APPLE PIE (England)

INGREDIENTS:

• Mass of frozen puff pastry (1 sheet)
• 4 apples
• Unsalted butter

For the pastry cream:

• 2 pints of milk
• 4 / 5 egg yolks
• 5.3 ounces of sugar
• Corn starch
• 1 branch of cinnamon or vanilla
• 1 scrape lemon peel

Preparation:

1. Making the custard

The pastry custard is made as the conventional custard but adding starch to make it thicker. If we're going to bake the custard we will always put less sugar compared with the one to be used to fill in cold or to decorate a cake. For example, in this recipe we use 5.3 ounces. If we would use the same custard in cold we should use instead 8.8 ounces. First we separate one cup of milk and we reserve. We boil the rest of the milk with the branch of cinnamon or vanilla (according to your taste), the peeling of lemon without the white part (that is bitter) and sugar. As we have added sugar from the beginning we will have to stir continuously to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot as well as for to dissolve it well. When the milk boils remove from the fire. While we will have separated a cup of milk we will mix it with 3.5 ounces of corn starch and the yolks, beating vigorously so that everything is well dissolved.
We remove the branch of cinnamon and scrape of lemon skin and slowly we add to the bowl of yolks and cornstarch mixture, stirring. Beat vigorously with the whisk to leave no lump and let stand until cool.

2. Making the cake

In a mold that can be baked, preferably metal with the shape of the sheet of puff pastry, grease the bottom with a little butter. Above that we will extend the puff pastry according to manufacturer's instructions. The pasta should go up the sides of the mold to hold the pastry cream. With a spoon cover the breadth of the puff pastry with the cold cream. Peel the apples and remove the core to cut into thin slices with the shape of half a moon. Place in order over the custard and let them to overlap a bit in between. Put some shavings of butter above the apples (with 4 or 5 will be more than enough). Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and with half an hour should be sufficient or until the apple puff pastry and the apples are made at sight.