Last week the tennis mums came over for a Friday night take away. I think it’s the first time we’ve ever done that and it was really lovely. We got to have a proper catch up and I got to try out a different local Indian restaurant that every one has been raving about (It was the Raj Moni in Bromley in case you were interested and I can see why they were raving. It was deelish!)

I decided to whip up an apple pie for desert in my brand new Pyrex dish. I have a thing for Pyrex. I’m addicted to their glass jugs – even if they do seem to have this habit of slipping out of my fingers and onto my very hard, tiled kitchen floor and smashing into a million pieces! I really am super clumsy! I’ve broken at least three jugs this year alone! Maybe I should put it down to statistics. I do a lot of baking therefore I am going to break a lot of things!

The new Pyrex range

Do you know that more than 75% of British kitchens own at least one piece of Pyrex? I’m not all that surprised really.  Do you also know that they have this huge range that goes way beyond just the regular glass jugs? They do these fantastic  glass dishes  (oven to tableware) with plastic air tight lids for storage, baking tins, silicon moulds, slow cook wear, saucepans and my latest favorite – The Impressions ceramic range. I couldn’t resist getting the Pie Dish and Ramekins sent in to ‘test out!”- Thanks Pyrex! 

The main reason I wanted to get my hands on the Pyrex pie dish so badly is because I didn’t have a plain white all purpose pie dish after my slip up before Christmas with my Jamie Oliver Big Dog Bowl. Another casualty of my slippery fingers! This new Pyrex design is perfect as it is big enough, deep enough and has handy handles on each side. Not too big and not too small. Prefect for just about any pie or crumble! You could easily make a lasagna in it too, but why would you when it’s so perfect for pie?

Marzipan Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 225g Butter at room temperature
• 460g Self Raising flour
• 225g  caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water
• ½ table spoon vanilla or almond extract
• 100g marzipan
• 1kg apples (I used eating apples but you can use cooking apples and just add a little more sugar)
• 100g sultanas
• 2tbsp Kirsh (optional)

1. Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, water and extract into a mixing bowl and combine until just mixed and it forms a ball of dough. Place the dough in some cling film and pop it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. 
2. I always place the sultanas in a jug, add the kirsh then cover with boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. I really like  the way soaked raisins and sultanas taste. They’re also fatter and squishier. You can always add them as is.  The kirsh just adds to the yumminess.
3. Peel, core and chop up the apples into small cubes then par boil them till they are just starting to soften. Drain and set aside.
4. Heat your oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan) 
5. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5mm and fill your pie dish. Scrumple up a piece of baking paper and place it in over the dough gently. Add baking beans and bake the case blind for 10 minutes.  Then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 5 minutes. The case will rise up slightly so don’t leave it in any longer than this. 
6. While baking the case, roll out the marzipan till it’s a circle that will fill the bottom of your pie case.
7. When your pie case is part baked place the marzipan circle in the bottom then add the apples and sultanas. You can add a little cinnamon and sugar to the apples if you like it.
8. Cut strips of dough and weave them over the filling till it’s nearly all covered up. Press the edges lightly at the ends to hold the dough in place.
9. Sprinkle the top with a little sugar (and cinnamon if you’re using it.)
10. Bake the pie in the oven for 30 minutes or until the dough has turned a golden brown.
11. I usually part bake this pie for 20 minutes so it is practically done then remove it and let it sit until just before I want to serve it. I then pop it back into the oven for another 20 minutes. Apple pie should always be served warm or hot in my opinion and finished off with a big dollop or cream or ice cream.

enjoy!