18/10/2019
It’s that time of year again where trees and bushes are covered in delicious fruit. It’s a great time to get out and about with the family and it means free fruit!
To celebrate Apple Day, why not go out this weekend and pick some delicious red or green apples with the family? There are plenty of places to pick apples, whether it be somewhere local or you can check out the National Trust website who have lots of apple related events across the country.
Here are some tasty recipes you can use your freshly picked apples with:
Apple Pie
You will need:
- Freshly picked cooking apples (3 large apples)
- 350 g plain flour
- 225 g butter
- 2 egg beaten
- 50 g caster sugar
Start by quartering, coring and peeling your apples. Slice them so they are about 5mm thick and lay to the side on a baking sheet. For the pastry, you will need to beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until mixed and then add a whole egg and yolk (the white will be used later.) Beat together for a further minute until the mixture looks scrambled and work in the flour slowly with a wooden spoon until it begins to clump together.
With your hands work the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and put the dough in the fridge for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
After it has chilled, cut a third of the pastry and keep the rest wrapped whilst you roll. Roll out the third you’ve just cut and line it in a pie tin with a slight overhang. Roll out the rest of the pastry so that it’s approximately 28cm in diameter.
Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper and place them in the pie tin and pour sugar over them to make them sweet. Then get your pastry and place gently on top. Seal the rim by pressing the edges together and use a knife to gently cut away any spare pastry from the edges. To get the kids involved, you can get them to decorate the pie by making patterns around the rim or use the spare pastry to make shapes to put on the top of the pie.
Finally, you use a brush to spread the egg white you previously saved over the pie and use a knife to poke a hole into the top of the pie. You can sprinkle some previously saved sugar on top to give that finishing touch. Pop into the over for 40-45 minutes and enjoy!
Apple Crumble
You will need:
Filling
- 400 g cooking apples
- 50 g caster sugar
Crumble
- 35 g wholemeal flour
- 35 g rolled oats
- 35 g unsalted butter
- 20 g caster sugar
Start by preheating the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Peel and core the apples and cut into quarters and then into chunks. Put the apples into a saucepan with the sugar and 1 tablespoon of water and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the apples have slightly softened. Once softened tip into an ovenproof dish.
In a bowl, place the flour and oats and mix well. Cut the butter into cubes and add. Mix the mixture with your fingers until it resembles a crumb texture. Then add the sugar and mix. Pour the crumble mixture over the fruit and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Apple Crisps
You will need:
- 2 apples
- 2 tbsp honey
Firstly, you will need to preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180°C/fan oven 140°C. In a saucepan warm the honey until it is runny. Once done, cut the apple into thin slices that resemble crisps and discard any pips.
Place the apples onto a wire rack and brush on the side facing up with honey. After 15 minutes baking, flip the apple slices over and brush this side with honey and bake for a further 15 minutes until golden and crisp. Finally lay out the apples onto a sheet of baking paper and leave to cool.
Remember these recipes aren’t just for apples. You can also add other fruits that are ripe this time of year such as blackberries and plums!
These recipes were collected by Tanya from the marketing team. Here she shares her treasured memories of baking with her nan:
“to me, this time of year brings back some great memories from when I was child when my sister and I would go out foraging with my nan for apples, blackberries and plums. We didn’t care what state they were in, my nan taught us to pick and eat all the fruit that was edible, no matter the shape, size or if it had funny marks on it.
“It was great exercise for us all and it got us out in the great outdoors. It also got us eating fruit as we would always eat the fruit as we picked. And most importantly it created great memories with me and my family.
“After our foraging we would retreat back to my nans house and my nan would get us to work with the fun bit – baking tasty food!”
Share with us your memories in the comments below!