This year I attended for the first time BioCultura, a fair specialized in organic products and responsible consumption. It was held in A Coruña on the 2, 3 and 4 of March. The visit gave me the chance to learn about some new companies in the sector in Spain. One of these companies was Orballo Eco.
The company started operating in 2012 in a small town called Paderne, located about 30km south-east of A Coruña. Today, they produce teas, infusions, rice and spices that can be found in many places around Spain and of course, in Amazon.
Last week they were kind enough to send me this little surprise box, which I already showed you on social networks. It contained teas, two types of rice -one with nettles and one with boletus- and three spices: oregano, pepper, and cinnamon. I already had the idea to prepare the recipe I am posting today, so I thought it was the perfect excuse to put that cinnamon to good use. Cinnamon is a key ingredient of the traditional American apple pie.
I made my first apple pie in July 2016, here in A Coruña, during a fantastic month-long American bakery course -in English- by a lady from New Jersey. We prepared an apple pie on the very first day and I loved the recipe so much I keep it (and all the little secrets she shared that day) as a treasure. Every autumn I get my notes from that course and prepare a delicious apple pie.
INGREDIENTS for a 23 cm x 6 mould / 9 x 2’5 inches
For the pie crust
400 gr (3 ⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
260 gr (1 cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 2 cm/0.80 inch
60 ml (¼ cup) cold water
35 gr (3 tbsp) granulated white sugar
1 tsp salt
For the filling
1’3 kg green apples (about 6), peeled, cored and sliced or cut into cubes, as you prefer
55 gr (¼ cup) brown sugar
50 gr (¼ cup) granulated white sugar
28 gr (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
The juice of a lemon
METHOD
In a large bowl combine the apples with the white and brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well with your hands and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours. My advice here is to give to the apples at that time in order to have a delicious filling.
Meanwhile, prepare the dough. In a food processor, place the flour, salt, butter and sugar, and process until well combined. Now add the water and mix for less than a minute. If necessary add more cold water. Transfer to a work surface, turn the dough in a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.
Then, take another bowl and let the apples drain for 10 minutes with the help of a strainer. You will need 60 ml of juice. Now pour the juice into a small pot with the 28 gr (2 tbsp) of the unsalted butter and allow to melt completely at low heat. Set aside.
Now remove the dough from the fridge, divide in half and put it between two pieces of baking paper (as the dough is super buttery). Flatten each half into a disk of 30 cm (12 inches). Transfer the first half to a ceramic pie pan. Add the apples and pour the liquid we heated before. Then place the second round of pastry, cut the excess, decore the edges as you prefer and make a small cross in the middle with the help of a knife.
Bake the apple pie in preheated and ventilated oven for about 45 minutes at 180ºC (350ºF) with the pie pan at the lowest level. After 25 minutes open the oven and cover with foil paper to prevent over-browning the edges.
Buon appetito!
Photography & Stylism: Carlota Fariña
More on Instagram: @carlotafarina
