My September apple pie theme comes to an end, and I am practically speechless over this caramel apple pecan pie. I am a cream pie aficionado, but this gooey decadent concoction has me seriously considering my allegiance to my first love. It's a super sweet pie, and those with sweet teeth will certainly appreciate it. As store shelves are loading up on Halloween candy, it's a perfect time to pick up a few bags of caramels and give this pie a whirl.
The recipe is another of Ken Haedrich's with one slight alteration. I added more cornstarch to the filling to thicken it further. The golden delicious apples I used must have been extra juicy which warranted the extra cornstarch. Ken states that you may use another type of apple, but the Golden holds its shape well during baking. If you prefer, substitute 1 or 2 Granny Smiths or other tart apples in the recipe. Interestingly, as I plopped several golden apples into my shopping bag, the produce clerk bee-lined over to me and exclaimed what good pies the apples make as he had just baked one himself the day before. His assessment was spot on. The apples produced a phenomenal pie!
Serve the pie warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, and prepare to be wowed!
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold water
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, tossing it with the flour. With electric mixer on low speed, blend butter into the flour until you have what looks like coarse, damp meal. Turning the mixer on and off, add half of the water. Mix briefly on low speed. Add the remaining water, mixing slowly until the dough starts to form large clumps. Do not overmix.
Test the dough by squeezing some of it between your fingers. Add water, a teaspoon at a time, if the dough seems dry and not packable. Using your hands, pack the dough in a ball. Knead once or twice, then flatten into 3/4-inch thick disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for an hour before rolling.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert over a 9 1/2-inch pie pan, center, and peel off paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, sculpting the overhang into an upstanding ridge. Scatter the caramel pieces in the pie shell and place in freezer for 15 minutes while preparing the filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Filling:
7 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Golden Delicious apples
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the apples, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix well, then set aside for 5-10 minutes to juice. Mix the granulated sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Stir the mixture into the fruit along with the cinnamon and vanilla. Scrape the filling into the chilled pie shell, smoothing the fruit with your hands. Put the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the crumb topping.
Pecan Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Combine the flour, pecan halves, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse several times, chopping the nuts coarsely. Scatter the butter over the dry mixture and pulse the machine again until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a medium-size bowl and rub the mixture between your fingers to make damp, gravelly crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie, spreading them evenly over the surface with your hands. Tamp them down lightly. Return the pie to the oven, placing it so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any drips. Bake until the juices bubble thickly around the edge, 30-40 minutes. If necessary, cover the pie with loosely tented aluminum foil for that last 15 minutes to keep the top from getting too dark.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for about 1 hour.
While the pie is still warm - approaching the 1-hour mark - prepare the caramel.
Caramel and Garnish
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon water
30 caramels
Large handful of pecan halves
Combine the butter, water, and caramels in the top of a double boiler. Melt the caramels over, not in, barely simmering water. This may take 10 minutes or more. To facilitate the melting, press down on them as they start to soften and melt. When melted, whisk the mixture until it is smooth, then drizzle the caramel over the entire surface of the pie. Immediately press the pecan halves into the caramel in a random fashion. Let cool for another hour before serving.
Whenever I think of applesauce, I chuckle. Applesauce makes me think of my dearest friend from my military wife days, Erin Flores Dawley. I met her while our Marine husbands were stationed together at 3rd Recon Battalion in Okinawa, Japan. We instantly bonded after first meeting. Erin was of English descent with a penchant for Asian culture. I am of Asian descent with a love of all things British.
As our husbands spent many months in rigorous training, we spent many hours in conversation over a hot "cuppa" of perfectly brewed English tea. We planned exquisite tea parties that became weekly affairs. We dubbed ourselves the ladies of F.A.T. - Friday Afternoon Tea. That day became an oasis in my week, a day where I could connect and commiserate with dear friends while our husbands defended our freedoms in faraway war zones. I had a newborn and a toddler and was scared witless to have Joe fighting in the midst of Operation Desert Storm. The tea ladies became my family, my lifeline, my anchor, my escape during those uncertain times.
Being military wives in a foreign land, we all experienced the rich and diverse culture of Okinawa, Japan and the oftentimes hilarious encounters of being a military dependent in a foreign country. It was one of these encounters that Erin shared with me over tea that will be indelibly etched into my brain and will surface whenever applesauce is mentioned.
Erin's son, an infant at the time, was having tummy troubles. Erin took him to the base clinic and as anyone who has ever experienced socialized medicine can attest, you get what you get in terms of medical treatment. The doctor that tended to her son was a Chinese man with a thick accent. The way Erin described him, I envisioned a short man with buck teeth and a thick shock of jet black hair fringing his coke bottle lens glasses. After poking and prodding the infant and inquiring about his symptoms, he recommended that Erin feed him Epsom salts to relieve the gastrointestinal distress.
Erin stared at him in disbelief. "Epsom salts??", she exclaimed.
"No, no, no!" the doctor retorted in an exasperated tone, his buck teeth jutting, his shock of black bangs flinging over his glasses as he shook his head. "Not Epsom salts. Epsom salts!"
It finally dawned on Erin that the doctor was saying "applesauce", but in his thick Chinese accent, she was hearing "Epsom salts"!
We both had a good laugh and to this day every time applesauce is mentioned, I fondly think of Erin, our wonderful teas, the fun conversations and the heartwarming experiences we shared being military wives in the Land of the Rising Sun. This applesauce pie recipe is in her honor. And I halfway assume that the applesauce in it will quell any tummy troubles.
Just make sure not to substitute Epsom salts in the recipe.
