0:00:20 > 0:00:24Today, our line-up of top chefs are looking at classic, comforting food
0:00:24 > 0:00:27for those days when a salad just won't do.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29You need something hot and nourishing.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32We're talking about dishes that are real winter warmers,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36but work equally well in spring, autumn or even in the summer.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40So get ready for Keith Floyd's beautiful beef Provencal...
0:00:40 > 0:00:43You'll probably need half a bottle to go into the dish itself
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and you're going to need half a bottle to go into yourself.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48..Rachel Khoo's chicken dumpling soup, and the Hairy Bikers
0:00:48 > 0:00:53work their magic on a good old-fashioned apple pie.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54A bit of care and a bit of love,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57you've turned this into something really quite special.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00- Yeah.- Put that in the middle of the table after dinner
0:01:00 > 0:01:01and people are going to go, "Wow!"
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We're starting with something a bit surprising.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06After all, do you really need a television chef to show you
0:01:06 > 0:01:08how to make a jacket potato?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Well, watch this and enjoy.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Because James Martin is taking the students' favourite
0:01:13 > 0:01:16and giving it his own special treatment.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'For me, there's nothing quite like cooking outdoors
0:01:23 > 0:01:25'over an open flame in the winter months.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30'It's one of the most rewarding ways to cook at home.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33'And I've got just the recipe for a chilly day like this.'
0:01:35 > 0:01:38You can't beat a jacket potato for a nice winter-warming dish.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43I love to cook mine with bacon, Taleggio cheese and leeks.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47But to make it really special, I'm going to tray-bake it
0:01:47 > 0:01:49in my wood-fired oven.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51For a cold winter's day, there's nothing better.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56First thing we're going to do is get our potatoes on.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59And to do that, you need some decent salt.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And I actually use sea salt for this, rather than table salt.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04And just put little piles in there.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07As you actually cook the potatoes, this dries out the skin,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09so they become nice and crisp.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Put a bit of oil on the potatoes.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Like that. And then what you need to do is just prick them with a fork.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Just over the top.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23In the oven, I've set the oven to about 200 degrees centigrade.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I've got some already in here.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And these want to cook for about an hour, really.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33And then we turn our attention to the sauce.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37'Dice one shallot and slice a clove of garlic,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40'then sweat them down in a frying pan.'
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Starting off with a little bit of butter, of course, as always.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48'Next, chop up two leeks.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51'I like to use all of them, including the green part.'
0:02:52 > 0:02:55So we're going to throw our leeks in here.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00'Pop them in the pan and pour over a generous amount of white wine.'
0:03:02 > 0:03:05And of course, just like the legend, Mr Floyd,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09you've got to have a glass while you're cooking, haven't you, really?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14'At this point, the sauce gives me some great cooking options.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16'I could blend it into a soup,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'serve it as a side dish with some brioche,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23'or add sweetcorn and use it as a sauce with roast chicken.'
0:03:23 > 0:03:25And then we need some liquid in here.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And that comes in the form of double cream.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Now, the key to this, I think, is not to overcook it.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39I do find leeks, if they're overcooked,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41they go horrible and grey.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43And you lose the great flavour of leeks, I think.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47So just be careful when you do it like this not to overcook it.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51So a good amount of seasoning. Some salt.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And black pepper.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00'Slice the spuds into quarters
0:04:00 > 0:04:03'and lay them skin-side down in a baking tray.'
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Just take the sauce
0:04:10 > 0:04:12and just drizzle it over the top of the potatoes.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19'Now I need to crisp up some bacon in the pan.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22'It's the star of this dish, so I want quality stuff.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:30And when you've got bacon this good - and this is dry-cured bacon -
0:04:30 > 0:04:31you fry it in a dry pan
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and the fat's going to come out of the bacon,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36get it lovely and crisp.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39For years, really, when I was training, when I had no money,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42when my mother came to visit me, she would always bring down some
0:04:42 > 0:04:46proper bread and some proper bacon
0:04:46 > 0:04:49so I could at least have a proper breakfast.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55This is Taleggio cheese. And it's got a lovely creamy flavour.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57And it actually melts when it cooks.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It really is delicious and one that goes really well with bacon.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04So what we're going to do with this is just chop it up.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06And I kind of first came across this, really,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09definitely not in a farmhouse in north Yorkshire -
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I first came across this while working in London, this cheese.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16And it was wrapped in a little bit of bacon and pan-fried
0:05:16 > 0:05:22in a little brasserie that us chefs used to go to on our rare day off.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24But it really was fantastic.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28I kind of used it not just in the restaurants,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30but at home, ever since, really.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32And you just break it up...
