Preparation time: 30 mins plus
30 mins refrigeration time and
15 mins standing time
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 4

200g unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla essence
¾ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour, sifted 
1½ cups plain flour, sifted
Melted butter, for greasing
Extra flour, for kneading
1 Tbsp sugar, for sprinkling

Apple and cranberry filling
1kg pink lady apples
1 cup frozen cranberries
2 Tbsp plain flour
2 Tbsp sugar

Step 1
Cut butter into pieces and put in the small bowl of an electric mixer. Add vanilla and beat until soft and creamy. Add caster sugar and beat until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. Separate 1 egg and reserve the white. Add egg yolk and remaining egg to the butter mixture and beat until well combined. Transfer the butter mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the sifted flours. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Step 2
Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a deep, fluted, loose-based 22cm flan tin with melted butter. Turn out pastry mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently into a round. Wrap round in baking paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut two-thirds of the pastry from the round and knead into a ball; set aside remaining pastry. Put the pastry ball between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out into a round, 5cm larger than the flan tin. Remove the base sheet of paper and carefully ease the pastry into the
prepared  tin. Remove the base sheet; do not trim pastry edges. Put pastry-lined tin in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Step 3
To make Apple and cranberry filling, peel and quarter the apples. Remove the core from each quarter and cut quarters into paper-thin slices. Put apple in a large bowl with cranberries, flour and sugar and toss to combine. Remove pastry-lined tin from the fridge and spoon in apple mixture. Sit tin on an oven tray. Put remaining pastry between the 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out into a round large enough to cover the apples.

Step 4
Remove 1 sheet of paper and put pastry on top of apples. Remove remaining paper and carefully press pastry down on the apples. Cut away excess pastry. Put reserved eggwhite in a small bowl and beat with a fork until foam firms on the top. Brush eggwhite over pastry. Use a small sharp knife to make a small cut, about 5cm long, on top of the pastry. Re-roll pastry trimmings, cut out leaves or other shapes and sit them on top of the pie. Brush pastry with eggwhite, then sprinkle sugar over. Bake the pie for 55-60 minutes or until pastry is dark golden and apples are tender. Stand pie for 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove from tin. Serve pie hot, warm or cold.

Photos by Chris L Jones