Apple pie

This makes a pie with a filling of tender apple slices scented with lemon peel and almonds.

Ingredients

500 g	Sweet short pastry, I used the Paneton brand which is made with butter (Main)
¼ cup	Ground almonds
1 kg	Apple, peeled and sliced thinly (Main)
1	Lemon, zested
¼ cup	Caster sugar
1 splash	Milk, for brushing
1 sprinkle	Icing sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 200C. If you have a pizza stone, put this in the oven, if not use an inverted cast iron frying pan to cook the pie on — this insures the bottom of the pastry is cooked and not soggy.
2. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Line a 23cm diameter by 5cm deep pie dish with half of the pastry. Place in the fridge until the pastry is hard.
3. Cover the pastry with foil or baking paper and add baking beans or raw rice. Bake blind on the pizza stone or frying pan for 10 minutes. Remove the foil or paper and beans or rice, return to the oven and bake a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool a little.
4. Place the ground almonds in an even layer on the baked pastry. Mix the apple slices and zest and place evenly in the pastry shell. Sprinkle sugar on top.
5. Cover the apples with the other half of the pastry and crimp the edges together. Brush the top with milk. Make 4x4cm long slits in the top to let steam escape.
6. Place in the oven on the pizza stone or frying pan for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 180C and cook a further 20 minutes or until the apples feel soft when a skewer is inserted into the pie. If the edges of the pie get too brown, cover loosely with foil.
7. Remove from the oven, cool 10 minutes then dust well with icing sugar. Serve in wedges with cream.