Streusel Apple Pie

I don't know about you but I really feel Winter has arrived.I know that technically it's still Autumn but I'm a cold person by nature so I'm already really feeling the cold.There's so many things about Winter that I hate:the bitter cold,the dull,dark sky,the constant rain,the shorter days,the fact that one is almost completely confined to the house...the list is endless!But then again there are many things I love about Winter but the main one has to be Winter baking.I can't think of anything more inviting than spending my weekends trapped in my cosy kitchen working on an exciting new recipe.Personally I think Winter baking allows you to experiment with trickier recipes as I always seem to have a whole day to complete a recipe.

Apples are in season at the moment so for that reason I was searching around for an interesting recipe involving apples this week.I recently got Edd Kimber's new book The Boy Who Bakes and I spotted an interesting recipe comprised of a pastry base a cinnamon flavoured apple filling and a crumbly streusel topping.I spent most of my day working on this recipe from making the shortcrust pastry right down to the streusel topping.This by no means came together in a matter of minutes and if your looking for something quick to satisfy your sweet craving then this certainly isn't what you're looking for.But if your looking for something to spend your day slowly working through with a delicious rewarding result then this certainly fits the bill.The shortcrust base is just he right crumbly texture and isn't overly sweet.The apple filling is flavoured with cinnamon,ginger and nutmeg giving it that little extra something and the streusel topping is a lovely sweet finish to the pie.I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking to make an apple inspired recipe this week.

Shortcrust Pastry
125g unsalted butter,diced and chilled
200g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
35-60ml ice cold water

Streusel Topping
140g plain flour
100g caster sugar
110g butter

For The Filling
1.3kg eating apples(granny smith)
1 tsp lemon juice
15g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsps flour
pinch of salt
15g butter,small pieces

1.Begin with the shortcrust pastry.In a large bowl rub the butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips or using a pastry blender,until you have irregular breadcrumbs.Add half the water and mix until the mixture starts to come together,adding more water if the mixture is too dry.Place onto a work surface and using the heel of your hand,press and smear the dough across the work surface a few times,then gather it together and form into a flat round.Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.Alternatively this can be done using a food processor and then smearing across the work surface as mentioned above.
2.While the pastry is chilling make the streusel topping.Sieve the flour and sugar into a bowl and then rub in the butter using your fingertips.Gather the dough together then chill until needed.
3.Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin,and roll out the chilled shortcrust pastry to fit a 23cm(9in) pie dish.Line with the dough and trim any excess leaving a 2.5cm overhang.Roll the excess pastry under itself to form the pie's edge.Crimp the pie's edge using your fingertips.Chill for 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 200C(180C Fan)gas mark 6.
3.Line the prepared pastry shell with baking parchment and fill with a layer of baking beans or rice.Bake for 20 minutes.Remove the baking beans and baking parchment,then bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pie begins to turn golden.
4.To make the filling,peel,core and slice the apples,then put them in a large bowl with the lemon juice,sugar,cinnamon,nutmeg,ginger,flour and salt.Mix well.
5.Add the filling to the pastry shell and dot with the butter.Bake for 15 minutes,then open the oven reduce the temperature to 180C(160 Fan)gas mark 4.Break the streusel topping into little pieces and spread it across the top of the pie.Bake for another 45-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the pastry golden.Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.