Brown Butter Lattice Apple Pie

Method

1. Whisk the flour, salt and sugar. Toss in the cold butter cubes and press each one flat between your fingers into thin flakes. Mix the ice water with the vinegar, sprinkle it over and toss with a fork until shaggy. Tip onto the worktop and push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand in 2–3 long smears, then gather it up: this French trick (fraisage) turns the butter into long sheets for an extra-flaky crust.

   Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 180 gSalt (for the crust) ¼ tspSugar (for the crust) 1 tspCold butter, in 1.5 cm cubes 120 gIce-cold water 3 tbspApple cider vinegar ½ tsp

2. Divide the dough in two, one piece slightly larger, flatten into discs, wrap and chill for at least 1 h.

3. Pour the apple juice into a small 16 cm saucepan and boil over medium-high heat for 5 min, until reduced to about a third and slightly syrupy. This concentrated juice gives the filling a deep apple flavour without adding water.

   Add in this stepApple juice (unsweetened) 150 ml

   medium-high heat

4. Peel, core and slice the apples 6 mm thick. Melt the butter in a wide 24 cm pan over medium heat and cook until it foams, smells of hazelnuts and turns golden brown. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and salt and cook for 8 min, turning gently, until the edges turn translucent but the slices still hold firm. Mix the lemon juice, vanilla and cornstarch until smooth, stir it in with the reduced juice and let it bubble for 1 minute until glossy and thick. Spread on a tray and cool completely, 30 min: hot filling would melt the crust.

   Add in this stepButter (for browning) 20 gApples, mixed tart and sweet (whole weight) 500 gLight brown sugar 60 gGround cinnamon ¾ tspGround allspice 1 pinchSalt (for the filling) 1 pinchLemon juice 2 tspVanilla extract ½ tspCornstarch 1 tbsp

   medium heat

5. Roll the larger disc 3 mm thick, line your 16 cm pie dish leaving a 1.5 cm overhang, and fill with the cooled apples. Roll out the second disc, cut it into 2 cm strips and weave them over the filling into a lattice: lay half the strips one way, fold back every other one, lay a cross strip, and repeat. Trim, fold the edge under and crimp. Chill for 15 min while the oven heats to 220 °C with a tray on the lowest rack.

6. Beat the yolk with the cream, brush it over the lattice and edge, and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake on the hot tray at 220 → 190 °C: 20 min at the higher temperature, then turn down and bake 20 min more, until the lattice is deep golden and the filling bubbles between the strips. Cover the edge with foil if it darkens too quickly.

   Add in this stepEgg yolk 1Cream (for the glaze) 1 tbspCoarse demerara sugar 1 tsp

7. Cool on a rack for at least 1 h 30 min so the filling sets into clean slices. Serve at room temperature, or warm with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.