Baby Apple Pies

Photo: flickr user stevelyon

Ingredients

380 grams flour

180 grams caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

180 grams butter, softened

3 mediums freerange egg yolks

4 larges bramley cooking apples, peeled, cored, & chopped

4 tablespoons caster sugar

1/2 lemon, juice of

Preparation

Start with the pastry:Put the flour in a large bowl make a well in the middle and tip in the sugar butter and egg yolks. Using a fork; mash the yolks butter and sugar together then gradually draw in the flour.

Use your hands to mix everything together then knead on a work surface for about 30 seconds to make a smooth dough.

Wrap in clingfilm and refiigei ate for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile put the chopped apple in a pan with the sugar lemon juice and 2 tbsp water then cook to a coarse puree (leave a few lumps).

Taste and add sugar if you want.

Cool then refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Roll out the pastry to about 5mm thick then stamp out 12 circles to fit the indentations in a nonstick moulded tart tray and 12 smaller circles for lids. Line the moulds and fill with the apple mixture. Dampen the rim of the pastry top with the smaller circles of pastry and gently firm together.

Trim with a knife to make neat edges.

Make 3 small neat holes in the top of each pie and dust with sugar then bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden at the edges.

Leave to cool a little remove from the tin and dust with a little more sugar.

Serve with custard mascarpone or double cream.

Don't be tempted to replace the homemade pastry with shopbought.

Makes about 12 pies