0:05:32 > 0:05:34and put it in there.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'When the bacon's ready, chop it up and add it to the tray.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48'And don't waste the fat.'
0:05:51 > 0:05:54If my granddad was alive, he'd take a piece of bread now
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and just scrape this up.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59And then what we do now is just pop it back in the oven.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02But instead of using this, I'm going to use a proper oven.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Even at this cold time of year,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11there's a chance to enjoy the outdoors.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14This is the kind of dish you could cook in advance for
0:06:14 > 0:06:17when your friends come over, and in a normal oven,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20it takes ten minutes at 200 degrees centigrade to cook.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26HE LAUGHS
0:06:28 > 0:06:30It just...
0:06:30 > 0:06:32It is a simple dish, but...
0:06:34 > 0:06:37..it just tastes so good, with the baked potatoes especially
0:06:37 > 0:06:40cos you get a mixture of, sort of, different textures.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42You get the fluffiness of the inside,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45and the crispness of the potato skins, as well.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54That Taleggio cheese, if you can buy it...
0:06:54 > 0:06:56try it.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Hey! Thank you, James. Next up, a classic dish from France.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Beef Provencal -
0:07:11 > 0:07:15a deliciously rich stew with red wine and vegetable.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18It was a favourite of one of the true greats of television cookery,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Keith Floyd, who would invade people's kitchens
0:07:21 > 0:07:24when he was filming, but then always rewarded them
0:07:24 > 0:07:27with a meal at the end of it, like only Keith could.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29I'm bored to death with fish,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32and I want to get back to a bit of simple peasant cooking,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and some red meat! And for those of you who are vegetarians,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38switch off because this programme is really going to upset you.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Richard, who is our cameraman here, come down,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43look at the ingredients, and I'm going to show you what it all is.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46This is some lovely fatty and grisly shin of beef.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It's important that it's shin because the veins and the gristle
0:07:50 > 0:07:53make it a very unctuous flavour when it's finally cooked.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I've picked in some little holes
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and stuffed in some garlic into all of them.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01That's an important thing to do. Over we go, Richard.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Little shallots, beautifully peeled.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Fresh garlic.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Orange peel.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09An onion stuffed with cloves.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Can you see that all right?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Just three cloves in an onion like that.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Some very fresh herbs. Rosemary, a dried bay leaf -
0:08:16 > 0:08:18that's not a fresh herb -
0:08:18 > 0:08:20fresh thyme, and fresh parsley.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Some chopped-up tomato.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28OK? Some fatty pork or bacon.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31And some bacon without any fat on it.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33And a bowl of mushrooms.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35But because this is a Floyd programme,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and we always cook in lemonade, as you know, one of the most
0:08:38 > 0:08:43essential things is going to be a bottle of good, strong red wine.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46You'll probably need half a bottle to go into the dish itself,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49and you'll need half a bottle to go into yourself to make things
0:08:49 > 0:08:51really cheerful.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00So, with a little olive oil, and our lean and our fat bacon,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03we get the pan up to frying speed. Highly humorous, isn't it?
0:09:03 > 0:09:04Frying speed.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08And whack it, now that it's golden brown,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11leaving the fat behind, into our "marmite", which is
0:09:11 > 0:09:15this lovely earthenware pot, from which slow-cooking beef
0:09:15 > 0:09:18really benefits from being popped into that kind of thing.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21But if you have to use aluminium or tin, it doesn't really matter.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Then, into the fat, we put our pieces of beef,
0:09:23 > 0:09:29which you'll remember I stuffed little cubes of garlic into.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31This is the importance of frying speed, you see,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34because it quickly browns the meat.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36- LOUD SIZZLING - And a little tip here.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39We're going to put a little salt on, but you never put salt on...
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Isn't this cracking noise loud? Funny, isn't it?
