The pies have it!

NORWEGIAN APPLE CAKE

Ingredients

2 eggs
225g caster sugar
100g butter
150ml full cream milk (gold top, or the top of a bottle of silver top)
175g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cooking apples

Method
Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 5. Grease and line a 25cm springform cake tin with greaseproof paper
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and 200g sugar together until thick, creamy and the whisk leaves a trail when it is lifted.
Place the butter and milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add this to the egg and sugar mixture, mixing to combine to a smooth batter.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into the batter, folding it in carefully using a metal spoon. Pour batter into the cake tin.
Core, quarter, peel (if you wish) and slice the apples and arrange over the batter.
Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and bake for 20-25 mins until risen and golden.
Serve warm with cream, or cool with a cuppa.

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil 
2 tbsp butter
2 onions, chopped
90g button mushrooms, halved
200g lamb kidney, diced
600g braising steak, trimmed and cut into 1cm cubes
1-2 tbsp plain flour
salt and pepper
leaves from 3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
600ml beef stock
beaten egg to glaze

For the pastry
200g plain flour
100g butter, diced
pinch salt
1-2 tbsp water

Method
For the filling:
Gently heat 1 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp butter in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook until caramelised. Remove and set aside.
Add the mushrooms to the same pan, brown, remove from the pan, and set aside. 
Add the kidney to the pan, adding a little more oil and butter if necessary, sear on all sides, remove and set aside.
Place the beef in a plastic bag, add 1-2 tbsp flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper and toss until coated. Shake off excess. Add oil and butter to the pan and brown the beef all over.
Put the onions, mushrooms and kidney back in the pan, add the stock, thyme and a bay leaf, stir and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, and cover and simmer for 1½ hours until the beef is tender and the gravy has thickened. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
For the pastry: Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add salt and cold water and mix with your hands to make a dough. Roughly shape into an oval. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 mins before use.
Make the pie: When the meat is completely cool, skim off any fat which has come to the top, then place in a pie dish (do not overfill – reserve left-over gravy to serve with the pie).
Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6. Roll out pastry, top the pie, make two slashes in the pie lid and glaze with beaten egg. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20-25mins until golden. Turn the heat down to 170C/Gas 5 and bake for a further 15-20 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 20 mins before serving with vegetables and gravy.