Spiced apple, rum and pecan pie

It's been a few weeks since I last posted anything here, partly because we've been away on a lovely Greek island holiday, to Symi. I have also had a couple of baking disasters since being back - a cake inspired by the holiday made with Greek yoghurt, olive oil and figs turned out just too gooey inside, and another made using a tin of mango purée tasted great but had a really rubbery texture. I was beginning to worry I'd lost my baking mojo - but then I made a fantastic chocolate sponge cake when I had an almighty hangover - I was just too hungover to remember to photograph or blog it! So here we are - I'm back with this deep dish apple pie, gently spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, full of chopped pecans and a dark rum and brown sugar filling. Baking mojo is well and truly back!

Ingredients

For the pastry

10 oz plain flour

½ tsp salt

5 oz cold butter

5 tbsp cold water

For the filling

4 large bramley apples

4 fl. oz milk

1 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp dark rum

4 oz brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp allspice

3 ½ oz chopped pecans

For glazing

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp golden caster sugar, for sprinkling

Method

1. Start by making the pastry: in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt, add the butter and rub with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the water a little at a time, cutting it into the flour with a palette knife.
3. Use clean hands to work the dough into a ball, then cover in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for an hour.
4. When you're ready to use your dough let it sit out on the counter for a few minutes before rolling out.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C and butter a large, deep pie dish.
6. To make the filling, peel and thinly slice the apples, then place aside in a bowl.
7. In a small jug, whisk together the milk, cornflour, rum, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. 
8. Pour over the apples and gently mix them up so that all slices get coated.  Add the pecans.
9. Divide the pastry in half.  Roll out the first half and press into the prepared pie dish.
10. Pour in the filling.
11. Roll out the rest of the pastry and lay on top of the pie.
12. Crimp the edges together using the side of a fork and make a few slits in the top of the pie crust to allow steam to escape when baking.
13. Brush the top with an egg wash and sprinkle with a little golden caster sugar.
14. Bake for 40 mins or until the top is golden brown.

Adapted from A Beautiful Mess