Appeltaart - Dutch apple pie, the best in the world!

A short while ago, I came upon a recipe for Dutch apple pie, and I thought, yes, it needs to be known to the readers of The Portugal News, because the Dutch version of apple pie is unparalleled. I know, because I have tasted many variations of apple pie in several countries, and none comes even close to the Dutch version. This is my very unbiased, Dutch opinion!

Compared to all the different versions in other countries, it may seem a distant cousin, a hippy relative to all other apple pies, eccentric to say the least, firstly because of its crust, which is kind of chunky and a carbohydrate exaggeration really. It could be intimidating to some, but it is the real deal to others. Nothing like, for instance, the flaky, delicate French version.

Then there is the filling. Oh boy, talking about chunky. Don’t expect delicacy here either. No thinly sliced apples, just chunks of apple and raisins and lots of flavour, because of the “speculaaskruiden”, a magical mix of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. All this gives the Dutch apple pie its warm feeling of “gezelligheid”. Such a typically Dutch word, cosyness doesn’t really cover it, but it comes close. It’s the whole atmosphere that comes with cosyness.

History tells us that the Dutch have been baking appeltaart since at least the Middle Ages. The earliest recipes will have been pretty basic: apples, some dough, and maybe a bit of honey. Over time, the recipe evolved, with spices getting added and crusts getting thicker.

The construction phase

Keep in mind, when you have enough Dutch courage to try your hand at this apple pie, that you cannot use the ready-to-use dough that you can buy here and there. You really need to get into it yourself and do the work! You have to build the beast, so to speak.

Being fainthearted and lazy won’t do it. First, there is the wrestling match with the dough. Confession: I never made an appeltaart, I can cook, but pastry is beyond me! This is one of the reasons I have never tried to make this apple pie. Dough is just not my thing. It sticks to my hands, to the roller or to the cutting board or the counter, and it frustrates me no end.

Then there’s the mountain of apples to be peeled and chopped.

But the true test is when you finally try to put the thing together. For the Dutch apple pie, the only thing to use is a deep-dish style oven dish. Roll the dough and make two nice rounds, the part that totally defeats me. One round goes into the deep dish, and the other will be sliced into strips to put on the top. Once the dough is in the dish, pile it high with apples that have been mixed with the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon (and the other spices, if you so choose).

All that is left to do now is bake the pie.

Dutchness at its finest

Once the pie is baked, the preferred way to serve is warm with a dollop of whipped cream, sweetened or not, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Make no mistake, appeltaart is a national treasure, a symbol of Dutchness. It is served in cafés, at home, fresh from the oven or from a good bakery. It’s a favourite at birthday parties, shared with friends or family.

Now, if you’re ready to give this chunky, spiced and slightly messy deliciousness a try, here’s the recipe.

Dutch Apple Pie, or rather Appeltaart

Prep time: 75 mins Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 2 hours 15 mins Serves: serves 6/8

Ingredients

● 300 g self raising flour

● 200 g butter

● 150 g light brown sugar

● 3/4 egg for the dough

● 1/4 beaten egg for brushing

● a pinch of salt

● 1 kg apples

● fresh lemon juice

● 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

● a pinch of cloves powder, a teaspoon of ginger, a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, all optional

● 50 g sugar

● 50 g dry raisins (optional)

Method

1. Mix flour, salt, brown sugar and butter in cubes. Add the 3/4 egg and nicely knead the ingredients into a smooth dough. Leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.

2. Peel the apples and cut them into thick slices. Add the slices into a separate bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar and stir. Add the raisins (optional). Cover and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 175ºC / 350ºF. Line a round buttered baking tin (20-22 cm) with 60% of the dough. Add the prepared apples and distribute the slices evenly.