Caramel Apple Pie

It is always a good idea to make pie. However, there is an exception to every rule. In this case, it is NOT a good idea to make pie in 95 degree weather. I’m not sure what happened, but I had great intentions in making this pie.

This pie, however, did not want to be made! I started the pie early enough in the day, to beat the heat…plus I had the air conditioning on. That didn’t seem to matter. Normally, I don’t find too much difficulty in rolling out dough and getting it into the pie dish and stuff, the frustration always comes later when I’m trying to make the edges all beautiful and I seem to lack the skill to achieve that, yet. (Which is why I aim to make at least one pie a month!) [Editor’s note: Fine with me!]

What I failed to realize while I was trying to roll out the dough and fold it into the dish was that I was concentrating so hard I didn’t see that Grace had opened the sliding glass door when she went to take her rabbit outside and forgot to shut it behind her, therefore letting all of my cool air outside and letting all of the hot air in…which was melting my dough.

After my bout of nearly crying, I retrieved my last bit of pie dough out of my freezer that I always keep on hand, and proceeded to roll it out and pray that this dough would cooperate. It did, and I jumped for joy! And let me tell you, this pie…it was worth all of the hard work and the mental breakdown I nearly had. I think that this pie is also going to be a must on my Thanksgiving table this year. I’m just not sure I can live without it, now that I’ve had it.

Caramel Apple Pie
Sourced from Williams-Sonoma
A flaky pie crust that’s filled with spiced apples and laced with a velvety caramel sauce that is sure to impress!

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Bake Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, plus cooling

Ingredients
2 rolled out pie crusts, fit for a deep dish piecrust
4 lbs granny smith apples, peeled and cored and cut into 8 slices
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 TB. lemon juice
3 TB cornstarch

For the Caramel:
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
6 TB unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 egg white, beaten with 1 tsp water
2 tsp granulated sugar

Directions

1. Transfer 1 dough round to a 9 inch deep-dish pie dish and gently press into the dish. Trim the edges flush with the rim. *Optional, re-roll the dough scraps and cut out shapes using decorative pie cutters. Refrigerate the pie shell, cutouts, and remaining dough round for 30 minutes. 
2. To prepare the apples, in a large dutch oven over medium heat, stir together the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender, 10-20 minutes. Uncover and let cool to room temperature. Stir in cornstarch. 
3. To prepare the caramel, in a heavy 4 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Cook until the mixture is bubbling vigorously, about 9 minutes, stirring only during the first few minutes of cooking. Turn off the heat and carefully stir in 1/4 cup of the cream. Then stir in the remaining 1/4 cup cream. Let cool until just warm. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
4. Allow the pie shell, cutouts, and dough round stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the apple mixture and 3/4 cup of the caramel; reserve the remaining caramel for serving. Pour the apple filling into the pie shell and place the top crust over the pie. Trim the edges, and crimp the edges and press the top and bottom pie crusts together. Brush the underside of the cutouts with egg wash and gently arrange them on the pie. Brush the entire top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. 
5. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour; check the pie after 30 minutes and cover the top and edges with foil to prevent burning. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 1/2 hours before serving. Warm the reserved caramel sauce and serve alongside the pie for drizzling.