Apple pie – the flavours of fall

Fall is back in town, amazingly it has a nicer face than the summer had this year in the northern part of Europe. The days are shorter, but the sun is shinning a bit more than it did it for the past months. Well, I am not trying to write a weather report, but just to get into an autumn atmosphere. But despite its pitfalls, the autumn is a great season in terms of food and of flavour richness. It is a bit like an old wise person – saw it all and now is ready to share the knowledge. The fall produce is usually a bit more heavy, it takes a bit longer to understand its “wise-ness”, just think about pumpkins, apples, pears, quince, figs, beetroot. You don’t get that jumping for joy taste, but a bit more down to earth aromas and flavours.

And to celebrate the beginning of fall, I made some apple pie – thus filling the house with rich cinnamon, vanilla and fresh pastry flavours .

apple pie

serves 4

Pastry

350 grams flour

225 cold butter

30 grams sugar

60 ml ice water

1 pinch of salt, vanilla

Cut the butter in small cubes. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and vanilla.   Add the butter and water and mix until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough, otherwise the pastry will become hard, rather than nice and crispy. Cover it in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

Apple filling

5 apples

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

30 grams butter

2 tablespoons cognac

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 vanilla beans

Peel the apples and cut them in cubes. Melt the butter over low heat, in a medium saucepan. Add the apples, the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla. Cook until the sugar is melted, for about 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch and mix well. When the apples are cooked (do not overcook), sprinkle the cognac over the apples and flambe it. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To assemble the pies, roll out the pastry (3 mm thick) and fit it in tart tins. Fill up the tarts with the apple mixture and seal them with another sheath of rolled out dough, closing the edgesproperly. Brush the top of the tarts with egg wash.

Bake the pies in a preheated oven at 180C for 40 minutes or until they become golden and the pastry is cooked through. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

placinta de mere

Blatul

• 350 grame faina
• 225 grame unt rece
• 30 grame zahar
• 60 ml apa rece
• un praf sare
• vanilie

Umplutura de mere

• 5 mere
• 4 linguri zahar
• jumatate lingurita scortisoara
• 30 grame unt
• 2 linguri cognac
• 1 lingura amidon
• vanilie

Se taie untul in cuburi mici. Intr-un vas se combina faina, sarea, zaharul si vanilia. Se adauda untul si se amesteca pana cand untul se amesteca relativ omogen cu faina. se adauga apa rece, astfel incat aluatul sa devina compact si relativ omogen. Nu framantati aluatul foarte mult, astfel baza tartei devine ff tare. Acoperiti cu folie de plastic si lasati aluatul sa se odihneasca la frigider o ora.

Curatati merele si taiati-le in cubulete. Topiti untul pe foc mic, intr-o tigaie de marime medie.Adaugati merele, zaharul, scortisoara si vanilia. Gatiti pana cand zaharul se topeste, apoi adaugati amidonul. Adaugati cognacul peste mere si flambati-l pana alcoolul se dizolva. Lasati merele sa se raceasca.

Asamblati prin a intinde aluatul pana ajunge la o grosime de 3 mm. Se aseaza in formele de tarta, se umple tarta cu umplutura de mere. Deasupra se aseaza o foaie de aluat , ca un capac.

Coaceti la 180 de grade pentru 30 de minute sau pana cand tarta capata o culoare aramie.