Nana's Apple Charlotte

I have previously posted my grandmother Jean HALL's Christmas pudding recipe. I really wanted her apple pie recipe and my aunt Liz sent the recipe book that was probably a guide. In the meantime, my aunt did forward me the one other recipe she had, and I'll give it a go:

Liz said:
I hadn't forgotten your request for any of Mum's recipes. I only have one, which she typed out and sent to me (along with the Xmas pudding recipe) as we had a huge cooking apple tree at the time and you can only make so much apple sauce. Needless to say, I never tried this recipe. I'm not sure Mum ever made it either, certainly not while I was around and I don't know where it came from. The pastry recipe is unusual by today's standards in that it contains custard powder, cornflour and icing sugar. Not being a great cook, I never asked for any further recipes, not even the apple pie or sponge pudding recipes. These days of course, I cook a bit more but they have disappeared into oblivion. 

APPLE CHARLOTTE 

PASTRY

1 and ½ cups plain flour

½ cup self raising flour

1/3 cup custard powder

1/3 cup cornflour

¼ cup icing sugar

185 grams butter, chopped into cubes

1/3 cup water, approx

FILLING

6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled (or any cooking apple)

¼ cup castor sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

60 grams butter

ICING

1 and ½ cups icing sugar

2 passionfruit

Milk

Charlotte can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for 3 months. Not suitable to microwave.

Pastry : sift dry ingredients into large bowl, rub in cold butter. Add enough water to mix to a firm dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface, knead until smooth. Cover pastry, refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry, large enough to cover base and side of a greased 20cm springform tin; trim edge. Spread cold apple filling into tin. Roll out remaining pastry, place over filling, overlapping side of tin slightly; press down against side of tin. Trim edge, brush with a little milk, cut 2 slits in top of pastry. Bake in hot oven 15 minutes, reduce heat to moderate, bake further 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in tin. Spread top with icing.

Filling: Slice apples thinly, place in saucepan with sugar, lemon juice and butter. Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temp.

Icing: Sift icing sugar into small bowl, stir in passionfruit pulp. Add a little milk, if necessary to make a stiff paste. Stir over simmering water until icing becomes spreadable.