Apple pie

1. Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in sugar and almond meal. Rub in butter using fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
   
   
2. Add egg and enough water to form a firm, pliable dough. Knead lightly. Form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes.
   
   
3. FILLING: In a large saucepan, combine apple, water, sugar, cinnamon and zest. Bring to boil on high. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, 4-5 minutes, or until almost tender. Drain excess liquid. Cool.
   
   
4. Preheat oven to hot, 200°C. Lightly grease a 25cm round pie dish.
   
   
5. Roll out 2/3 pastry between 2 sheets baking paper to a 5mm thick round. Ease into pie dish. Trim edges. Prick base with a fork. Place pie dish on a baking tray. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Spoon filling into pastry case.
   
   
6. Roll out remaining pastry until large enough to cover pie. Brush pie edges
   with extra egg. Cover with pastry, pressing edges together to seal (pinch edges decoratively or press with a fork). Cut out leaf shapes from any leftover dough scraps. Arrange leaves over top.
   
   
7. Brush top with remaining egg and sprinkle with extra sugar. Cut slits in pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to moderately slow, 160°C.
   
   
8. Bake a further 20-25 minutes, until golden. Serve warm, in wedges, with custard.

• Instead of all apple, you could use 3 small apples and 2 corella pears.
  
• If pastry edges are getting too brown, cover with foil and continue to bake as directed.
  
• You could use an 800g can pie apple and 820g can drained pear slices in place of the freshly stewed fruit for the filling.