Apple hand pies

For the pastry, work as if making a shortcrust rather than a pie dough -- finer pieces of butter, because less puffing is wanted.

Cube the very cold butter rather than slicing it and pulse it in the food processor until broken into pea-sized pieces with finer bits as well; a big piece of butter melts and leaves a hole in the pastry.

With the motor running, stream in two thirds of a cup of ice water and run until it forms a cohesive dough.

Divide the dough in half, form each piece into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and chill until firm.

Cut down and around the cores and slice the apples between an eighth and a quarter inch thick, slicing with the tip of the knife so they do not stick to the blade.

Toss the apples with two tablespoons each of Demerara and granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, a couple of teaspoons of vanilla, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Drizzle over about a teaspoon and a half of Angostura bitters.

Cover with plastic to prevent browning and let the apples macerate until the juices are drawn out.

Cook the macerated apples with a splash of water over medium heat until softened and translucent, turning it down so it does not boil vigorously; add a little more vinegar to taste.

All the liquid evaporated, so lift the apples out into a bowl.

Warm about a cup of apple juice in the skillet and melt in about a tablespoon and a half of butter.

Dissolve a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch in two tablespoons of the apple juice with a fork -- cornstarch must be dissolved in a little liquid before it goes into more, or it clumps.

Bring to a simmer, whisk in the slurry, and when it does not thicken enough add another two teaspoons of cornstarch. Leave it slightly thin, since there will be evaporation through the lattice during baking.

Stir just enough of the thickened mixture back into the apples that they are bound and glossy but still mostly apples, add another quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, fold in and chill.

Roll the first piece of dough out to the dimensions of a parchment-lined sheet tray, thickness as even as possible, and return it to the fridge.

Pipe the cool filling into tunnels about 11 centimetres by four on the bottom sheet, flattening them with an offset, eight in all.

Roll the second piece out and cut rectangles about six centimetres wide by 12 long, slightly larger than needed, and chill them.

Cut slits in each rectangle with a paring knife, or punch them with a plastic razor blade, five on one side and four on the other, then accordion the pastry and stretch it over the filling.

Beat an egg.

Brush a thin layer of egg along the edges right around the filling as glue, a couple at a time so it does not dry, drape the lattice top over and press.

Mist the flour-dried lattice surface with a little water to rehydrate it, then press firmly on all four sides of every pie for full contact.

Freeze the pies while the oven preheats to 350F -- a medium steady temperature, not a blast that would puff the pastry.

Separate and trim each pie to size while it is very cold, and return them to the freezer for five minutes.

Brush with milk rather than egg wash, to hydrate the surface and encourage even browning without burnishing them.

Bake, checking at 15 minutes, until golden brown with gentle puffing and no shrinking.

Transfer to a cooling rack.