Dutch Apple Pie (Appelkruimeltaart)

How on Earth is it the middle of December already? I can't even tell you where November went! Last weekend was a mad dash to make sure we had all the remaining Christmas presents bought, ordered and ready to send so that they arrive in time or we'd be in trouble! I have one card left to post and then I am 99% sure we have everything done. 

We've had a busy time the last two weeks. At the very beginning of the month Wee Man and I flew back to the UK to see my family and to go to the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC. I have wanted to go for years and finally got to go! There were lots of great stands from different producers selling everything from spices to sausage rolls. I have to give a shout out to the sausage rolls. There were a couple of different stands selling them and they were all HUGE (top image)! These were not your average sausage rolls!! We bought one between the 4 and a half of us and it was delicious although a little salty it must be said. There was another stand selling the most amazing cakes (middle image) which again were massive and the prices were super reasonable! We tried the black forest slice which was insanely good and I was tempted by the cupcakes but they were almost the size of Wee Man's head and dreaded to think of the calorie count. The last image is from Fox's Spice stand which was like walking into a Middle Eastern Bazaar. It was an absolute treasure trove and I could have gone mad but held myself back and just bought some Ras El Hanout, Dried Arbol Chilli's (pictured), Green Jalapeno Powder (for experimenting with and for next time Mr R wants to make some of his jalapeno bread) and some dried Hibiscus Flowers which I am really excited about playing around with. If any one knows of some good recipes using them please let me know!

We also got to watch Paul Hollywood do a masterclass show where he made a brie and grape baguette and a stollen. They looked and smelt amazing and he made it look so easy. It was really cool watching him in person, these things are always fairly scripted because they do 5-6 each day but they are still really good fun. Definitely the highlight of the day! 

We were back home for just two days and then last weekend we were in Berlin to visit the Christmas markets but I think I will do a separate little post about that trip as otherwise I'll waffle on for too long and I really want to get to the main point of this post which is the apple pie!

For a sweet treat you can't get anything more Dutch than a slice of apple pie or appeltaart served met slagroom (whipped cream). I would say this even predates the wholesome American apple pie because where do you think the Americans got their love of apple pie? From the Dutch settlers that's where!

If you search for the best places to eat apple tart in Amsterdam you'll see a number of top ten lists. I had a quick look and I'm not going to go through the whole list for you now but I can vouch for Winkel 43 as one of the best. If you ever want to get a seat there it's best to go first thing as they are always busy (except for Saturdays when there is a bustling market at Noordermarkt and you'll be hard pressed to find a seat all day!). Don't worry if you don't manage to get a slice of their pie on your visit as most cafes and restaurants have their own apple tart and they are all usually very tasty (you can get a very tasty slice in Schipol airport which is my treat to myself whenever we fly!) or you can make follow this recipe and have a whole tart to eat!

There are two kinds of apple tart that you can find in the Netherlands. They are essentially the same recipe with only the top that differs. They either have a pastry top, usually formed in a lattice, or a crumble top (appelkruimeltaart). This recipe is of the crumble or streusel topped variety which is my favourite because you get two contrasting textures from the pastry that compliment the sweet, soft apple filling. I've often said that pastry is a nemesis of mine but this recipe is really simple and forgiving. You can easily make it by hand, you don't have to worry about chilling it before rolling it out and if it breaks as you line the tin it's really easy to patch it up. One of the best things about the pastry recipe for this tart is that it is the same recipe for the pastry and the streusel you just divide it before you add the egg which makes it super easy! I add oats and a little ground ginger to the streusel for some extra texture and warmth that makes it extra comforting!

For the filling I have used a combination of Elstar and Granny Smith apples. I like the sweetness of the Elstars and the tartness of the Granny Smiths and find together they are a great combination. They also don't break down completely so you still get chunks of apple in the pie rather than it all turning to apple sauce. You can of course use your favourite apple, Bramleys would work well but because they can break down a lot in cooking I would keep the chunks on the slightly bigger side. 

I also use a combination of breadcrumbs and ground almonds. These are in the filling to help soak up the juice from the apples as they cook and stop the pastry from going soggy. If you have a nut allergy just use breadcrumbs. Some recipes state to just sprinkle them on the bottom of the pastry but I find that this can result in the bottom becoming too thick with a soggy layer at the bottom under the apples which is why I recommend tossing the apples in them to avoid this and to create a delicious sauce around the apples. 

DUTCH APPLE TART

Serves 12

Ingredients

Pastry
285g Plain Flour
75g Caster Sugar
75g Light Brown Sugar
¼  tsp Salt
Zest of 1 Lemon
190g Unsalted Butter, cold, cut into cubes
½ Egg, beaten
½ tsp Ground Ginger
50g Oats

1 tbsp Demerara Sugar

Filling
680g Apples, peeled and cored
125g Golden Caster Sugar
60g Sultanas
30g Ground Almonds
15g Breadcrumbs
½ tsp Cinnamon

• Liberally grease a 20cm (8 inch) springform cake tin.
• For the pastry combine the flour, sugars (except the demerara), salt, lemon zest and butter in a bowl and toss together so the butter gets coated in the flour. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like breadcrumbs.
• Divide between 2 bowls (approx 300g each). Add the ground ginger and oats to one bowl. Toss through to combine (you want it to remain like a crumble mixture for the streusel topping) and set to one side. To the other half of the mix add the half a beaten egg and bring together to form a dough. 
• Roll out the dough on a well floured work surface and line the inside of the cake tin. You want the dough to be at least 5mm thick so it holds up when baked. Trim the top with a knife so it looks neat. Put in the fridge whilst you prepare the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 160°c
• Cut the apples into wedges between 5 and 15mm. Place in a large bowl and toss with the all the other ingredients.
• Spoon the apple filling into the chilled pastry case making sure the sultanas are evenly distributed. It will look almost over full but the apples will cook down. Give it a tap to settle the apples into any air gaps.
• Tip the streusel topping over the apples and smooth out so it is an even layer. Sprinkle the top with the demerara sugar.
• Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until the streusel topping is golden brown and a knife goes through the apples easily.
• Allow to cool completely in the tin before removing. You may need to run a knife around the edge before releasing the pan.
• I recommend keeping in the fridge and removing 15 minutes or so before serving. It is delicious cold but you can also warm it up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.   

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