This Morning’s Bramley apple meringue pie

Ingredients:

• 1 x 24cm x 3cm deep baked blind pastry base
• 6 medium Bramley apples (2kg) peeled and cored
• 150g light brown sugar
• Juice and zest of 2 large lemons
• 4 medium eggs, separated
• Castor sugar (double the weight of the egg whites)
• 250mls double cream
• Vanilla extract
• Sugar
• Pinch of cream tartar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas 4.
2. Chop all the apples into small pieces and place into a saucepan.
3. Add the sugar, lemon juice and zest, bring to the boil and cook slowly until you have a chunky puree (but not too smooth - it needs to be about half cooked).
4. Brush the cooked flan base with beaten egg and pop into the oven to crispen up the shell.
5. Once the apple is cooked and cooled for 10 minutes, beat in the egg yolks.
6. Spoon into the warm pastry base.
7. Cook for 20-25 minutes until just set, making sure it does not soufflé.
8. Once cooked, cool completely.
9. Place the egg whites into a mixing bowl (not a electric hand whisk) add the cream of tartar and whisk until foamy and thick. Add half the caster sugar and whisk until thick and glossy.
10. Remove the bowl from the machine and fold in the rest of the sugar.
11. Pile onto the cooked apple flan and turn the heat up on the oven to 200C /gas to 6.
12. Sprinkle the meringue with granulated sugar and bake for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned.
13. Serve with very lightly whipped double cream sweetened with a little a little vanilla and sugar.