HOW TO FREEZE APPLES FOR APPLE PIE RECIPES

Steps:

• Make crust: Place flour and butter into freezer for 30 minutes before starting crust process. In a large food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until pea-sized and some slightly larger pieces form. With the machine running, add vinegar, then ice water into feed tube, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough starts to come together and is moist but not wet and sticky (test by squeezing some with your fingers). Mixture will be crumbly. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, form into 2 equal size balls, and flatten into disks (making sure there are no/minimal cracks). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is very cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough into a 12” circle. Drape over pie dish and gently press to fit (don’t stretch). Refrigerate 30 minutes or freeze 10 minutes. In a large bowl, toss apple slices with lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Transfer apple mixture into the crust-lined pie dish. Dot all over with butter. Preheat oven to 425º with a large baking sheet on the middle rack and lightly grease a 9”-x-1.5” pie dish with cooking spray. Roll out second disc of dough into a 12” circle and drape over apple filling, trim edges to 1”, tuck overhang up and over itself, and crimp edges.  Brush with egg wash and make six 2” slots in the center. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place pie onto preheated baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375º and bake until golden and bubbly, 40 minutes more. (If edges begin to look dark, cover with foil.) Let cool on a wire rack at least 2 hours before serving.

Steps:

• Arrange half the apple slices in the bottom of a shallow 900ml pie dish and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Arrange the cloves evenly among the apples. Cover with the remaining apple slices and add 3 tablespoons cold water.

  To make the pastry, measure the flour into a bowl. Add the diced butter and white vegetable fat and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add about 2 tablespoons cold water and mix to a firm dough.

  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a size that will cover the top of the pie dish. Lift the dough onto the dish and trim the edges. If you like, cut the trimmings into decorative shapes, such as leaves, and lightly press onto the dough. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

  Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Brush the pie with a little milk, then sprinkle the top with sugar. Make a small slit in the centre of the pie for the steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the pastry is crisp and pale golden. Cover the pie loosely with foil towards the end of the cooking time, if the pastry starts to brown before the apples are cooked.

  You can freeze the pie after cooking and when completely cool. Leave to defrost almost completely before reheating and serving. Uncooked homemade pastry is an excellent standby for the freezer. Pack it in separate quantities of 225g (8oz) and 450g (1lb), labelling it clearly. Defrost in the fridge or kitchen until pliable enough to roll and use.