0:09:41 > 0:09:43It's real cooking, you see.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47You never put salt on meat until it has been sealed.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Otherwise it lets out all the good flavours.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Salt on like that.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Black pepper. Like that. Really hard grind.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03That's obviously got to cook for a moment or two.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I'll have a quick slurp.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09And then...
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Come back, Richard, you're too far away, please.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Come back. We've got that nicely sealed and browned.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19And it goes straight in. This is quite difficult.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Can you get into this pot?
0:10:20 > 0:10:24We lift it into the bacon, which is already there.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26One...
0:10:26 > 0:10:28There's a piece per person here, by the way.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29One piece per person.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32"Give them plenty," my old sergeant major used to say.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35One per man per day. There we are.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38There's the first part of our daube.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Now we add the rest of the ingredients.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Richard, you'll have to follow me back
0:10:42 > 0:10:44because all these other things now have to go in.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48And the first thing is a trig's potter, OK?
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Pig's potter.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54A little land mine. No, a sea mine. An onion with its cloves.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The four or five pieces of orange peel.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00A plate full of little shallots.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Or small pickling onions if you haven't shallots.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Some of these mushrooms.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Like that. OK.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Then one sprig of rosemary will go in.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17This is looking rather pretty, actually. A bay leaf has gone in.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21A spriglet of thyme. Don't overdo the herbs.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And a little packet, as we say in French, of parsley.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Cover the lot with the tomatoes like that. I'll just lift that to you.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Looks rather attractive, looks like the front
0:11:30 > 0:11:33of an Elizabeth David book. Actually, I shouldn't insult her
0:11:33 > 0:11:35like that. She's one of the finest cooks there ever was.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37And, then...
0:11:37 > 0:11:40in with our...
0:11:40 > 0:11:41lovely bottle...
0:11:43 > 0:11:44..of wine.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48All you now have to do is put the lid of that onto that,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50and into the oven.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53So, while my vegetarian cameraman takes a big, deep breath,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56turn to page six of the Radio Times,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and scratch and sniff the sachet, OK, for the Floyd daube.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Doesn't that look wonderful? Wonderful.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Anyway, you've seen that, haven't you?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I want to introduce you to our hostess today, who's Trish.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10She made the fatal mistake - and she'll never do it again,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I'm sure you won't - of saying, "You can use my kitchen any time,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15"do you know what I mean?" And we did. And we've wrecked the day.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18But thanks a million for that, Trish. Here's to you.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Thank you very much.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21Now, what I'd like you to do,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25and I'm not going to pinch you or anything like that, is to... Ow!
0:12:25 > 0:12:26That's hot.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Is to taste this and tell me honestly...
0:12:29 > 0:12:33We always say this, then edit it out afterwards if you don't agree.
0:12:33 > 0:12:39Have a go at this very simple, humble Provencal beef daube.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40There's a little bit for you.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Have a tuck into that, see what you think.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44And I'm going to help myself.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47By the way, Richard, come back to my plate so we don't embarrass Trish.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51She's not used to eating in front of a load of people like that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53And this isn't a thickened sauce.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55You can see it's deliberately thin.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59But it has all the flavours of wine and beef.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01And the pig's trotter and all those excellent
0:13:01 > 0:13:02- things. How's it tasting?- Good.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It's all right, is it? Let me have a go.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Oh, it is good, isn't it? Anyway, we've got to go now
0:13:09 > 0:13:12because the producer's getting into a bit of a flap.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14There you are. Cheerio, see you next time.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Oh, wonderful stuff. Wonderful.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Now, our next recipe ticks every box
0:13:22 > 0:13:25as far as warming comfort food is concerned.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I love chicken, but I'm also very fond of dumplings.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Put them together in a soup like Rachel Khoo does here
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and you've won me over. Completely.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40This city is overflowing with food.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42But it's also crammed with people.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Four times as many per square kilometre than in London.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49No wonder so many of us live in tiny flats.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53So I've had to change the way I cook because of my petite kitchen.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58No space. I just go "Whaaaaaa!"
0:14:01 > 0:14:03My tiny oven...
