Home Made Apple Pie...

Well this is a post I didn't think I'd be writing this week!

But what do you do when a juice detox goes pear shaped? (Sorry I couldn't resist)

You make Apple Pie of course!

I didn't have high expectations as last time I tried apple crumble it didn't go too well, it was ok but not great.

And I was even making the the pastry from scratch.

Also as I had two little helpers this could probably go into the records books as the longest time to make apple pie ever recorded :)

But I have to say it was delicious and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Here's the recipe I followed:

serves 6

Ingredients

• for the pastry
• 
  
• • 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• • 50g icing sugar
• • sea salt
• • 1 lemon
• • 125g cold butter, plus extra for greasing
• • 2 large eggs
• • a splash of milk
• 
  
• for the filling
• 
  
• • 5 eating apples (I used my left over Golden Delicious)
• • 3 tablespoons Demerara sugar
• • ½ a lemon

To make your pastry

 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4

 From a height, sieve your flour into a large mixing bowl

 Add the sugar, a pinch of salt, and finely grate over the zest of the lemon

 Cut the butter into cubes, then add to the bowl

 Use your fingertips to gently work the butter into the flour and sugar until the  mixture resembles breadcrumbs

 Crack the egg into the bowl with a tiny drop of milk and gently mix with your    hands until the dough   comes together

 Wrap it in clingfilm and pop in the fridge to rest while you make the filling

To make your filling

  Peel all of your apples (do not nearly slice off your little finger like I did)

  Cut the eating apples into eighths, get rid of the cores

  Add all the apple pieces to a small pan with the sugar

  Finely grate over the zest of half a lemon, then squeeze in a little juice 

  Toss to mix then put the pan on a medium low heat 

  Simmer gently until the apples are just tender

  Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely

To make and cook your pie

Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour 

Divide your pastry dough into two and roll out one half until ½cm thick 

Carefully roll your pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll it carefully over a 20cm pie dish

Finely grate over the zest of half a lemon, then squeeze in a little juice 

Ease the pastry into the dish, making sure you push it into all the sides

Don’t worry if it tears or breaks – just patch it up – it will look nice and rustic 

Pack the apple mix tightly into the pie dish

Separate your remaining egg and beat the yolk with a splash of milk and brush over the pastry rim 

Roll out the other piece of dough until ½cm thick 

Carefully roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the top of the pie

Fold the excess pastry back in then pinch and crimp the edges together using your finger and thumb 

small incisions in the centre of the pie to let steam escape as it cooks

Bake in the hot oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden and firm to the touch 

Serve with custard, fresh cream or ice cream

Serve and enjoy

Making real gravy.... Revised!

I was a bit nervous of this one for some reason, but in reality it was very simple and absolutely delicious.

I will not go back to instant gravy for roasts ever again, it made such a difference to the meal.

So here is what I did

Put pan with meat juices onto the hob and heated until fat started spitting

Then I added two table spoons of plain flour and mixed to a paste

I then added hot water from my potatoes and whisked

You can add a stock/oxo cube at this point if you desire (I did)

Then I whisked some more


I left to simmer on the hob whilst I dished out and it thickened up nicely

I will say that I struggled to get the flour to mix completely so I had to siv the gravy but for my first attempt I was delighted with the result.

Update!

I have figured out how to not make lumpy gravy (woo hoo) and its down what I stir with. If I use a spoon with holes in then viola I don't get lumps, which makes me a happy girl :)

Toad in the Hole

I was delighted with how well this recipe turned out.

Now I know it's a very simple one to do but I was surprised at how tasty it was and it looked great.

And of course as we know I am no Nigella so any success is to be celebrated :)

The Recipe

Toad in the Hole

125g plain flour
300 mil milk
3 eggs
A pinch of salt and pepper
Sausages

Siv the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle

Add the eggs and then mix until firm

Gradually mix in the milk

Season with salt and pepper

The mix thoroughly until smooth

I also siv the mixture to ensure it is lump free

Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes

Heat oven to 240c

Heat oil in your roasting tin until the oil is smoking.

Whilst oil is heating I fried the sausages (but you can grill them if you prefer)

Once the sausages are cooked I put them onto a plate ready to quickly add them to my Yorkshire pudding mix.

Get your heated oil out of the oven and immediately add the Yorkshire pudding mix then sausages and put back in the oven.

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR UNTIL ITS COOKED

After 10 minutes turn the oven down to about 180/200

Total cooking time 25 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

I used Asda extra special thin Cumberland sausages which are 90% pork, since the meat scandal I have definitely changed my buying habits and these sausages where surprising good value at £2.50 for twelve, I pay more than that normally for sausages with no actual meat in them!