Apple Florentine Pie

Nov 6, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pies tarts Easy

A deep dish of lemony sugared cooking apples baked under a short pastry lid, then finished at the table with hot ale spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. The ale soaks into the soft apples and the broken pastry, making something between a pie and a warming winter punch. Makes 6 servings in about 1 hr 50 min.

Prep 35 min

Cook 45 min

Cooling 30 min

Total 1 hr 50 min

Servings 6

Ingredients

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servings

1 ⅔ cups (200 g)all-purpose flour
1 pinchfine salt
½ cup (100 g)unsalted butter, cold, cubed
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml)ice water, plus a little more if needed
2 ¼ lb (1000 g)tart cooking apples, such as Bramley, peeled, cored and quartered (prepared weight)
⅓ cup (75 g)granulated sugar, for the filling
2 tsp (4 g)lemon zest, finely grated, from 1 lemon
1 tbsp (15 ml)milk, for brushing
2 ½ tsp (10 g)demerara sugar
2 cups (500 ml)brown ale, a mild, low-hop ale
2 ½ tbsp (30 g)granulated sugar, for the spiced ale
1 pinchground nutmeg, freshly grated
1 pinchground cloves

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Instructions

Make the pastry: mix the all-purpose flour and fine salt, rub in the cold unsalted butter until it looks like fine crumbs, then stir in the ice water with a knife until the dough clumps. Press into a disk, wrap and chill 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) while it chills.
Pack the quartered tart cooking apples into the deep pie dish, sprinkling the 75 g granulated sugar and lemon zest between the layers. Mound them slightly in the middle so they support the lid.
Roll the pastry about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick and 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than the dish. Dampen the rim of the dish, lay the pastry over the apples, press it onto the rim and trim. Cut a small steam hole in the center.
Brush the lid with the milk and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake 15 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until the pastry begins to color, then lower to 350°F (180°C) and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until the pastry is golden and a skewer slides easily through the apples.
While the pie bakes, make the spiced ale: warm the brown ale with the 30 g granulated sugar, cinnamon stick, ground nutmeg and ground cloves over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Keep it hot but do not let it boil.
When the pie comes out, carefully loosen and lift off the pastry lid in one piece and set it on a board. Remove the cinnamon stick and pour the hot spiced ale over the apples.
Cut the pastry lid into 6 wedges, set them back on top of the apples, and serve at once in shallow bowls.

Tips

Use a mild brown ale; strongly hopped pale ales turn bitter when heated with spice.
A rim of the dish dampened with water helps the lid stick so it does not shrink into the fruit.
Most of the alcohol stays in the ale because it is only warmed, so serve this to adults.
Contains alcohol: the ale is only warmed, so most of it remains.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make apple florentine pie?

Plan on 35 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 6 servings.

How should I store apple florentine pie?

Best eaten as soon as the ale goes in. Unsoaked baked pie keeps covered in the refrigerator for 2 days; rewarm at 325°F (160°C) for 15 minutes and add freshly heated ale.

Can I make apple florentine pie ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Apple Florentine was a Christmas pie in Potton and neighboring Bedfordshire villages, where the baked lid was lifted, hot spiced ale poured over the apples, and the pastry cut and set back on top. Serve it with the spiced ale itself, or a cup of black tea.

Variations

Orange-zest version: replace the lemon zest with 1 tbsp (6 g) finely grated orange zest and add a strip of orange peel to the spiced ale.
Alcohol-free version: warm 500 ml cloudy apple juice with the spices instead of ale and reduce the ale sugar to 10 g.
Individual pies: divide the apples among six 10-oz (300 ml) ovenproof dishes, top with pastry, and bake 15 minutes at 400°F (200°C) then 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F (180°C).

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 6 servings this recipe makes.

424 Calories / serving

14.3g Fat

66.4g Carbs

4.5g Protein

31.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (6 servings): ~2544 cal · 86g fat · 398g carbs · 27g protein · 187g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.