0:14:03 > 0:14:06tries to limit my ambitions.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09It's not very big, but I can fit a mini chicken in here.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14I've learnt to simplify the cooking process without skimping on taste.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19But even in this tiny kitchen,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I can still make a dish that has very special memories for me.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29When I first moved to Paris, I didn't know anybody.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33And sometimes I felt a bit lonely, and I'd want something comforting,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36and I would make this chicken dumpling soup,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39like my grandma in Austria used to make for me when I was little.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I'm going to start off with my chicken stock.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45I'm using home-made,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48but you can always use a good-quality stock cube.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Just don't tell the Parisians.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53That goes on there.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55And I'm going to peel two carrots.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58While my carrots flavour the stock,
0:14:58 > 0:15:00it's on to the dumplings.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03I'm using a traditional French shape for dumplings,
0:15:03 > 0:15:04which they call "quenelle."
0:15:04 > 0:15:07You need five slices of white bread.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Cut the crust off cos they don't taste nice in your dumplings.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14If you really wanted to, you could use...
0:15:14 > 0:15:16wholewheat bread.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18But I wouldn't, actually,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21because what's nice about this recipe, by using white bread,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24is your dumplings are really light.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Add your bread to a blender, along with 200g of chicken breast...
0:15:29 > 0:15:31..one whole egg and one egg yolk.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34100ml of single cream.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Nutmeg for seasoning.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40This is real home cooking.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45I mean, you're very unlikely to see quenelle in a restaurant.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48And if they do quenelle, they tend to be baked
0:15:48 > 0:15:52and quite heavy with a rich kind of white sauce.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Whereas this is actually quite light
0:15:54 > 0:15:56cos you're having it in a soup.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58It feels really nourishing.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59It's kind of one of these dishes,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02if you're feeling poorly, you'd have this.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Add some salt.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Good two pinches.
0:16:07 > 0:16:08Black pepper.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12And then I'm going to plug this in.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16If I can find my plug.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20I've, like, only got one socket in this apartment. He-hey!
0:16:20 > 0:16:21Right.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29You want to blend it until it's a paste.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Perfect!
0:16:33 > 0:16:37While that's coming to the boil, I'm going to chop up my mushrooms.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43All right, that has come to a boil. I'm going to turn it down.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51To make a quenelle, you have a spoon and then you just rock it back
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and forth. Like that.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54Just get a nice shape.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57You don't have to make perfect dumplings.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00This is just a good way of portioning it cos you want them
0:17:00 > 0:17:03roughly the same size, so they cook evenly.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Drop your dumplings into the soup.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09They should be ready in less than five minutes.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13A minute before they're finished, you can throw in the mushrooms.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17I like my mushrooms when they still have a bit of a bite to them.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20All you need now is some chopped parsley.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24The dumplings have risen to the top, so you know they're cooked.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26They're kind of trying to come out.
0:17:26 > 0:17:27Crazy.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29And that is ready to eat.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34You could serve these quenelles on their own with a bechamel
0:17:34 > 0:17:37sauce or, like the French, with a tomato sauce.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Mm! I love the smell of this.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Reminds me of my early days in Paris.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45When I was all on my own!
0:17:46 > 0:17:48And had no friends!
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Apart from French guys who were trying to chat me up.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Garnish with a bit of parsley on top.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Steaming bowl of chicken dumpling soup.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Homage to my grandma.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06This is my light take on the classic quenelle of the Lyon-Alpes region
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and I love it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18OK. Now, we've had three delicious main courses.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19Now, it's dessert time.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22And what could be more traditional than a piping hot,
0:18:22 > 0:18:27bursting-with-fruity-flavours, good old-fashioned apple pie?
0:18:27 > 0:18:30The Hairy Bikers think they've got the perfect pie recipe here
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and they're getting pretty patriotic about it.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Some people - not all,
0:18:36 > 0:18:42but some people - mistakenly think that the apple pie is American.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Well, it's not!
0:18:44 > 0:18:49They even say, "Oh, it's as American as apple pie!"
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Well, we were making apple pies in this
0:18:51 > 0:18:56- country before Christopher Columbus even learned to paddle.- Exactly!
0:18:56 > 0:19:00So, we're here to claim it back from the Americans
0:19:00 > 0:19:03because they don't own it! We do!
