American Apple Pie with Shortcrust Lid

Preparation

1. Line a baking tray with kitchen paper. Spread the apple slices on it, cover with more kitchen paper and set aside while the pastry is made and chilled.
2. Briefly mix the butter and sugar, add one whole egg and one egg yolk (keep the white) and beat for just under a minute; the mixture will look a bit like scrambled egg. Work in the flour in three batches with a wooden spoon until the dough clumps together, then shape into a ball with your hands. Wrap in cling film and chill for 45 minutes.
3. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt and flour for the filling in a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 190 °C (conventional, 170 °C fan) and lightly beat the egg white.
4. Take off a third of the dough and set it aside, wrapped. Roll out the rest and use it to line a pie dish 20 to 22 cm in diameter and 4 cm deep, leaving a small overhang.
5. Roll the last third into a circle about 28 cm across. Pat the apples dry, add them to the sugar, cinnamon and flour mixture, toss briefly with your hands and pile them high in the dish straight away.
6. Brush the edge of the pastry with a little water, lay the lid on top, press the edges together firmly and trim off the overhanging dough. Cut five small slits for steam, brush the top with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown, take out, rest for 5 to 10 minutes, sprinkle with sugar once more and serve lukewarm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Drink with it

• Fruit brandy · excellent match

  Calvados, neat or with a little water

  The Calvados brings back the aroma of fresh apples that fades in baking and gives the cinnamon spice a dry counterpoint.

  What is Calvados? Apple brandy with origin ↗

• Sweet wine · excellent match

  Riesling Auslese, chilled

  Apple and apricot fruit with lively acidity mirror the baked apples, and the wine's sweetness keeps pace with the pie.

  Which wine goes with dessert? Comparing sweetness deliberately ↗

• Mellow whisky · excellent match

  Bourbon, neat or with an ice cube

  Vanilla and caramel from the new oak barrel meet the buttery crust and cinnamon apples; bourbon with apple pie and vanilla ice cream is an American classic.

  Whisky with food: cheese, chocolate, and savory dishes ↗

• Cognac and brandy · good match

  VSOP Cognac, neat, at room temperature

  Vanilla, dried fruit and wood spice meet cinnamon and the buttery crust.

  Cognac and Armagnac: Two Origins for Brandy ↗

• Sparkling wine · good match

  Demi-sec Crémant or Sekt, well chilled

  Bubbles and acidity refresh after the buttery pastry, and the residual sugar keeps up with the pie.

  Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference? ↗