Really Easy Spiced Apple Pie With Crème Anglaise Sauce Recipes

FOOLPROOF CREME ANGLAISE (CLASSIC VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan add the cream, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla pod and beans.
• Simmer over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble around the edge of the pan, for about 2 minutes, do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 20 minutes.
• While the cream mixture is infusing, whisk the egg yolks with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a medium bowl.
• Ladle some of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then swiftly whisk to combine. Add another ladle of the infused milk to the eggs until the egg mixture is warm to the touch. This method is called tempering and it prevents the eggs from curdling.
• Pour the tempered cream and egg mixture into the remaining cream in the saucepan, then return the pan to the heat.
• Continue to cook over medium heat while constantly stirring until the custard coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Once the custard has thickened, remove from the heat and strain through a sieve into a medium bowl to remove any lumps and the vanilla pod.
• Place the custard in an ice bath to cool it down quickly and prevent overcooking.
• Once cooled, cover and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up 4 days. Serve with pies, crisps and cobblers.

SPICED APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Combine sugar, flour, butter, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg in a food processor.
• Process until well blended.
• Spread one-third of the sugar mixture over an unbaked pie crust.
• Arrange apple slices, in an overlapping pattern, on top of the sugar mixture.
• Top with the remaining sugar mixture.
• Bake on 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.
• Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

CREME ANGLAISE (VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a 2-quart heavy saucepan bring 2 cups of the milk, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and the scraped vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Slowly pour 1 cup of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly, into the egg yolk-sugar mixture. (Do not pour the entire yolk-sugar mixture into the boiling milk mixture, as it will curdle the eggs.) Whisk in the remaining milk. Pour the milk-yolk mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Strain the mixture through a fine wire sieve into a heat--proof bowl. Place the sauce in an ice bath. When cool, transfer the sauce to a bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator, until ready to use. Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days if well sealed.

REALLY EASY SPICED APPLE PIE WITH CRèME ANGLAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the chilled butter into chunks, each about the size of a sugar cube.
• Sift the flour into a bowl then add the sugar , cinnamon and the salt if you are using it. Add the butter chunks evenly over the surface of the flour.
• Using your thumb and forefingers, rub the butter into the flour (this is easier with smaller chunks of butter). Continue until the butter is all incorporated. The mix should resemble biscuit/bread crumbs when it is ready.
• Add the water a little at a time, mixing thoroughly with a good sized spoon. When the mix reaches a smooth (and slightly sticky) consistency (which should look like cookie-dough), shape it into a ball and wrap it in cling film. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
• When the dough is nearly chilled, start making the filling. Peel, de-core and cut the apples into orange-segment-sized wedges. Place them in cold water if you are leaving them for any length of time to prevent them from browning.
• Mix the water, muscavado and light-brown sugars, cinnamon, lemon juice (and nutmeg & cloves if being used) in a jug/bowl.
• Melt the butter on a medium-high heat in a deep pan. Put the apples in and stir gently for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the liquid mix to the pan, keeping the heat at medium-high. Keep gently folding the mixture for 5 minutes until the apples begin to look mushy/fluffy (as boiled and shaken potatoes do). The apples will break up to some degree during this process - this is perfectly fine. The apples should all be darkened in colour if you've done this bit right. Leave the filling to cool in the air for about 10 minutes. During this time the fruit will begin to congeal a little more.
• Take the dough from the fridge. Divide it into two balls and roll each one out into a disc, each slightly larger than the top of an 8" diameter pie dish (by about 1" all round). Use a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking; rubbing flour onto the rolling pin will also help. By rolling one way then the other, you can easily achieve a neat circle. I prefer to use my hands to shape and flatten the dough however.
• Rub butter onto the pie dish (including the up-facing lip/edge of the dish). Place the first dough-disc squarely into the dish - make sure it sits flat against the walls of the dish and that it covers the lip of the dish, with a little extra (which you will trim in a minute).
• It is time to add the filling now - but make sure you drain it well! Either sieve off the liquid or use a slotted spoon to remove as much liquid as possible - if the filling is too wet the pasty will not cook properly. You can keep the liquid to drink, warmed, as a delicious punch, or even use as a sauce if you don't like creamy/custard like sauces on your pie. If you refrigerate it this sauce will thicken up a bit.
• Next whisk up the egg and 2 tablespoons of water. Paint the mixture onto the lip of the pastry (using a pastry brush or your fingertips). This will glue the two halves together.
• Now place your other pastry disc on top of the pie. Using a sharp knife, cut down through the top of the pastry to remove the excess. Use the edge of the pie dish to guide your knife - the pastry should be flush with the edge of the dish.
• Using one or two fingers, work around the edge of the pie, crimping the pastry together. As well as adding an attractive fluted edge to the crust, this will help to glue the edges together.
• Cut a series of 3 or 4 slashes into the top of the pastry, ensuring you go right through. This will allow trapped air to escape and prevent the pastry from cracking open in an uncontrolled manner during cooking. If you have a pie-spout you can use this instead.
• Glaze the top of the pie with more of the egg glaze mix (don't feel that you must use all of it - you'll make the pasty soggy if you do!).
• Use a sieve to dust the top with the icing sugar and cinnamon.
• Place in a preheated oven, middle shelf at around 180 Celcius. Cook for around 30-40 minutes (fan assisted ovens will be quicker).
• When the top is browned and the pastry is firm all over take the dish from the oven and cool on a wire rack for around 20-30 minutes. DO NOT remove the pie from the dish until it has cooled as it will most likely disintegrate!
• To make the Crème Anglaise sauce, place the milk in a pan. Add the sugar and vanilla (if using vanilla pods, you can use the seeds from a pod, and or the pod itself. I have successfully used a pod which has been in a box of sugar for 3 months to make vanilla sugar and it worked perfectly). Heat gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the vanilla to infuse into the milk properly.
• In a jug/bowl, place the cornflour and add a little milk (roughly 1 tablespoon milk to 2 tablespoons of cornflour). Stir thoroughly until it forms a thick paste, adding a little more milk if necessary.
• Pour the mix into the milk pan, stirring it in thoroughly. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring continuously all the while. Be very careful and make sure you are using a non-stick pan here as the sauce can easily burn on the bottom. As soon as the sauce thickens to the consistency of custard/thick pureed soup, remove it from the heat. Continue to stir for a while to make sure the latent heat does not burn the sauce at the bottom of the pan.
• Pour liberally (hot or cold) onto hot or cold apple pie and enjoy!

