Harrods Apple Pie (Francesco Genovese)

Harrods Apple Pie (Francesco Genovese)

BritishServes 8-10Medium
Source: YouTube — Italia Squisita (Francesco Genovese, Head Pastry Chef, Harrods)

Components

This pie has three elements built in stages:
1. Shortcrust pastry — sablage method, rested 2+ hours
2. Apple compote — slow-cooked, blended with cornstarch into a cream
3. Cooked apples — sautéed to remove moisture, combined with the cream

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte Sablée)
- 500g flour (W180)
- 250g butter (at 10-12°C)
- 185g icing sugar
- 70g almond flour
- 105g whole eggs
- 4g salt

Apple Compote (for Apple Cream base)
- 500g Pink Lady apples
- 500g Granny Smith apples
- 200g raw cane sugar
- 2 vanilla beans
- 50g lemon marmalade
- 3g salt

Apple Cream
- 400g apple compote (from above)
- 36g cornstarch

Cooked Apples
- 500g Pink Lady apples
- 500g Granny Smith apples
- 100g raw cane sugar
- 30g lemon marmalade
- 3g salt
- 1 vanilla bean
- 8g cinnamon
- 50g butter

To Assemble
- Crumbled biscuit or sponge cake (to line base of mould)
- Egg yolk (two coats, 15 min apart, for glazing)
- Raw cane sugar (to finish top)

Instructions

Step 1 — Make the Shortcrust Pastry (Sablage Method)

  1. Place all dry ingredients in stand mixer: flour, icing sugar, salt, almond flour.
  2. Add cold butter (10-12°C) cut into pieces. Mix until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture looks sandy and dry — this is the sablage technique.
  3. Add all eggs at once. Mix as little as possible — stop the moment the dough comes together. Over-mixing develops gluten and makes the pastry tough.
  4. Roll dough out thinly between sheets of parchment and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Rolling it thin before chilling ensures it cools evenly through the core.

Step 2 — Make the Apple Compote

  1. Peel and slice apples into 5mm slices. Combine with sugar, salt, vanilla, and lemon marmalade.
  2. Sous vide method: Cook sous vide in a steam oven for 4 hours.
  3. Home method: Combine all in a saucepan and cook like a classic jam until deeply caramelized and dark.
  4. Once cooked, blend the mixture smooth.
  5. Weigh out 400g of the blended compote. Mix with 36g cornstarch. Cook in a saucepan like a custard until thickened. This is your apple cream. Set aside.

Step 3 — Make the Cooked Apples

  1. Melt 50g butter in a saucepan with a hollowed vanilla pod.
  2. Add peeled, diced apples. Cook briefly until butter is absorbed and apples begin to dry out.
  3. Add sugar, salt, and vanilla seeds. The apples will immediately release water — continue cooking until all liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat. Add cinnamon and lemon marmalade. Stir to combine.
  5. Spread on a baking sheet to cool quickly.

Step 4 — Combine the Filling

  1. Once cooked apples are cool, fold them into the apple cream. This is the complete pie filling.

Step 5 — Line the Mould and Fill

  1. Take chilled dough from fridge. Knead briefly to restore plasticity.
  2. Roll to 5mm thickness using rulers for consistency. Use a 23cm diameter mould.
  3. Line the mould with the dough, pressing into the edges. Trim any excess.
  4. Sprinkle a layer of crumbled biscuit or sponge cake on the base — this absorbs excess moisture during baking and ensures the pastry cooks through.
  5. Add approximately 1.2kg of apple filling.
  6. Decorate the top with strips and shapes cut from remaining shortcrust dough.

Step 6 — Glaze and Bake

  1. Brush surface with egg yolk. Wait 15 minutes. Apply a second coat.
  2. Sprinkle raw cane sugar over the top.
  3. Bakery oven: Bake at 200°C for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
  4. Home oven: Bake at 170°C for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Turn the pie halfway through baking for even colouring.
  6. Allow to cool before cutting — much easier to slice cleanly when cool or at room temperature.
  7. To reheat: cut first, then warm at 200°C for 5 minutes.

Serving

Serve with apple cream as a base, oat crumble, and clotted cream gelato — see companion note.

My Notes

The two-stage apple preparation (compote + sautéed) is the key technique here — it solves the classic problem of watery apple pie by controlling moisture before baking.
The crumbled biscuit layer on the base is an excellent pro tip worth using in any fruit pie.
Lemon marmalade appears twice — in both the compote and the cooked apples. A distinctive flavour choice.
Channel: Italia Squisita. Search "Harrods Apple Pie Italia Squisita" to find the video.