Apple pie is one of my favourite dishes, which takes on a extra edge when its made from apples from the garden. I should claim that I have a recipe, but in reality I have made it so often I tend to throw it all together, my standard sweet butter pastry and then a filling.  Normally I work on the theory why meddle with a classic, but this time I couldn’t resist an experiment, with I have to say superb results.

My normal method is to mix the bramley apples, with dark brown sugar, to which I add some of my home dried sultanas, and to bring it all together add some calvados, a classic pie filling. This time I was feeling adventurous and instead of putting the calvados in the filling, I used it in the pastry in place of water. The end result was a pastry, that was crisp, and packed full of flavour, and took my favourite pie a step further, and I think this is now “the recipe”.

As a concept I can see all kinds of interesting possibilities.  I went through a phase of making all kinds of infusions, there was a pineapple gin, a raspberry vodka, and my favourite sloe gin, and I still have lots maturing in dark cupboards, because whilst I like making it I have no head for alcohol . So this represents a perfect opportunity. However the one I really want to try is red wine bread, all I need is some leftover wine

If you try do let me know

tom