MUM'S EASY SPICED APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the topping first by placing all the topping ingredients into the food processor bowl and process with the metal chopping blade until the butter is chopped into small pieces. Do not over process or the rolled oats will be chopped too fine.
• Tip topping out of the bowl.
• Cake:.
• Without washing the bowl add in the apples which have been cored and cut into about 12 pieces. There is no need to peel them first.
• Process with metal blade until cut into fine pieces.
• Add the remaining cake ingredients. It is not necessary to sift the dry ingredients first but make sure the baking soda is not lumpy.
• Line the base of a 9"/23cm tin with baking paper & butter or spray the sides.
• Pour batter into prepared tin.
• Sprinkle over the topping mix.
• Bake at 350'F/180'C for approx 40-45 minutes or until the sides of cake shrink from the edge of the tin and the centre springs back when pressed lightly.
• Serve hot, warm, reheated or cold with whipped cream and/or custard as a dessert or cold in lunchbox.

ULTIMATE APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Quarter, core, peel and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Put paper towels on top and set aside while you make and chill the pastry.
• For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until just mixed. Break in a whole egg and a yolk (keep the white for glazing later). Beat together for just under 1 min - it will look a bit like scrambled egg. Now work in the flour with a wooden spoon, a third at a time, until it's beginning to clump up, then finish gathering it together with your hands. Gently work the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for 45 mins. Now mix the 140g/5oz sugar, the cinnamon and flour for the filling in a bowl that is large enough to take the apples later.
• After the pastry has chilled, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest, and use this to line a pie tin - 20-22cm round and 4cm deep - leaving a slight overhang. Roll the remaining third to a circle about 28cm in diameter. Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper, and tip them into the bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Give a quick mix with your hands and immediately pile high into the pastry-lined tin.
• Brush a little water around the pastry rim and lay the pastry lid over the apples pressing the edges together to seal. Trim the edge with a sharp knife and make 5 little slashes on top of the lid for the steam to escape. (Can be frozen at this stage.) Brush it all with the egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 40-45 mins, until golden, then remove and let it sit for 5-10 mins. Sprinkle with more sugar and serve while still warm from the oven with softly whipped cream.

SIMPLE CREME ANGLAISE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small, heavy saucepan, heat cream and vanilla until bubbles form at edges.
• While cream is heating, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly. Gradually add egg yolk mixture back to remaining milk mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

SPICED APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Peel, core and quarter the apples, then cut into 1cm slices. Toss together with the lemon juice, then dab dry with kitchen paper so that the pie isn't too watery. If you are using whole cardamom pods, split open the shell, remove the seed from inside and grind using a pestle and mortar. Mix into the apples with the flour and sugar, then toss to get everything coated.
• Cut away a third of the pastry to divide into two pieces. Dust a little flour over a work surface, then roll out the larger piece to roughly 28cm wide and as thick as a £1 coin. Lift the pastry up (try loosely wrapping around a rolling pin) and spread over the bottom of a 22cm pie dish. Roll out the smaller piece of pastry a little larger than the top of the pie.
• Pile up the apples inside and paint around the rim of the pie with milk. Lift the smaller circle of pastry on top. Press down to seal the pie, then trim around the edge of the pie with a sharp knife and discard the excess pastry. Use your fingers to indent around the pie and form a crimped edge.
• Make a few slits in the pastry so that steam can escape, then brush all over with milk and sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake for 20 mins, then reduce oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and cook for 50 mins-1hr until the pastry is golden and crisp. If it starts to darken too much, cover with tin foil, but make sure you cook it uncovered for the final 10 mins so that the pastry can crisp. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream, ice cream or custard.