Apple and almond pie

Ingredients

For the dough

• 150 g butter
• 1 tablespoon lard
• 50 g sugar
• 2 packets (16 g) vanilla sugar
• 2 eggs
• 150 ml water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 600 g flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 packet (10 g) baking powder

For layering

• 6 tablespoons oil + 1 teaspoon for the pan
• 50 g butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 75 g blanched almonds

For the filling

• 2 kg apples
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 packets (16 g) vanilla sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons semolina

To finish

• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Toast the almonds for 5 minutes, until lightly fragrant, then grind them coarsely. 2. Beat the softened butter with the lard, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt until the mixture is fluffy and the sugar is no longer grainy. Mix in the eggs, then the water. 3. Mix the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Gradually add it to the egg mixture and knead until you have a soft, non-sticky dough that is easy to roll out. Let it rest for 20 minutes. 4. Put the oil and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once the butter has melted, mix in the flour and stir vigorously for 3 minutes, until you have a smooth paste. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 20 minutes. 5. Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger for the pie base. Roll out the first piece as thinly as possible, spread some of the cooled paste over half the sheet and sprinkle with almonds. Fold the other half over the filling and press gently. Repeat three times, then do the same with the second piece of dough, using all the paste and almonds. 6. Wrap the two pastry sheets in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until the paste firms up. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. 7. Wash the apples, remove the cores and any spoiled parts, then grate them or chop them in a food processor. Put them in a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla sugar and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring, until softened and brick-red in color. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cinnamon and let the apples cool for 30 minutes. 8. Stir the semolina into the cooled apples, depending on how much syrup they have released. Grease a 33 × 43 cm pan with 1 teaspoon of oil. Lay the larger pastry sheet in the pan, add the apples and cover with the second sheet. 9. Bake the pie at 180°C for 40 minutes, until the top sheet is golden brown. Let it cool for 60 minutes, then cut into portions and dust with powdered sugar.