Make Valentine romantic with a lovely Apple Rose pie

A rose with a twist Picture: Welcome Lishivha

Instead of buying your loved one a bouquet of roses this Valentine’s Day, bake them an apple rose pie instead.

It’s almost as cute, and the classic combination of apples, cinnamon and a good crust will get anyone falling in love with you all over again.

FOR THE FILLING

4 large apples

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

FOR THE CRUST

2 ½ cups of flour

200g butter

¼ cup ice-cold water

1 teaspoon salt

METHOD

To make the crust, mix flour, salt and butter until mixture is crumbly like damp soil. Add the ice-cold water a little bit at a time, while mixing the dough together. Be careful not to overmix. As soon as the dough can stick together without crumbling, your pie dough should be ready.

Wrap with cling wrap and put it in the fridge while you work on the filling.

Cut all the apples in half, scoop out the seeds and then slice them thinly.

Melt ¼ cup of the butter reserved for the filling with ½ a cup of sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon.

Add the mixture to three of the sliced apples. Leave them to cool for at least 30 minutes so the apple juices can be released.

While you wait, clean the surface of your kitchen table and dust it with flour. Use a rolling pin or wine bottle to flatten your dough so it fits in the pie dish.

Place the dough in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before baking. This gives your crust a crumbly texture. Before baking, create holes at the bottom of the crust with a fork so it doesn’t bubble while you cook it. I cover my pastry with foil, then pour salt on top to keep it down while it bakes.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C or until the crust is golden brown. After baking, the salt can be poured back into its container.

Bring the fourth sliced apple, one cup of water, ½ a cup of sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of butter to a boil. Let it cool and use this at the bottom of your baked crust before placing your apple slices.

From the edge of the crust, start placing the slices in circles, making sure the skin is showing. Do this until the pie dish is stacked up and looks like one big rose!