Baking · European
Spiced Apple Filling
Cinnamon and a restrained amount of clove, cooked down so the fruit stays in front.
Ceylon suits fruit better than cassia does, because it seasons the apple rather than competing with it. The clove here is deliberately minimal — two, ground fine, for a whole pie.
Ingredients
- 1.1 kg cooking apples, peeled and sliced
- 90 g caster sugar, or to taste
- 2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 2 whole cloves, ground fine
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 30 g butter
- 1½ tbsp cornflour
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice to stop them browning while you work.
- Melt the butter in a wide pan, add the apples and sugar, and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes until they begin to soften but still hold their shape.
- Stir in the cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Cook 2 minutes more so the spices bloom in the butter.
- Slake the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water, stir it through, and cook a further 2 minutes until the juices thicken and turn glossy.
- Cool completely before it goes anywhere near pastry. Warm filling makes a soggy base.
Tip. Grind the two cloves yourself. Pre-ground clove has usually lost its top notes and kept its bitterness, which is the wrong half.
More in the recipe collection, or read about the spices themselves.
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