Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Since we’ve started making apple pie in this way, Small Man has requested it for dessert every single night.  He absolutely loves it, so we’ll keep making it once a week or so, while the apples are new season, crisp and a little tart.  It’s a great make-ahead dessert, because you can freeze both the dough and the pie filling, and assemble them prior to baking.  The shortcrust pastry has just the right amount of sweetness to complement the slightly tart apples.  This recipe makes enough pastry for two sweet pies – I usually make one and freeze the rest of the dough for next time.  You can easily halve the pastry ingredients if you’d rather not have the excess.

Filling

• 4 – 5 large new season apples (we used Fujis, but Pink Ladies are our preferred cooking apple. Grannies are obviously brilliant as well).
• Sugar to taste
• Juice of one lemon (or to taste)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1. Peel and core the apples, then cut them into bite-sized chunks (save the peels and cores in the freezer for apple jelly or pectin).

2. Put the cut apple flesh into a medium sized saucepan with a dash of water, lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar,  and cook gently, covered at first, then with the lid off, until the apples are tender but still holding their shape (you don’t want applesauce). The apples need to cook until they’re quite dry, so don’t add too much water at the beginning – just a tiny bit to stop the apples from scorching.  Pour the cooked apple mixture out onto a large flat plate to cool.

June’s Pastry

• 250g unsalted butter, chopped
• 200g bread flour
• 200g plain flour
• 150g icing sugar mixture (not pure icing sugar)
• 2 whole eggs OR 1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours and icing sugar mixture.  Rub in the butter.  Add the eggs and mix well, using a stirring action first, and then squelching the pastry with your fingers to combine.  It can be quite sticky sometimes, depending on the weather – add a little more flour if you need to (but try not to add too much).  Knead the pastry briefly but gently, until well combined.

2. Divide into two portions – freeze one wrapped tightly, first in clingfilm and then in foil, and wrap the other half in clingfilm and store it in the fridge to rest for about half an hour.

Assembling

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

2. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll two-thirds of it out on a large sheet of parchment paper, until it forms a circle slightly larger than your pie dish. Make sure you dust your rolling pin with flour to stop it sticking.

3. Invert the pastry into your pie plate, easing it gently into the sides.  Gently, gently remove the parchment paper.  Ease and work the pastry into the plate with your fingers.  Trim any excess so that it just overhangs the outside of the plate – you’ll turn the edge in after the filling has gone in.  Make sure there aren’t any air bubbles in the base – pop them with a fork if you need to.

4. Pour in the cooled filling into the pie shell.  Fold the pastry in over the filling, forming a little rolled edge (I’ve found that doing this means you avoid a burnt rim!).  Roll the remaining dough into long skinny logs and lay them over the filling in a lattice formation.

5. Brush the pastry top with either a little milk or a beaten egg (egg is better, but I’m usually loathe to waste an entire egg on this) and bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Read about our manic pie making weekend!