Ingredients
- 4 large cooking apples
- 80g brown sugar
- 1tbs vanilla bean paste
- 130g self-raising flour
- 75g cold butter, diced
- 45g light soft brown sugar
- Butter, for lining the muffin tin
- 1 pack pre-rolled shortcrust pastry
- For the custard:
- 4 egg yolks
- 60g caster sugar
- 1½tbs vanilla bean paste
- 250ml single cream
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Peel and core the apples, then dice them evenly and place in a bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir through the apples. Place the mixture in a large nonstick pan and cook out slowly over a low heat until jam-like but with the apple pieces still retaining their structure. Then remove from the heat and set aside.
- To make the crumble topping, add the flour and butter into a large bowl. Rub the butter through the flour with your fingertips until it is evenly spread, soft and crumbly. Add the brown sugar and mix it through. Place the mix on a large oven tray and spread it out into a thin layer, then set aside.
- Line a muffin tin lightly with some soft butter. Sprinkle your worktop with some plain flour, then place the prerolled shortcrust pastry on it and level out with a rolling pin. Using a large, round pastry cutter, cut a circle of pastry out (enough to cover the base and sides of a muffin mould). Using a knife, slice a small wedge out of it (so it is in the shape of Pac-man!).
- Place the pastry into the lined muffin mould, pressing it evenly around the base and sides, then repeat with the rest of the pastry. Spoon the cooled apple mix into each pie. Then place the muffin tray in the oven along with the tray of crumble topping. The crumble topping and the pies will cook at the same time. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees, stirring the crumble mix regularly to make sure it cooks evenly. Remove and allow to cool slightly for 10 minutes.
- While the pies and crumble topping are cooking, make the custard. Place the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla bean paste in a bowl and mix together to form a paste. Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling, then pour it into the egg mix and stir together. Return the liquid to the pan and cook slowly over a low heat, mixing constantly with a spatula until it thickens. Don’t overcook it or it will turn into scrambled eggs. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl or jug for serving.
- To serve, carefully lift out the pies from the muffin tin using an offset spatula or small knife. Spoon the crumble topping on to each of the pies, then serve with vanilla custard.
