Dutch apple pie recipe

In Holland this is always made with the apple variety 'Belle de Boskoop' which is difficult to find here unless you grow it, so use 'Howgate Wonder' or 'Granny Smiths' (not 'Bramley') which hold their shape well during the cooking process.

for 8-10

for the pastry

• 300g self-raising flour
• 200g unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 160 g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Good pinch of fine salt

for the filling

• 1kg 'Howgate Wonder', or 'Granny Smiths' apples, peeled, 1 grated and the rest cut into small chunks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 150g raisins
• 2 small egg yolks, beaten
• 1 egg white, beaten (reserved for glazing)
• Seeds from 3 cardamom pods, crushed in a pestle and mortar
• 50 g fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Line the base of a 24cm spring form tin with baking parchment

Put all the filling ingredients, except the breadcrumbs into a mixing bowl and give it a good stir.

Now make the pastry by putting the butter, flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt into a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter with your fingers until you get a crumbly mixture. Add the beaten egg and bring together into a ball, alternatively put the first lot of ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Then add the beaten egg and pulse again until the pastry comes together. Wrap it in cling film and chill for an hour. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out the pastry 6mm in thickness. Use to line the sides and bottom of the prepared cake tin. Reserve the trimmings to make the lattice top.

Spread the fresh breadcrumbs evenly over the bottom of the pastry. Then spoon in the apple filling. Roll out the pastry trimmings and cut into strips. Make a lattice over the apple filling and brush with the reserved beaten egg white.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then gently push a knife around the edge of the cake tin and carefully remove from the tin.

Eat warm or cold, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

This recipe featured in the Sarah Raven 2015 Calendar.