As much as we like to get fancy in the kitchen, we love nothing more than a lovely, comforting, classic bake. And nothing screams homely quite like an apple pie straight from the oven. Who’s with us?

MAKES 1 // COOKING TIME 110 mins

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
100g flour
50g butter, cubed and chilled
½ tsp salt
1 tsp water
For the filling
2 large apples, cored, peeled, thinly sliced and placed in water
¼ cup water
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
80g butter
For the garnish
1 apple, thinly sliced into rounds
¼ cup sugar
Icing sugar, to dust

METHOD
For the pastry
1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Blend the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until crumbly.
3. Add the water and continue blending until it clumps together. Roll the pastry into a firm ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4. Place the pastry between two layers of wax baking paper to help you roll it out to 3 mm thick.
5. Line a greased tart tin with the pastry, neaten the edges and prick the base with a fork. Bake blind for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
For the filling
1. Layer the apple slices in the pastry shell.
2. In a large pot, heat the water, sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up and boil until the mixture is brown. Do not stir, rather swirl the pot to mix. Add the butter and remove from the heat.
3. Beat the mixture with a fork until smooth, then pour over the apples. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. For a firmer set, place in the fridge.
For the garnish
1. Lay the apple slices on a baking tray lined with wax baking paper, and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Bake the apple slices until crisp and lightly browned. Leave to cool.
3. Layer the slices on top of the pie, dust with icing sugar and serve.