Caramel apple pie

Ingredients For the pastry: 250g butter, 100g sugar, 500g plain flour, 2 eggs, milk. For the glaze: 1 egg white, 1/2 tsp  vanilla essence, 1 tsp ground cinnamon. For the filling: 75g caster sugar, 75ml double cream, 3 apples, 50g butter.

1) Sift the flour and sugar and add small cubes of the cold butter into your blender and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add two beaten eggs and a splash of milk and pulse until a dough ball forms. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge to cool for an hour.


2) Roll out the pastry and press into a pie dish. Blind bake for 8 minutes and set aside to cool. Save the remaining pastry to make the lattice lid.


3) To make the caramel; put a frying pan to heat on the hob. When a drop of water "rolls" upon being dropped on the pan it is hot enough. Pour the sugar into the pan and stir continually with a wooden spoon until it liquifies and turns amber. Add the butter and stir through - be careful as this will cause the sugar to froth up to almost double the volume. Take from the heat once the sugar has been integrated and stir through the cream.


4) Peel and slice the apples and layer onto the pastry base. Spoon the caramel sauce over the apples and lay strips of pastry over the top. Brush with the egg white, cinnamon and vanilla glaze and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot or cold.