0:19:03 > 0:19:08And this is our homage to the Great British apple pie.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12- Now, as two cooks, we've been making apple pies for many years now.- Many.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- We've cooked apple pie on telly before.- Yes.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17But we've refined the recipe.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19There's a few little tricks and cheats in this.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22And we call this the perfect apple pie.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25We've got lemon zest in the pastry. It just gives it that edge.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29And we put corn flour in the apple mix, so it doesn't go soggy.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32We've balanced the cinnamon and sugar perfectly,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36so that apple pie will appeal to every single person on the planet.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38We know because we've worked at it.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43This still is a homage to the Bramley and Bramley is British!
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Bur-ruh-i-tuh-i-huh-suh. Suh-huh!
0:19:47 > 0:19:51All good pies start with a brilliant crust.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Now, look, I'm going to get on with these apples, right?
0:19:54 > 0:19:57I'll not be a minute. Give us another one, mate.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58The Bramley apple, it's British,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02and it was thought to have been first started by a lady
0:20:02 > 0:20:06called Mary Anne Brailsford, who planted an obscure pip in her
0:20:06 > 0:20:09garden in around 1810 in Nottinghamshire.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13And from that tree, which still exists today, the Bramley was born.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18To start our pie, put 400 grams of plain flour in a bowl,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21together with the finely grated zest of one lemon.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Meanwhile, mix two tablespoons of corn flour with one teaspoon
0:20:26 > 0:20:31of ground cinnamon and 150 grams of caster sugar in another bowl.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34And now, I'm going to peel my apples.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Over to Mr Myers at the bakery section.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41So in my bowl now, I've got the finely grated zest of one lemon
0:20:41 > 0:20:43and the plain flour.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47To this, add two tablespoons of caster sugar and a whole -
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and I mean a whole - pack of cold butter,
0:20:49 > 0:20:50which will need to be cut into cubes.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56It's lovely, it's a very short pastry, this. Short means crumbly.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Crumbly means buttery.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Buttery means - Mm! This is a good apple pie!
0:21:02 > 0:21:03And do you know?
0:21:03 > 0:21:07The Bramley apple is thought to be
0:21:07 > 0:21:10the best culinary apple in the world.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- It's cheap and it's massive, isn't it?- It is. It's brilliant.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16The only thing to watch out for with Bramleys is that they hold
0:21:16 > 0:21:19quite a lot of moisture, which is
0:21:19 > 0:21:22why, you see, we've done the corn flour,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25so if it does leak a lot of juice, you've got it
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and it just becomes this lovely appley sweet gravy.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Ooh!
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Moving on with the pastry, gently rub your butter into the sugar,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36flour and zest mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41The lemon zest is just hitting my nose nicely.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Ah! Now, what I'm going to do is quarter the Bramleys.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Core them.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Slice them thin. Simple.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Now, in here, I've got two tablespoons of water and one
0:21:59 > 0:22:03egg and we use this as a liquid, so I'm just going to put this in.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06And be careful, cos I don't want to overdo it. Can always add more.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09It's not going to take much liquid to form this in to pastry.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Right, so there's your pastry.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23Now, I want to take two-thirds for the base and a third for the top.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28There you go. Make a ball. Don't handle it too much.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32She's there, but she's very, very delicate.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Wrap this in clingfilm.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37And pop this in the fridge.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40It really would be a bit of a devil to roll out now.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Now, there's a couple of top tips for handling apples.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47To stop them going brown, put them in some water with some lemon
0:22:47 > 0:22:52juice, and that will stop the discolouration of the apples. So...
0:22:52 > 0:22:56But because we're doing it pretty quick and we're going to coat
0:22:56 > 0:23:00them in that lovely sugary cinnamon coating, we should be all right.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03But don't leave them for half an hour and expect them
0:23:03 > 0:23:05to be the same colour.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Cos they won't.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11We're slicing these apples and they're raw
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and they're going to go straight in to the pie.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Don't be tempted to stew your fruit first.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Get it in to the pie and get it in raw,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23so all of those lovely flavours
0:23:23 > 0:23:27are concealed in the beautiful
0:23:27 > 0:23:30blanket of pastry that Mr Myers
0:23:30 > 0:23:32is doing so well.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35I'm greasing up my dish.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Next, flour and roll out the chilled pastry on to a floured surface,
0:23:38 > 0:23:43until it is about the thickness of a £1 coin,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and 5-7cm larger than the pie dish.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49The world of the pie is fantastic.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53And nobody makes a pie like the British.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54In fact, our pies are perfect.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Well, I think it's a deep ingrained tradition of making them
0:24:00 > 0:24:02over centuries. We're good at it.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06What started out as like a coffer in which to carry the meat -
0:24:06 > 0:24:09it was just used flour and water as a case,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11it was like a ready made pressure cooker...
