Home baking is one of life’s simplest and most rewarding joys, bringing warmth, creativity, and a sense of achievement to the kitchen. Of course, it is more than merely about making food – it is a chance to connect with our culture and customs. Apple Frushie is a traditional Scottish dessert that offers a unique twist on the classic apple pie. Frushie is an old Scots word meaning “brittle” or “crumbly” which applies to the pastry. This variation has the addition of honey and rose water. Be careful when using rose water, if you use too much it can taste more like an air freshener thank dessert!

Ingredients

For the pastry
7oz (200g) all-purpose flour
125g (4oz) butter, unsalted
50g (2oz) sugar
1 egg
Pinch of salt

For the filling
5 Braeburn or cox apples
85g (3oz) sugar
2 tbsp honey
Few drops of rose water

Instructions

Rub the butter flour and the salt together until you have a breadcrumb texture. Make sure that that you can still see some small lumps of butter at the end of the rubbing in process. Crack the egg into a bowl, then add the sugar, and lightly mix. Add the egg and sugar mix to the flour and butter and then – using the palm of your hand – bring this mixture together to form a dough. Make sure you don’t over work the dough at this stage. Next, flatten out the pastry to form a disk about 1-inch (3cm) thick. Cling film the pastry and place into the fridge to rest. Once rested, roll out thinly and line an 8-inch (20 cm) tart case, make sure you leave some pastry to finish the pie. Peel, quarter and remove the core from the apples. Slice the apples thinly and start to line the pastry case with them, adding a little honey, sugar, and rose water to each layer until you reach the top. Save a little of the sugar to sprinkle on at the end. With the remaining pastry, roll it out thinly and cut into strips, then lay the pastry into a lattice design on top of the pie. Pre heat your oven to 350 °F (180˚C). Brush the pie with a little layer of beaten egg and a sprinkle of castor sugar. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until it is golden brown.

Slàinte Mhath!
Gary Maclean
garymacchef.com