Salted Caramel Apple Pie

A few years ago I took a Sur la Table class called "Take and Bake Pies" for Thanksgiving.  I absolutely loved the recipe for this salted caramel apple pie and you will too!  This is a great recipe to make with kids.  Sometimes as parents we don't realize what our kids are actually capable of doing unless we let them try.  Children also have more desire to try new things if they had a part in making it.

My son had a blast making the leaves, 

peeling the apples, 

mixing the caramel and pouring the mixture into the pie.

And then with the left over dough and apple peels and cores he decided to make a "penguin snowman and his fish".

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients
My Pie Crust Recipe

Salted Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp corn syrup
3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt

Crumble Topping:
1 Cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Apple Pie:
1 pie crust (above)
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
2 gala apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Salted caramel sauce (above)
Crumble topping (above)

Directions:
For the caramel sauce: in a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. Use the pastry brush to wash down an sugar crystals on the side of the ban to avoid the caramel from crystalizing.  Boil the liquid until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 4 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream.   The mixture will bubble up furiously.  (Don't panic.) Gently stir in the butter and salt.  To finish, pour the caramel in to a container and allow to cool.

For the crumble topping: combine the dry ingredients and stir to mix well.  Stir in the melted butter and mix to form crumbles.  Set aside.

For the apple pie: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl combine the sugar and flour and toss with apples.  Pour half of the prepared caramel sauce over the apples and stir well.

Arrange the leaf border after laying down one 9-inch pie crust.  Add the apples to the pie crust and cover with topping.  Use your hands to press down the topping all over the apples evenly, forming a compact crust.  Insert a pairing knife in the center through the topping to allow steam to escape.  (Do not slice the pastry!)

Place the prepared pie onto the hot baking sheet and bake until the pie is brown and the juices are bubbles, about 1-1 1/2 hours.  (If the pie browns too soon, cover it with foil.)  Cool to room temperature, slice, and drizzle with remaining caramel sauce.

Maple Apple Upside-down Cake

It was time for the annual "Friendsgiving" Potluck and this was my contribution!  So good, so moist, so seasonal.   At this time Pink Lady apples are in season and they are delicious.  I know most people say to only use Granny Smith however I like to use a blend.  Different apples give you different flavors and I like using what is ripe.  It's true that Granny Smith are the best to hold up to baking at high temperatures but they are also very tart.  Providing a mixture of apples gives your product a better taste and something special by being seasonal and local to your region.


Maple Apple Upside-down Cake Recipe

Barely adapted from Food and Wine

1 cup pure maple syrup

2 Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored, cut
1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into eighths
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan. In a large saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until very thick and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Pour the thickened syrup into the cake pan. Arrange the apples in the pan in 2 concentric circles, overlapping them slightly.
In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a glass measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk and vanilla. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the dry and wet ingredients in 3 alternating batches until the batter is smooth; scrape down the side of the bowl.
Scrape the batter over the apples and spread it in an even layer. Bake the cake for 1 1/2 hours, until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for 45 minutes.
Place a plate on top of the cake and invert the cake onto the plate; tap lightly to release the cake. Remove the pan. Let the cake cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve with ice cream.

Rustic and Sweet

Apple Galette

Tender sweet apples en-robed in buttery, flaky pastry dough.  What more could you ask for?

Stress relief tip of the day:

Physical activity plays a key role in preventing the effects of stress.  Make time for at least thirty minutes of exercise three times a week.  Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing stress and tension.

Apple Galette Recipe

Ingredients


Flaky pastry dough:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3-4 tbsp of ice water, plus more if needed


Filling:
3 large firm granny smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp of sugar


Directions


In the bowl of a food processor, combine the four, sugar, salt and pulse to blend.  Add the butter and pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal with butter pieces no larger than small peas.  Add the 3 tbsp water through the feed tube, pulsing once after each addition and adding just enough to make a crumbly dough.  (It will not hold together on its own but will when gather into a ball with your hands.)  If the dough is dry, mix in more water 1 tbsp at a time.


Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Lightly flour the surface and roll out the disk to about 10 inches and about 1/8 inch thick.  (tip: dough can be made ahead and frozen for up to two months.)


Lay the apple slices close together, starting from the middle and working your way out.  Leave a one inch border of dough uncovered along the edge.  fold the edge of the dough up and over the apples, pleating the dough loosely all around the edge and leaning the galette uncovered in the center.  Dot the apples with butter and sprinkle with the sugar.


Measure the circumference of the galette and cut a strip of aluminum foil about 2 inches long and 3 inches wide.  Wrap the foil strip around the edge of the galette and secure the ends by folding them together.  (this will keep the dough from unfolding)  Refrigerate the galette on the baking sheet until the dough is firm 20-30 minutes. 


Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Bake the galette for 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a knife, 30-40 minutes longer.  Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the galette cool until slightly warm or room temperature before serving. 




Adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Baking Book