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- For me, the pastry is as important as the pie.- Absolutely.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16And you'll see when we cut into this,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20it's just so wonderfully crumbly and gorgeous.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25Now, to get this on to there, just dust this with flour,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30so it doesn't stick to your pin, put it like that, roll it up,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32put on there like so.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36And line your tin.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39If it's an all-butter pastry like this, a sweet pastry,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43do chill it because it makes handling it so much easier.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Mr King, over to thee. I'll roll out the lid.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Lovely. We're going to look like it's slightly overfilled,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52but it's not because, as those apples cook,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57they're going to fall away and fall down and lose some of their volume.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01So we need to make sure that it's
0:25:01 > 0:25:06as good and as packed as it can be.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Place the 600 grams of beautifully coated sliced
0:25:09 > 0:25:12apples into the pie casing.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Brush the rim of the pastry with beaten egg before putting the neatly
0:25:16 > 0:25:20rolled pie lid on top and pressing the edges firmly together to seal.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Look at that, eh?
0:25:22 > 0:25:25I remember my mother used to do this, yeah?
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- She'd take the pie and there was this action, weren't there?- Yes.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29- Eh?- I love this.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Now, I'm going to make leaves out of these off-cuts,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35whilst Kingy shows you how to do a crimp.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39- Over to you, maestro. - Right. What we do... Like that, OK?
0:25:40 > 0:25:45And you go... Push, push, push, push...
0:25:45 > 0:25:49While Si is crimping, I'm rolling out the rest of the pastry
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and cutting out individual leaves.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Stick these on to the pie lid with a beaten egg.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59# Pie in the sky, I wonder, wonder why... #
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- Egg wash it.- That's beautiful.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Nice and gently.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07I think this is a prime example of...
0:26:07 > 0:26:11It's a simple dish, it's cheap, this is going to give us
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- ten good portions.- Yeah. - But a bit of care and a bit of love,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17you've actually turned this into something really quite special.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- Yeah.- You put that in the middle of the table after dinner
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- and people are going to go, "Wow!" - That's the thing, isn't it?
0:26:23 > 0:26:26You know, because, it's like - oh, it's an apple pie,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28so don't make the effort. Well, do!
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Because if you do, it becomes something else then.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Pierce the top to let out the steam and sprinkle with caster sugar.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Right, that needs to go into a preheated oven, 180 degrees Celsius
0:26:44 > 0:26:50for a fan oven, for 40-45 minutes, until baked to apple pie perfection.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Our pie's ready and it's looking outrageous!
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- What do you reckon?- Look at that. - Should I?- Yep!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13You don't need a sharp knife with that pastry, do you?
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- Straight through, mate. Beautiful. - Straight through.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21Now, remember, that's the crust that has the hint of lemon zest.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Oh!
0:27:25 > 0:27:26- Cream, Kingy?- Oh, please!
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Thank you.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31A marriage made in heaven.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Right.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- The texture of the pastry is gorgeous.- Mm.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40And pastry is about texture. But that little hint of lemon zest...
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- Beautiful.- It just gives it, like, a fragrant top note.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I think the balance of acidity and sweetness, as well, which is
0:27:46 > 0:27:49what we spent a lot of time working on, is just superb.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Yes.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55And this, in our opinion, is the perfect apple pie.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58# Dream about a slice of apple pie... #
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Served hot or cold, with cream or ice cream,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03this pud truly is the apple of our eye.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06A British favourite that hasn't changed over the years
0:28:06 > 0:28:10and is still as popular today as it ever was.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12# Apple pie in the sky. #
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Thanks to the boys and to all our top chefs for their fantastic
0:28:15 > 0:28:17additions to the Best Dishes Ever.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21There's plenty more where they came from, so do join me again.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Until next time, take care, bye-bye.