First Cook: If You Can’t Buy Happiness, Try Baking Helen Goh’s Very Good Apple Pie

Baking and psychology aren’t the most likely of pairs. But from Helen Goh, the marriage makes sense. After all, the Malaysian-born, Melbourne-raised, London-based Goh is a chef, author and psychologist.

Her professional baking career began in the ’90s, with the spur-of-the-moment opening of a cafe in Melbourne’s Hawthorn. A stint as a pastry chef at Donovans followed, before she packed up and moved to London, nestling into the Ottolenghi team to become the lead pastry developer. She combines her love for baking with a doctorate in psychology, which has led to her first solo cookbook: Baking and the Meaning of Life.

When I first flicked through, I knew instantly it was full of winners. If you have an occasion, Goh has the bake. It covers every corner: from savoury to sweet, simple to weekend project, neatly wrapped in 100 recipes. I would love to bake every single one of them – a rare thing with a new cookbook – but I lock in with the Very Good Apple Pie.

It comes from her chapter Nurturing, where Goh journeys through the “most selfless form of giving in which we expect no reciprocation”. I will admit: I needed some nurturing. There was one minor setback, a broken oven mid-bake – meaning a dried-out, cracked top and starting again from step one. But, armed with another armful of apples, round two felt smooth and comforting – supported by a recipe that’s clear and easy to follow.

This pie is brilliant. Unlike any I’ve made before. There was no mush in sight, just layers of sliced’n’spiced apples (a mix of red and green) in a very delicate, crumbly pastry. The pastry was a little fiddlier than my usual shortcrust, but the care was worth the effort as the finished product was light, golden and crisp – only just holding the pie together. Letting it cool is a must or you’ll be scooping it out from the tin, crumble-style, but even then I’m certain you’ll have zero complaints. With a big dollop of crème fraîche cutting through the tangy, sweet slice, it is, as promised, a very good apple pie.

In five years, I’m certain my copy of Baking and the Meaning of Life will be looking a little rough around the edges. Splattered with cake batter, littered with torn paper to mark the next bake, notes scribbled throughout. The way Goh makes sense of the world is all very clear: baking is an effort, in a good way. It’s nurturing (for others and yourself) and it’s a messy, creative outlet for you to express love and care. If you can’t buy happiness then why not give baking it a go? If you’re after a slice of joy, you’ll most definitely find it here.

Baking & The Meaning of Life by Helen Goh is available in bookshops across Australia.

Gemma Plunkett is a Sydney-based dinner party tragic and home cook who is a writer, content strategist and recipe developer. Find her (but mostly food) in pictures or in your inbox via her free newsletter Ding!