The Core Facts

Overall verdict: This one was more of a sponge pudding, thanks to pastry with a lot of egg. Not really what I’m looking for in an apple tart/pie to be honest, although it tasted nice.
Timings: 20 mins prep + 20 mins chilling + 45 mins in oven
Sugar: 150g
Butter: 150g
Type of apple: Bramley

The Long Peel

This apple pie recipe from JP McMahon was a bit of a disappointment. I was hoping for a fantastically delicious, simple Irish apple pie with crisp pastry and sharp apples, like Eunice Power’s apple tart or Donal Skehan’s apple tart. JP’s pastry is more cake-like. It’s still an apple pie though and it might suit some people.

The Pastry

It was only when JP instructed me to put two eggs into the dough that I realised I was into unknown territory. I don’t remember that happening before on this project. It made the dough very sticky and I ended up rolling it on clingfilm so I could lift it into the dish – otherwise it just broke up.

The Apples

JP asks for three large cooking apples, so I went with Bramleys. They’re roughly sliced and coated in sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.

The Bake

A 45 minute bake seemed about right. However, I had to cover the pie with foil for the last 10 minutes as it was starting to look a bit charred at the edges.

The Dish

JP doesn’t specify the size of dish – it just says “a baking tin”. My 23cm dish seemed to work OK.

The Hot Slice

You can see the signs of cakeiness, although it sliced really nicely and held together very impressively.

The Rested Result

It looks like a very nice apple pie, and it was – if you like a sponge pudding effect rather than crisp pastry.

If We Repeeled

• I’d add a bit more cinnamon – I couldn’t really taste it

Scores

Simplicity of bake: Simple
Pastry texture: Sponge-like
Pastry taste: It tasted more like a sponge pudding
Apple texture: The apples retained their shape but were soft
Apple taste: Nice sweetened apple taste – the pinch of cinnamon was lost
Apple to pastry ratio: Very good – plenty of both
Overall score: 7 out of 10