This was the apple pie that helped mend my broken heart when our Kitty Cat Aria went to heaven. I needed a place to put my grief. That day when I woke to a sunless sunrise, I knew the only way I could pay tribute to our Aria was by making this apple pie. I even painted the backdrop board. I had to keep busy and I had to be creative.
Aria’s Caramel Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 575 g granny smith apples cored and sliced net weight 440g 14 slices per apple thickness
- 30g brown sugar
- 1 Tbls fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbls maizena
- ¼ tsp mixed spice
- 2 Tbls caramel sauce optional
- 1 20cm Pâte Sucrée pastry case pre baked @180ºC for 15 min and cooled
- 100 g grated Pâte Sucrée
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbls brown sugar
- ¼ tsp mixed spice
- 2 Tbls slivered almonds
Instructions
Prepare the apples
- Core Apples
- Slice apples into 14 slices per apple
- placed the sliced apples in a saucepan along with the sugar, lemon juice and zest. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. The apples must hold their shape and not be mushy.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the maizena and zest. Set aside to cool
Prepare pâte sucrée
- you will need about 300 – 350g pastry 200g for the pie shell and 100 – 150g grated for the apple pie topping
- bake the 20cm pie shell for 15 min at 180ºC
- fill the case with the prepared apples and caramel sauce
- Topping – Grate the 150g pâte sucrée, add the lemon zest, sugar, mixed spice and almonds . Use a fork to gently mix altogether. Sprinkle the topping over the prepared apples and caramel sauce.
- Place the apple pie on a baking sheet and bake in pre heated 180ºC oven for 30min or until golden brown.
- Serve with whipped cream or ice cream whilst still hot Serves 4 -6 people