Hollandse Appeltaart (Dutch Apple Pie)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •24cm springform tin
• •Rolling pin
• •Pastry brush
• •Cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry

   Stir the flour, 150g brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like rough crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces left, then add the beaten egg and bring it together into a firm dough. Stop as soon as it holds. Short pastry rewards restraint, which is convenient for a country that has made restraint into a household skill.

   If the dough feels dry, add 1 teaspoon cold water at a time. If it looks a little uneven, leave it alone; a tender appeltaart crust comes from stopping before the dough becomes smooth and tough.
2. 2

   Chill the dough

   Divide off one third of the dough for the lattice, flatten both pieces into discs, wrap them, and chill for at least 45 minutes. Butter a 24cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper. The cold rest is not decoration. It lets the butter firm again so the pastry can climb the sides of the tin without slumping.

3. 3

   Mix the apples

   Peel, core, and cut the apples into sturdy 1.5cm chunks. Toss them with the drained raisins, 80g brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch until the fruit is evenly coated and glossy. The chunks should look generous, not dainty; thin slices collapse too easily and leave you with sweet applesauce in a respectable coat.

   Goudreinet or Belle de Boskoop is the old Dutch choice because it is sharp and firm. Elstar or Cox works well too. Very sweet eating apples need a little extra lemon, and very soft apples should stay in the fruit bowl.
4. 4

   Line the tin

   Heat the oven to 175C (350F). Roll the larger piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and press it into the springform tin, covering the base and building sides about 5cm high. Patch any cracks with your fingers. Sprinkle the crushed beschuit or breadcrumbs over the base; they will drink the apple juices and keep the bottom from turning damp.

5. 5

   Fill and lattice

   Pile the apple mixture into the pastry shell and press it down gently with your hands. It should rise higher than the rim in a confident mound, because the apples will settle as they bake. Roll the remaining dough and cut it into strips about 2cm wide, then weave them over the top in a simple lattice. Brush the lattice with the egg yolk and milk.

6. 6

   Bake the tart

   Bake on the lower-middle rack for 70 to 75 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden brown and the apple juices bubble slowly in the gaps of the lattice. If the top darkens too quickly, lay a loose sheet of foil over it. Brush the hot lattice with warmed apricot jam if you like a gentle shine, then leave the appeltaart in the tin for at least 90 minutes before releasing the ring.

   Do not cut it straight from the oven. The filling needs time to settle into slices that stand up on the plate; impatience gives you a delicious collapse, but still a collapse.
7. 7

   Serve in wedges

   Release the springform ring and move the pie to a board or plate. Cut thick wedges and serve at room temperature or just barely warm, with softly whipped slagroom, whipped cream, alongside if the table asks for it. Not on top like a hat. Beside it, where it can do its work.

Chef Tips

• •Choose apples that argue back. Goudreinet or Belle de Boskoop first, Elstar or Cox next, Granny Smith only if the Dutch ones are nowhere to be found. Sweet, soft apples collapse into a filling without backbone.
• •Do not slice the apples too thin. Hollandse appeltaart wants visible pieces of fruit, dense and generous, not a smooth paste hiding under a lattice.
• •Soak old raisins in warm tea or water for ten minutes and drain them hard. They should plump in the pie, not steal moisture from the apples.
• •This pie is at its best from autumn into winter, when storing apples still have bite. In late spring, taste the apples before you begin and sharpen them with a little extra lemon if they have gone sleepy.
• •Serve with slagroom if you like, but don't bury the slice. The cream is a cool spoonful beside the tart, not a disguise.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to two days ahead and kept wrapped in the refrigerator. Let it stand for 10 minutes before rolling if it is very firm.
• •The whole appeltaart can be baked one day ahead. Keep it covered at room temperature if your kitchen is cool, or refrigerate in warm weather and bring it back to room temperature before serving.
• •Leftover slices keep three to four days in the refrigerator. Refresh briefly in a low oven if you want the pastry to regain its bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 265g)