FREEFORM APPLE PIE WITH SALTED BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE BY COURTNEY ROULSTON

Prep time:20 minutes plus resting time

Cook time: 50 minutes

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Serves: 6

Ingredients

4 pink lady apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

Juice and zest of ½ small lemon

1 egg yolk for brushing

1 tablespoon demerara sugar

Pastry Base

2 tablespoons almond meal

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Pastry

185g Plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

125g chilled butter, cubed

90g cream cheese

1 tablespoon thickened cream

Salted butterscotch sauce

125g butter

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

1 cup thickened cream

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

Method

Step 1. For the pastry, place the flour, baking powder, butter and a pinch of salt into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add in the cream cheese and cream then blitz again until a ball of dough forms. Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and lightly dust with flour. Roll into a ball, cover with cling film then set aside in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.

Step 2. For the butterscotch sauce place the butter into a saucepan over a medium heat and melt. Add in the brown sugar and stir to combine- the mixture will look like sand. Bring up to a gentle simmer for 2-3 minutes and stir occasionally. Carefully pour in the cream then bring back up to a gentle simmer. Leave to cook for 4- 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in sea salt flakes.

Step 3. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C> Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out into a 5-6mm thick circle on a lightly dusted work surface. Carefully transfer the pastry to a lined oven tray. Mix the pastry base ingredients together in a small bowl then scatter over the pastry, leaving a 6cm border around the outside edge.

Step 4. Toss the chopped apples with lemon juice, lemon zest and 3-4 tablespoons of the salted butterscotch sauce. Tip the apples into the middle of the pastry, leaving a 6cm boarder and carefully fold up the outside of the pastry to hold the apples in place. Brush the pastry with egg yolk and scatter with demerara sugar. Place into the oven for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the apples are tender.

Step 5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges and serve with extra butterscotch sauce and cream or ice cream on the side.

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