Bramley Apple Pies with Beetroot - Dairy Free Pastry
Makes 12
Servings: 12 pies
Equipment
- 12 hole muffin tin greased
- baking parchment paper cut into small squares
- baking beans optional
Ingredients
- 150 g dairy free spread I used Pure Dairy Free
- 300 g plain spelt flour I used Sharpham's Park
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 Bramley apples large, or 3 medium, peeled and chopped into dice sized chunks
- 4 beetroot small, peeled and chopped into smaller dice (i.e. 5mm)
- 1 tbsp ground hazelnuts with extra for rolling pastry
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil or pale rapeseed oil
- ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes - I used a smoked sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp soya milk or 1 tbsp soya cream thinned with 1 tbsp water
- ground cinnamon sugar optional - I had some in a grinder from Lakeland but you can sub with ordinary demerara mixed with a bit of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190c, gas mark 5. When up to temperature, toss the beetroot dice in oil, season with a little sea salt and ground black pepper. Roast for 6-7 minutes then set aside.
- Meanwhile blitz the dairy free spread, salt and spelt flour in the food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Decant the mix into a medium size mixing bowl and add a tablespoon of water. Draw the ingredients together into a ball - chill for 15 minutes.
- Grease the muffin tin. Roll out the pastry to 7mm thickness. Cut out pastry circles to fill the 12 holes in the tin. Press the pastry against the sides of the tin so it fills the sides of each hole, prick the bases with a knife. Line each mini pastry case with a small square of parchment paper and a tablespoon of ceramic baking beans. Bake the pastry bases for ten minutes.
- Meanwhile, simmer the cubed apple with a scant tablespoon of water over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Leave the lid on so the apple starts to cook down. As it begins to catch, give it a quick stir and add the cinnamon and cardamom. Set aside.
- Take the pre-baked pastry cases from the oven and carefully remove the hot ceramic beans and lining papers. Fill each case with a heaped teaspoon of cooked apple and a scattering of beetroot cubes. Brush the pastry with the soya milk and top with pastry circles (I used a crinkled cutter for the lids), press down the lids.
- Sprinkle with a little more sea salt and if you wish, a grind of cinnamon sugar. Bake for a further 12-15 minutes until the tops are cooked and starting to brown. Serve hot or cold.