Apple pies: Northern Ireland’s finest.
Ah, Northern Ireland. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I have several equally random reasons; one: we’re only about an hour away and it’s rather nice to be able to pop to the shops in a different country. Two: the shopping’s much cheaper than here – and it’s an extra thrill to shop in my native sterling too (and until Southern Irish shops stop ripping off their customers I’ll feel no shame in doing so). Three, there’s the fact that whenever we go up there, the people are really nice, ooh, and four: the shopping is fab, oh and five: our lovely friend Tom happens to hark from that neck of the woods, and six: their accent is just lovely to listen to… I could ramble on, but another fantastically good reason is that their Bramley apples are just amazing. And here’s a completely useless fact: did you know that annually, Northern Ireland produces over 35000 tonnes of the big, fat, gorgeous beauties? Most of these go to make cider (why doesn’t that surprise you?) but a few of them make it back to English Towers, where their lovely, fluffy tartness make for rather nice pies. First you need to make some ridiculously fattening, buttery pastry:
200g plain flour
pinch of salt
150g cold butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
So add the pinch of salt into the flour, then cut the cold butter into little squares and gently rub them in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and then add about 2 tbsp cold water. Just enough to make the pastry come together. It will seem dry, but crumbly dough will make for lighter pastry. Trust your Aunty EM here. Wrap up your pastry and leave it to rest somewhere cool while you tackle your Bramleys.
2 large Bramley apples
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg (or just some milk)
1 tsp cinnamon/extra sugar
Preheat the oven to 180/gas 4 before you forget, then take a couple of large apples, peel, core and dice them and pop them into a saucepan. Add a couple of tbsp of caster sugar (depending on how tart you like your filling) and a whoosh of water from the tap. Gently cook the apples until they’re just tender, but not complete mush, and set aside to cool slightly.
Now, retrieve the pastry, roll it out and cut out 12 large circles and 12 smaller ones with a pastry cutter. Don’t worry if you’re as cack handed as I am with pastry – they’re supposed to look home-made. Gently pop the larger circles into the holes of a 12-hole muffin tin. Next, bung a tbsp of your lovely apple purée into each case:
…and top with a smaller circle. Beat the egg with a fork and brush a little onto each pie (or just use a dab of milk), then sprinkle with a little extra sugar and perhaps some cinnamon (to add a pleasing smell to your kitchen, if nothing else).
Now it would do you well to remember here that pie filling fresh from the oven is possibly the hottest substance known to man so try to prevent your offspring getting third degree mouth burns until the molten apple lava has calmed down a bit, then serve immediately with a big blob of mascarpone, or some lovely vanilla ice cream. Yum yum pig’s bum, as Auntie L would say.
Spudness: Slightly dodgier pastry than our Mr K, but not too bad considering. BTW I’m still suffering severe waistband constriction after my second helping of your wondrous sticky toffee pud. Photos to follow! x
I went ‘up North’ in February, but it was mad!
I do like m&s though….and Asda.
Pies: yum
i’m off to eniskillen tomorrow. can’t wait. cupboards are empty. completely agree about not feeling guilty. i’m halving my grocery bill and seeing as i’ve had some of my wages taken off me i need all the help i can get!
now, i feel tea and cake coming on lol
Ruth: Not in one sitting? Pah, that’s practically slimming!!! x
Rach: Ah that’s it, I’m going to have to make the journey. That’ll make the kids moan
Towny: Exactly! I’m planning a trip this week. Since I’ve been doing it I’ve started shopping a bit smarter though, as I found I was spending a fortune. Now I really stock up on stuff for the freezer and try to steer clear of the ‘luxuries’. Trouble is, the magazines and flowers call out to me when I pass…!!
Wee One: Funny, I’ve never liked coffee, but I’ve started to have the odd very milky one. Lubly with a hot cross bun
Am decidedly underwhelmed by it all I’m thinking when the Grafton St one is just around the corner from me every day! Will go for some things but won’t be doing he whole shopping there again, just veg and a few other bits methinks!
Rach: Exactly. I thought the whole clothes shop bit was really frumpy too. Big huge granny knickers and a-line floral skirts. I mean, what are we all? Pensioners already?!
Personally, I love apple pies warmed with ice cream on top.
It’s nice to know apple pies are popular in Ireland too!
Visit http://www.ccozic.wordpress.com for a kids story about a pie factory, or my pie history story Pieology.