Another delicious recipe from the August 2016 edition of Taste magazine - I've modified it a little :). 

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour.

 

Ingredients

250 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

40 g Icing sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Cloves

140 g Butter (melted)

1 Egg 

10 g Vanilla bean paste

extra BM gf flour

 

Custard

250 g Thickened cream

250 g Milk (full fat)

20 g Maize starch

100 g Sugar

5 Egg yolks

1 tsp Vanilla bean paste

 

Apple Rosettes

3 Large red skinned apples (my version)

125 g Butter

200 g Raw sugar

or 

3 apples + the juice of a lemon (Taste version)

 

Method 

Making the custard 

Line a tray (or plastic container) with non-stick paper & have a bit hanging over the sides. Put plastic clingwrap over the paper (it makes it easier to get the custard out).  

Thermomix

Put ingredients into the TM bowl. 

Cook at 90 C for 9 mins at speed 4.  

While the custard is still hot, pour it in the tray. 

Put a layer of plastic clingwrap on top of the custard.  

Set aside to cool. 

When it is cool enough put the tray into the fridge. 

Stove Top 

On the stove top the custard can be made in a saucepan or in a double boiler. There is more control of the temperature in a double boiler & the custard is usually very smooth. If making the custard in a saucepan have on hand a stab blender. If the custard is lumpy blitz it with the stab blender.   

Mix a little of the cream/milk with the maize starch to make a paste in the saucepan or top of a double boiler. 

Add the remaining cream/milk, sugar, vanilla bean paste & eggs yolks. 

Stir over low/medium heat until it starts to thicken. Turn off the heat or lower the heat & stir the custard at this temperature for ~4 mins. 

While the custard is still hot, pour it into the tray.  

Put a layer of plastic clingwrap on top of the custard.  

Set aside to cool. When it has cooled sufficiently transfer the tray to a fridge.

Pastry

Grease a 26 cm round fluted flan dish with a removable base. This pastry works best in a round dish & not brilliantly in a rectangular tart tin (the corners create a bit of a problem when the pastry is cooking). I found a flan dish that I absolutely love to use, it's easy to use, great size, easy to clean, easy to grab out of the oven, the indentations on the side are not too deep blah, blah, blah. I thought if you don't have a flan dish it would be a good one to recommend. Unfortunately Le Creuset (Australia) are no longer stocking this item. If you want one badly enough you will have to go to Europe & get one (or get someone over there to send one to you).   

Mix together the Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour, icing sugar, cinnamon & cloves.

In another container melt the butter.

Add the water, egg & vanilla bean paste to the melted butter. Stir to combine. Don't let this mixture cool.

Pour the melted butter mix over the combined dry ingredients & stir to combine.

It can be mixed by hand, fork or wooden spoon. Mechanical devices can over mix the dough very easily, it is best done by hand.

At this stage the dough will feel slightly greasy. Wrap the dough in plastic clingwrap or put it in a plastic bag & store in the fridge for approximately 1 hour. The dough can be frozen at this stage.    

Cooling the dough is important - after cooling the butter is fully absorbed, flexibility is increased & the dough is easier to handle.

Bring the dough out of the fridge, it will be quite hard.

Lightly dust a clean work surface (silicon mat, baking paper) with some of the extra BM gf flour. 

Knead the pastry until it is soft enough to roll out.

To stop the pastry sticking to surfaces lightly dust them with some of the extra BM gf flour.

Roll out the pastry to the required size. To ensure the dough is an even thickness follow this tip. Find 2 placemats (dinner setting - my placemats are ~4 mm thick) or two pieces of cardboard (2-3 mm thick) place one on either side of the dough. I have thrown away my cardboard pieces & now have stainless steel spacers 1 mm, 2 mm & 3 mm thick - they are much easier to clean. When rolling out the dough ensure the rolling pin is wide enough to span the dough and part of the top of the placemats/cardboard. My rolling pin is large – 61 cm from handle to handle. If your rolling pin is smaller it may be easy to half the dough. Initially when rolling the pin may not necessarily rest on the placemats/cardboard, however, when the dough is the same thickness as the placemats/cardboard it will. At this stage the dough should be all the same thickness.

If uncertain how big the dough disk should be, trace around the base of the flan dish on some non stick paper. Roll out the dough between two sheets of non stick baking paper, place the one with the tracing on top. Roll the dough out so that the disk size is ~5 cm larger than base of the flan dish.

If you have rolled out your pastry between 2 pieces of baking paper gently lift one side off then put it back down on the pastry. Grabbing both sides of both pieces of the baking paper gently flip over the dough. The other side of the pastry should now be facing upwards, gently peel off and completely remove the baking paper on this side. Without squashing the pastry gently put the rolling pin over the pastry ~ 1/4. Lift up the bottom piece of baking paper with the pastry on it and lay it over the rolling pin.

Peel off the baking paper. Lift up the rolling pin, the pastry should be hanging off it. Holding on to both ends of the rolling pin position the pastry over the flan dish. Gently lay the pastry onto the dish.

Gently push the pastry onto the bottom edge & side of the flan dish. Trim off excess pastry with a knife. 

Place flan dish in the fridge for ~15 mins for the pastry to harden.

Turn oven on to 180C (fan forced).

Bring flan dish out of the fridge & prick the base of the pastry with a fork. Put in flan dish in the oven & bake for ~15 mins. Turn the dish around & bake for another 10 - 15 mins. The baking time will be dependent on your oven & how thick you have rolled your pastry. 

Bring out of the oven & allow to cool.

Apple Rosettes

Taste Magazine version

Make these when you are ready to assemble the pie.

Fill a large bowl with cold water & add the lemon juice. Half the apples & then thinly slice them transferring slices to the water as you go. Drain. Cover apples with boiling water & set aside for ~5 mins to soften. Drain. Use a clean tea towel to pat dry. 

Place 6 apple slices on a chopping board, skin along one side, overlapping. Roll to form rosettes. 

Click here to view Taste's version. 

To assemble the pie bring the custard out of the fridge & mix it a little to make it easier to spoon into the pastry case. Arrange rosettes on top of the custard. Dust with icing sugar.   

My version

My version may be a tad more indulgent. There were a couple of reasons for me making the following minor modifications; these apple rosettes can be made a day ahead, to keep the pastry short (not softened by the custard) and it was easier to form the rosettes with the ones cooked in caramel.

Put the butter & sugar into a medium saucepan & heat until the butter has melted. Turn off the heat.

Half the apples & then thinly slice them transferring slices to the saucepan as you go. When you have all the slices in the saucepan turn the heat back on & boil the apple pieces for ~5 mins. 

Use tongs to place 6 apple slices on a chopping board, skin along one side, overlapping. Wipe off excess caramel. Roll to form rosettes. To keep the rosettes from coming apart place them in a patty pan in a mini muffin tin (or muffin tin). 

Boil the caramel for another ~3 mins when you have used all the apple pieces that you want to. Pour onto the pastry case so that the base is covered (& a little bit extra) & allow to cool.  

To assemble the pie bring the custard out of the fridge & mix it a little to make it easier to spoon into the pastry case. Arrange rosettes on top of the custard. Dust with icing sugar.

Simply enjoy!