There has been something missing from the winning apple recipes that have been running in Bite — my mile-high apple pie. This pie is a staff favourite at the restaurants. We usually have a lot of pastry left over from our tarte tatin at Depot and this is a great way to use it.
I have a few tips when it comes to my apple pie:
1 If possible, don't put the apples in water, this can dilute the flavour and also make the filling a little sloppy.
2 Pre-cook the filling over a very high heat. Reducing the juices that the apples release with brown sugar before baking means the pie is filled to the brim with epic amounts of apple and the base doesn't get too soggy.
3 Use up to three different varieties of apple — granny smith for tartness, braeburn for body and a softer apple that will break down and thicken the filling, such as ambrosia or jazz. I suggest you serve this pie "a la mode" with scoops of vanilla icecream, while the pie is still warm.
Ingredients
| 3 kgs | Apples, mixed (Main) |
| 75 g | Butter, diced |
| 200 g | Sugar |
| 60 g | Brown sugar |
| 100 g | Raisins |
| 500 g | Flaky pastry, packet Paneton pre-rolled sheets (Main) |
| 1 | Egg, beaten |
| 1 Tbsp | Caster sugar |
Directions
- Peel, core and cut the apples into chunks (eighths).
- Cook the apples in a heavy-based saucepan with the butter over a very high heat for 5 minutes. (Reducing and evaporating any apple liquid so the pie base remains crisp when baked.)
- Add sugars and raisins and stir well, continuing to cook for 10-15 minutes over high heat. The apple should begin to soften and the juices become very reduced and dry.
- Pour cooked filling into a bowl and allow to cool. Then refrigerate while you prepare the pastry.
- Preheat a thick oven tray in a 200C oven.
- Cut the pastry sheet in half. Using a 24cm pie dish as a guide, cut roll out one half and cut it into a round 2cm larger than the dish. Set aside.
- Roll the other half out until it is big enough to line the pie dish, pushing it into the corners and allowing the excess pastry to hang over the side of the pie dish.
- Spoon in all the chilled apple pie filling. It should fill it well above the pastry line, smooth it into a dome-like shape with a spatula.
- Using egg wash as glue, stick the pastry lid to the over hanging pastry base and squeeze together firmly.
- Using scissors, cut around where the two pastries join.
- Fold the pastry under itself, and squeeze together firmly. Score the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.
- Bake on the preheated oven tray for 30 minutes, then brush the pastry with some egg wash and sprinkle over the caster sugar.
- Bake for a further 10 minutes, then allow to cool for an hour before serving to allow filling to thicken.
Kyle Street, executive chef at Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar and Federal Delicatessen, is an avid lover of street food. He takes a playful approach to cooking — for him it is all about provenance, big flavours and, most importantly, respecting his ingredients.Find more of Kyle's recipes here.