Rosh Hashanah Recipes: Sweet Pie Collection: Apple Cobbler & Free form slab pie

Feigels, Alan Bender

We are approaching the High Holy Days – the Yamim Noraim – a time of introspection and self-examination. But, while spiritually engaging in food for thought, let us not forget the food for the festive table over this period!

Traditionally this is the season for feasting, with the accent on “sweet” as we usher in the New Year 5777.

Alan Bender, executive chef at Feigels, chose some of his sweet delights especially for Jewish Report. He calls these his “New Year Sweet Pie Selection”.

Spiced apple cobbler

Crumb topping

½ cup treacle sugar                

½ cup white sugar                  

¾ cup flour                             

¾ cup oats                              

¼ cup flaked almonds            

½ tsp nutmeg                         

1 tsp cinnamon                       

½ tsp salt                                

100 gr margarine or butter     

Fruit filling    

¼ cup treacle sugar

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup flour

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

½ cup cranberries or raisins

1,25 kg apples peeled and sliced

1 heaped tablespoon maizena

50 gr butter or margarine for dotting around

Method

1: Preheat the oven to 180C

2: Combine all the crumb toppings

3: Combine all the fruit toppings

4: Place the fruit in an oven in a suitable dish and top with half the crumble. Bake uncovered for 25 min.

5: Remove from the oven and scatter over the balance of the crumb. Turn the oven to 160C and bake for another 30 mins.

Cook’s tips:

1: You can use any firm flesh fruit for the filling, such as tinned peaches or tinned apples.

2: You can make individual cobblers by using fancy glasses or tea cups

3: Bake the crumble on a baking sheet until crumbly and set aside. Cook the fruit separately in a pot – this can be done in advance and kept chilled. When needed, assemble and warm in the oven.

Free form slab pie

Ingredients

1 batch sweet pie dough

750 gr depitted stone fruit

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 lemon zest and juice

2 tbls mazina

1 tbs vanilla essence

¼ tsp salt

1 tray blueberries

2 tbs butter or margarine

1 large egg

Method

1: Preheat the oven to 180C.

2: Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

3: Divide the dough into 2 sausages and roll into equal size rectangles. Place 1 pastry sheet on the baking tray and keep the other covered.

4: Combine the fruits, sugar, lemon juice and zest, maizena, essence and salt. Place this mixture on first pastry sheet leaving a 3 cm boarder all round. Brush this boarder with egg. Place the 2^nd pastry sheet on top and pinch the edges closed.

5: Cut a few gashes in the top pastry sheet, drop in little pieces of the butter or margarine and brush with egg.

6: Bake for 20 mins and then gently and loosely take a sheet of foil and cover the pie. This will stop it from over-browning.

Cook’s tip:

To make this slab pie really interesting, cut the second piece of pasrty into strips and plat a lattice on top.