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold water
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well by hand to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of small peas. Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces. Sprinkle half of the water over the mixture. Toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 1/2-2 tablespoons at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Dough made my hand often needs a bit more water. If necessary, add water 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the pastry can be packed.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball as you would pack a snowball. Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it is just slightly higher than the rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes and prepare filling.
Filling:
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups sweetened applesauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine the eggs, egg yolk, and sugars in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend the ingredients on medium speed until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Add all the remaining ingredients and beat again until evenly blended. Carefully pour the filling into the chilled pie shell.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until the filling is set, about 30 minutes more. Rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward, about 15 minutes before it is done. The pie's surface should have a flat finish, although the center will still be glossy. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool thoroughly. Cover with loosely tented foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
I'm three pies into my September apple pie theme and the further I research the amazing apple, the more I realize just how entrenched the apple is in American culture and how it symbolizes some of our country's strongest values. Health is reflected in the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". Education is the focus when we gift a teacher with a shiny red apple on the first day of school. Our core values of family and freedom ring true when we hear the saying "as American as the flag and apple pie".
However, it appears other countries are vying for a slice of apple pie goodness. There's German apple pie which incorporates cream into the filling. Swedish apple pie lacks a bottom crust but boasts a crunchy top crust. French apple pie has a traditional bottom crust with a nutty crumb topping. And the pie I shall feature next is a Dutch apple pie whose spicy filling is sprinkled with a scrumptious brown sugar streusel. I dubbed this pie a Double Dutch Deluxe because it's baked in a deep dish and is studded with dried cranberries, a wonderful complement to the spicy apple filling.
I used Chrystal's never-fail pie crust recipe. It makes four crusts which allowed me to freeze extra for future pies. I wrapped the extra pastry dough well. It thawed beautifully and baked to flaky perfection. As the pie baked, my whole house was filled with the autumnal scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. This pie would be a great contribution to a Labor Day picnic or a tailgate party, both all-American pastimes. So why not take a Dutch apple pie to serve, perhaps along with French vanilla ice cream? It would certainly be a delicious twist on an American tradition!
Chrystal's Never Fail Pie Crust (Makes 2 2-crust or 4 1-crust pies)
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cup shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup ice cold water
Mix flour, shortening, sugar and salt with a fork. Beat egg, vinegar and water together and add a little at a time to flour mixture (you may not use all the liquid). Use a fork or cut in with a wire dough cutter until the right consistency (flour clumps into pieces the size of small peas). Divide dough equally into four sections. Pat three sections into 3/4-inch discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for future pies.
Roll out the remaining dough section into a 13-inch circle between sheets of wax paper. Transfer to a 9 1/2 inch pie pan and refrigerate while preparing the filling. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
8 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons butter
Mix the sugars, cornstarch, salt and spices together in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine the apples and lemon juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixture evenly over the chilled pie shell. Arrange a single, compact layer of apples, flat side down, in the shell. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixture and some dried cranberries. Arrange a second layer of apples over the first and sprinkle with another tablespoon of the sugar mixture and more dried cranberries. Continue until all the apples, sugar mixture and cranberries have been used. Dot with 2 tablespoons of butter. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling but do not seal. Bake in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes and prepare streusel topping in the meantime.
Streusel Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup oats
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup butter
In medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, oats and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 35-40 minutes until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover pie loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.
It's September in Montana. Autumn is sneaking in on summer's turf, nudging it away. The sun seems tired, slipping into the horizon earlier each evening and hoisting itself into the sky later each morning. The trees, in response to the nippy air's bite and the waning sunlight, are donning garments of gold, orange, and vermillion. It's a melancholy time for me as I bid my favorite season adieu and swap sandals and sundresses for sweaters and scarves. But there is one thing about autumn that I adore.
Apples!
I'm fortunate to live in the region of the United States where apple orchards thrive and where I have access to countless varieties. As I began my research on apples, I discovered there are 7500 varieties worldwide. The United States grows 2,500 of these of which 100 are grown commercially. Some of them are perfect for eating out of hand, like the Fuji or Honeycrisp. Others are ideal for cooking, like the Cameo or Rome, or for cider making, like the Dabinett. And at the risk of sounding like an apple snob, there are apples that simply look pretty but offer little in flavor, texture or cooking utility, like the Red Delicious which is a misnomer, in my opinion.
The names of these countless varieties of apples are delightful. There are regal sounding names such as Edward II, King of Tompkins, and Lubsk Queen. There are foreign names such as Couer de Boeuf and Muscadet de Dieppe. Maybe on Sunday you can partake in the varieties with religious titles such as the Reverend Morgan, the Reverend Wilks, and the Revival. But perhaps you better steer clear of the Nonnetit Bastard and the Red Devil. For a feminine dose, try the Pink Pearl, the Pink Sparkle, or the Pink Princess. And temper those with their masculine counterparts, the Chieftain, Captain Kidd, and Cardinal Von Galen. Twist your tongue with the Red Bietigheimer, the Delbarestivale, or the Itzstedster Apfel. And indulge your inner Dr. Seuss with the Peasgood Nonsuch, the Fallawater Pippin, and the Goof.
Had I known the vast extent of apple varieties available and the great versatility of this ubiquitous fruit, I could have reached my goal of baking 50 pies using apples alone. Apples pair amazingly well with other fruits such as blueberries, pears, and cranberries. Applesauce and apple butter are also ideal ingredients for the pies. Apples also freeze well in pies and dehydrate beautifully to be enjoyed year round.
So to take advantage of the availability and versatility of the amazing apple, I will feature it in my next few pies. And I won't let Carl Sagan's words intimidate me. "To make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."
