
2. melt butter in a saucepan. stir in flour to form a paste. add water, sugars, and bring it to a boil. reduce heat and simmer...
3. place the bottom crust in pie dish. fill with apples, mounted slightly. cover with a lattice work crust.
4. gently pour the sugar-butter liquid over the crust, very slowly so that it does not run off
5. bake in the preheat oven for 15min
6. reduce the temp to 175degC and continue baking for 45 min until apples are soft

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

A malfunction nose is just like a malfunction tap - it either leaks or blocks. My nose was leaking for the past two days and it started to block today. Breathing through mouth is not our natural breathing mechanism. It leads dry throat and cough... I had felt breathless most of the time today... and can't exercise till I recover, said my clinic doctor. awwwwfulllll....

Anyhow, I should have learnt to eat an apple day, for it keeps a doctor away. Being curious, I did a quick Google on the adage and found that other than the fact that it rhymes, there appears to be a lack of scientific evidence to prove so. Nonetheless, apples are still considered a super nutritious food that can be enjoyed every day!

Well, I didn’t quite enjoy eating apples until not long ago did I begin to appreciate apples, partly because of a friend's influence. In particular, I really like this species of apple - NZ 4122. It is crunchy, sweet and juicy! Thus, my perfect apple. :)

The following apple related recipe was made using granny smith green apples. It was attempted in response to my dear's subtle expression about his liking for apple desserts.

Apple custard puff pastry

Ingredients A

• 2 tbsp custard powder (I used Bird's custard powder) 
• 1-2 tbsp sugar 
• 568 ml (1 pint) milk 

Ingredients B

• 3-4 Granny Smith green apples 
• 2 tbsp sugar 
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon powder 

Ingredient C

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (I used Pampas Puff Pastry) 

Method

Making the custard - "on the hob" method

1. put custard powder and sugar in a basin 
2. mix into a smooth paste with approximately 2 tbsp of milk taken from the 568 ml. 
3. heat the remaining milk to nearly boiling and pour into the custard mix, stirring well 
4. return to the saucepan and bring to the boil over gentle heat, stirring continuously 

Preparing the apples

1. wash, peel, core and cut the apples into thin slices 
2. toss the apple slices with the sugar and cinnamon until well and evenly coated 

Preparing the puff pastry

1. defreeze the puff pastry as per manufacturer's instruction (or you may leave it outside the fridge for about two hrs) 
2. on a floured surface, cut the puff pastry into cubes (1 pack yields about 12-15 cubes) 
3. roll and flatten each cube into squares or rectangles as desired 
4. place custard and apples in the middle of the puff pastry, leaving about 1cm border from the edge. Fold and join the edges of the puff pastry using water. Bake in preheat oven at 200degC for 15-20 min. 
5. remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.