Traditional American apple pie

Ingredients:

Pastry (Pie dough):

• 400 g/14 oz/ 3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 150 g/ 5 ½ oz/ 1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla flavouring (extract)
• 150 g/5 ½ oz/ 2/3 cup butter, softened, cut into small pieces

Filling:

• 75 g/ 2 ¾ oz/ 1/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar
• 10 desert apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 100 g/3 ½ oz raisins, soaked for 20 minutes in a hot rum

Place the flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and rub in the butter. Kneed the mixture until a soft pastry (pie dough) has formed. Take 2/3 of the dough, roll out and line a 24 cm/9 ½ inch loose-bottomed quiche/flan tin (pan). Using sharp knife, trim edge even with pie plate.

To make the filling, toss the apple slices with the sugar and raisins. Add the apple mixture to the pastry case (pie shell).

Roll out the remaining (1/3) dough and carefully place it over the top of the pie.

Roll and crimp the edges of the dough together, tightly sealing them. Using a sharp knife, make five- 2-inch (5 cm) slits from the center of the pie out towards the edge of the pie to allow the steam to escape.

Bake in a preheated oven, 190°C/375°F/ Gas mark 5, for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the juices are bubbling. Leave to cool.

According to research out of the University of Michigan Health System, eating apples and apple products reduces oxidative stress in the body, boosts heart function and health, and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels.