Whisky and rye salted caramel apple pie

Method

• step 1

  To make the caramel, put the sugar into a medium-sized pan and heat gently until it has melted, and then boil until caramelised to the colour of a rusty penny, swirling the pan constantly. Add the butter and salt, and stir briefly to combine. Carefully add the cream in two additions, as the caramel will bubble up violently when the cream is added. Once the bubbling has settled and the caramel is smooth, take the pan off the heat and pour into a heatproof container. Chill.

• step 2

  To make the pastry, put the flours, sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl and mix together. Add ¹/4 of the butter and rub into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, with no lumps. Add the remaining pieces of butter, toss in the flour to coat and, using your fingers, press each piece of butter flat. Put the bowl into the freezer for 10 minutes for the butter to firm up.

• step 3

  Remove from the freezer and mix the whisky with 6 tbsp of ice-cold water. Pour over the dough and, using a spatula, stir together until a shaggy dough is formed. Tip this mixture onto the worksurface and use your hands to bring together. On a lightly floured worksurface, roll the dough into a long rectangle (roughly 15cm x 40cm), roll into a fat sausage and cut into two pieces. Form each piece of dough into a flat disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.

• step 4

  Peel, core and cut the apples into thin slices. Toss together with the lemon juice and then the brown sugar, cornflour, cinnamon and ginger.

• step 5

  Remove one of the discs of dough from the fridge and, on a lightly floured worksurface, roll out until 2-3mm thick and about 5cm larger than the pie tin. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and carefully unroll it into the pie tin, trimming the overhang to about 2.5cm. Chill. Remove the second piece of dough and roll out as before, but cut into strips (the width is up to you but I find strips about 2.5cm wide are easier to work with and look a little more modern).

• step 6

  Remove the pie tin from the fridge and layer in the apples and caramel, reserving ¹/3 of the caramel to serve.

• step 7

  Now it’s time for the lattice crust and, trust me, it’s easier than it looks. Lay enough strips horizontally onto the pie to cover and fold every other one back on themselves. Add a strip perpendicular to the first batch, on top of the unfolded strips. Unfold the folded strips – they should now run over the top of the piece you’ve just put in, and fold back the opposite horizontal pieces, that weren’t folded back last time. Repeat this process until the whole pie is covered.

  

• step 8

  Trim the strips so that they end on the rim of the pie tin. Roll up the overhanging dough into a thin sausage, and sit it on the rim of the tin. Use the thumb and forefinger of one hand and the forefinger of the other to crimp the pie. Brush the pie with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Chill for 30 minutes or until the pastry is firm.

• step 9

  Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Bake on a baking tray for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and bake for 1 hour or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Allow to cool slightly, and serve with the remaining salted caramel.