Dutch apple pie for my blogs 1st anniversery!

The dutch don't let any (Birthday)anniversery go by without a piece of there homemade apple pie. So here is my version of this classic, for my blogs first anniversery!

Dutch apple pie (appeltaart or appelgebak) recipes are distinct in that they typically call for flavourings such as cinnamon and lemon juice to be added. Dutch apple pies are usually decorated in a lattice style. Dutch apple pies may include ingredients such as raisins and icing, in addition to ingredients such as apples and sugar, which they have in common with other recipes.

Recipes for Dutch apple pie go back centuries. There exists a painting from the Dutch Golden Age, dated 1626, featuring such a pie.

The basis of Dutch apple pie is a crust on the bottom and around the edges. This is then filled with pieces or slices of apple, usually a crisp and mildly tart variety such as Goudreinet or Elstar. Cinnamon and sugar are generally mixed in with the apple filling. The filling can be sprinkled with liqueur for taste although this is very uncommon. Atop the filling, strands of dough cover the pie in a lattice, holding the filling in place but keeping it visible. Though it can be eaten cold, warmed is more common, with a dash of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. In the Netherlands it is usually eaten cold, sometimes with whipped cream on top.

Ingredients:
Servings: 8-12

for the dough:
2 1/8 cups self-rising flour (300g)
3/4 cup butter (180g) or 3/4 cup margarine (180g)
1/2 cup brown sugar (150g)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or 1 (8 g) packet vanilla sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg

for the filling:
2 1/4 lbs apples(1kg)(i used Goudreinet but you can use any firm and a little sour apple you like)
3/4 cup raisins (washed and dried, 100g)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (40g)
3 teaspoons cinnamon (or more to taste)
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (or more to taste)
3 tablespoon semolina(to absorb the juices)(or 2 tablespoons of corn starch)

Directions:
Prep Time: 2 hrs and 70 minutes baking time

For the dough:
Sieve the flour, brown sugar, vanilla and the salt into a bowl.
Cut the butter or margarine into small cubes and add these to the flour mixture.
Beat the egg and add 3/4 of it to the flour mixture (you will need the rest for the top).
Using two knives, mix the butter/margarine and the flour mixture or use your kitchen machine(i don't have one so did it by hand).
Using one hand, kneed it to form the dough - you should be able to form it into a ball (this may take a while).
Put the ball of dough in the fridge for about an hour, in the meantime, make the
filling.

For the filling:
Peel the apples and cut them in cubes.
In a (large) bowl, combine apple, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, the lemon juice and half of the semolina(or all the corn starch)
Mix well and allow the flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.

Making the actual pie:
Butter a 9-inch round springform cake pan, or spray it with a non-stick spray.
Line the pan (bottom and sides) with about 3/4 of the dough - as long as the pan is covered, the layer need not be very thick.
Cover the bottom with the remaining semolina.
Add the filling, but try to leave the juices out.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining dough until it's less than 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick.
Cut the dough into strips and layer them over the apple pie to form a raster, covering no more than one third of the surface--you should be able to see quite a bit of the apple pieces (see picture).
If necessary, use (some of) the remaining dough to make the edges a bit higher.
Use the remaining egg to coat the dough strips.
Bake the pie at 175°C (340°F), just below the middle of your oven, for about 65-75 minutes.
If you have any dough left, roll it out, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (or left-over apple mixture) and bake it on baking paper for a few minutes.
Remove the springform only *after* the pie has cooled.
Serve warm (reheat in oven or microwave) or cold, with whipped or ice cream

Tips:
- I don't bother to roll the dough out and cut it as it is pretty sticky and causes a mess. I simply wet my hands and shape it by hand, pressing the dough into the pie dish in a uniform thickness. As for the lattice-work, I shape them by hand into longish sausage shapes, which I press flat onto the pie. The pie will rise and hide a multitude of sins.
- Use any kind of nuts(about 80g) you like in the filling.
- Instead of 3 teaspoons of cinnamon use dutch speculaaskruiden or pumpkin spice mix in the same amount.
- Make a layer of almond paste on the pie bottom before you put the apple filling in.
- Soak the raisins in Rum or another liquer you like.









References:
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_pie