Easy as apple pie

If you are one of those people who can never resist a slice of real home-made apple pie with a freshly baked, very crisp, melt-in-the-mouth crust and a pile of fluffy, fragrant, clove-scented apples inside – here it is!

Method

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 200°C. First, place the pastry case, still in its foil container, on a baking sheet. Then, all you do is halve, core and slice the apples (I leave the skins on) and pile them into the pastry case (making them higher in the centre), sprinkle over the caster sugar and dot with the cloves.

Next, dampen the edges with some of the egg white and place the pastry lid over the apples. Seal the edges, crimping all round with your thumb or a fork. Make a steam hole in the centre about the size of a 50p-piece, then brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle the demerara sugar over that. Now pop it into the centre of the oven to bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples are cooked and tender when tested with a skewer. Serve with thick cream, custard or ice-cream.