Recipe: Little Apple Pies with Crumble Topping (made in muffin cups)

LITTLE APPLE PIES

FOR THE PASTRY:
1 1/2 cups white flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 teaspoon superfine sugar
A pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled and diced

FOR THE FILLING:
6 Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (4 cups)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A pinch of ground nutmeg
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, finely diced

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING:
1/4 cup soft light brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced

TO PREPARE THE PASTRY:
Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until combined. Add the butter and shortening and process for 20 to 25 seconds, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly add 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of iced water while the processor is running and process until the dough comes together and forms a ball.

Sprinkle a work surface with 1/2 tablespoon of flour and dust the surface of dough with 1/2 tablespoon of flour. Shape it into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, brush 12 muffin-tin cups 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and dust them lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.

TO MAKE THE PIE CRUSTS:
Remove the chilled pasty from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a thickness of 1/8-inches. Using a 3 1/2-inch plain round cutter, cut 12 circles of pasty and fit each circle into the prepared muffin cups, easing the pastry down into the bottom of the cups and up the sides, letting it extend 1/2-inch above the rim. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, stirring gently until well mixed. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE CRUMBLE:
In a smaller bowl, place the flour, brown and white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine. Use your finger to rub the pieces of butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of rough breadcrumbs.

TO ASSEMBLE THE PIES:
Remove the muffin tin from the refrigerator. Divide half the apple filling equally between the pastry shells then dot each one with a pinch of butter. Sprinkle each pie with 1 tablespoon of the crumble topping, then divide the remaining apple mixture equally among them, piling it high above the rums of the pastry shells. Sprinkle each pie with 2 teaspoons of the remaining topping. Chill for 30 minutes.

WHEN READY TO BAKE:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the pies from the refrigerator and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F (without removing pies from oven) and continue baking for another 40 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes in the cups. Using a round-bladed knife, gently ease the pastry away from the cups and lift the pies out. Serve.

Makes 12 Little Pies
Adapted from source: The Lake House Cookbook by Trudie Styler and Joseph Sponzo