When life gives you the juiciest, local-est of apples, you gotta make some apple pie. At least that was my excuse when my friend’s apple tree turnout out to produce bucketload after bucketload of blushy red Braeburns.

This pie has so much going for it – it’s dotted with a crunchy streusel and pistachio topping and has the added perk of the flakiest crusts I have manages thus far. It’s so good I’m probably gonna be talking about it for a while, as will the friends I gifted it to in exchange for a great dinner on Saturday. Lucky me, I doubled up on the crust recipe below and made it again on Sunday. It really is that good. You’re just going to have to make it to prove me wrong – I dare you.

For the flakiest of flaky pie crusts, you’ll need:
230g plain white flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
170g unsalted butter, cubed, straight from fridge
90ml icy water

Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
With your fingers or with a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until only small flecks of butter are still visible.
Add the water, several tablespoons at a time, and incorporate with your hands.
When the dough has started to come together, turn it onto your worktop and gather into a rough ball shape.
Wrap the dough ball into plastic wrap, flatten into a disc and place in fridge for at least 1 hour and for maximum 3 days.

For the filling, you’ll need:
1.5kg apples, peeled, cored, deseeded and cubed
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
pinch of salt
juice of half a lemon

Toss apple cubes with lemon juice.
Sprinkle sugar, cornflour, salt, cinnamon and allspice on top of the apples, then mix to coat well.

For the streusel topping, you’ll need:
30g butter, slightly softened
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons plain white flour
75g pistachios, roughly chopped

Mix the butter with the brown sugar, flour and half the pistachios.
Reserve the remaining pistachios for the pie baking.

Assemble the pie:
Preheat the oven at 190C and butter your pie dish.
Remove pastry from fridge and from plastic wrap.
On the floured worktop, roll the pastry into the shape you’re planning to bake – mine was a 13 x 9 inch rectangular pan. It works in the round too.
Top with the apple mixture, pressing down to make sure apples fit in the pie dish to the best extent possible.
If you have any extra pastry overhanging on the edges, tuck it on top of the filling. Have some egg wash ready to brush on the pastry if this is the case.
Place in oven and bake for approx 20 – 25 mins, until pastry is golden coloured and filling is bubbling.
Remove from oven and crumble streusel topping evenly over the filling.
Sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios, then place back in oven.
Bake for another 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool in the dish for about 15 minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish or just dive in – on its own or with some vanilla ice-cream on the side, this is simply gorgeous.

Enjoy,
Alexis xxx