Apple Triangles

These triangles are a neat alternative to apple pie and can be eaten with your fingers. Try different fillings such as rhubarb or add a few blackberries or raspberries to the apples.

Ingredients

3 medium eating apples e.g. Cox’s OR Pink Lady (approx. 600g)
2 x 15ml spoons water
½ x 5ml spoon cinnamon OR mixed spice
½ x 15ml spoon soft brown sugar
25g raisins or sultanas (optional)
50g butter
1 x 270g packet filo pastry (6 sheets)

Equipment

Weighing scales
Peeler
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Grater
Measuring spoons
Dinner plate
Knife
Small saucepan
Pastry brush
Baking tray x 2
Pan stands x 2
Oven gloves
Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan or gas mark 6.
2. Peel, core and chop one of the apples into small chunks, then put these into the medium saucepan.
3. Add the water, cinnamon and raisins/sultanas (if using) to the apples and stir.
4. Cook the chopped apples over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
5. Grate the remaining two apples and add to the pan of chopped apple. Cook for a further 10 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated.
6. Remove the apple mixture from the heat and tip it onto the plate to cool.
7. While the apple is cooking, weigh out the butter and melt it in the small pan over a low heat.
8. Lightly grease the baking trays using the pastry brush and a little of the melted butter.
9. On a clean, dry working surface, spread out the filo pastry. Keeping all the sheets on top of each other, cut them in thirds lengthways to make 18 thin strips. Heap them on top of each other.
10. Assemble the triangles: take one strip from the pile and brush it lightly with the melted butter. Cover the remaining filo pastry sheets with a damp tea towel until you are ready to use them to prevent them drying out.
11. Place 1 x 15ml spoon of the apple mixture about 2cm from the end of the strip. Lift one pastry corner over the apple, and fold over the end of the pastry at 45 degrees, so the folded-over end creates a triangle. Flatten it slightly with your fingers. Now keep folding over and over at 45 degrees all the way down the strip, to make a triangular parcel.
12. Place the parcel on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have used up all the filo strips.
13. Lightly brush the top of the triangles with melted butter.
14. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until crisp and golden. Place on a wire rack to cool. 

Warning – The filling stays very hot inside, please ensure that the filling has cooled down before eating.

Skills used include:
Weighing, measuring, peeling, chopping, grating, folding, melting and baking.

Top Tips

• Before you start, practise folding the triangles by using a piece of A4 paper cut into 3 strips (lengthways).
• Don’t be tempted to use more than 1 x 15ml spoon of filling, as it will burst out of the triangles during cooking.
• The recipe uses a whole pack of filo pastry, which doesn’t keep well once opened, so make the whole batch and pop some in the freezer. Then you can reheat a few when you want a quick bite of something sweet and fruity. Serve with natural yoghurt.

Something to try next time

• For a change you could swap the apples for pears. Use the same quantity and follow the rest of the recipe in the same way.
• Use ½ x 5ml spoon ginger instead of cinnamon/mixed spice.

Prepare now, eat later

• If you are not going to cook the apple straight away, put the chunks into a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice. This will stop them going brown.
• Prepare and cook the apple mixture up to the end of step 5. Place in the fridge for up to 2 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Buy the filo pastry in advance and keep in the freezer until needed.
• Cool the triangles and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost and warm through in an oven heated to 180°C/160°C fan or gas mark 4 for 5–10 minutes.