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Spiced baked apple pies
Serves baked apple pies
Ingredients
- 80g mixed sultanas and chopped dried figs
- 3tbsp dark or golden rum
- 30g soft light brown sugar
- ½tsp mixed spice
- 125g soft butter, plus extra for spreading
- 6 eating apples, peeled and cored
- 400g basic shortcrust pastry
- 6 small bay leaves
- 6 thin shards cinnamon stick
- 6 round individual ovenproof dishes or ramekins
Method
Put the sultanas and figs into a screw-topped jar with the rum, shake and leave to soak for at least 2 hours or overnight (shaking occasionally). Once soaked, mix with the sugar, mixed spice and butter. Spoon the spiced fruit and butter mixture into the holes in the cored apples, pressing in with the handle of a teaspoon. Spread a little more butter over the apples.
Carefully place each apple into a round dish or ramekin in which they fit snugly, protrude above the top edge, but don’t touch the sides of the dish.
Roll out the pastry and cut out 6 circles a good bit larger than the diameter of the dishes. Brush the rims of the dishes with a little water and set a circle of pastry on top of each dish, gently moulding it over the apple. Press the edges of the pastry to the rim to seal and make a tiny steam hole in the top of each pie. Use any pastry trimmings to cut shapes to decorate the top of the pies, then chill for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Set the pies on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes to set the pastry. Reduce the temperature to 150ºC/300ºF/ Gas 2 and stick a bay leaf and cinnamon shard into the steam holes, then bake for a further 40 minutes until the apples are soft but not collapsing. (If they look like they are browning too much, cover with kitchen foil.)
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