caramel apple pie.

I've found my perfect apple pie recipe (just in time for Turkey Day).  

This is not an apple pie for the faint of heart (3 1/2 pounds of apples are involved!).  It's a multi-day (though fairly hands-off ) affair.  But my god is this good.  It is the everything you think of when you think of apple pie and more.  Layer after layer of thinly sliced apples are enveloped in a apple-y caramel sauce.   (I can't explain the magic that creates this caramel sauce but it is magic.)   The crust is crisp, the apples are fork tender, and the cranberries add a burst of tartness that works well with the sweet caramel sauce.   

If you make this for Thanksgiving you will be hailed a hero.   

Caramel Apple Pie 
Recipe from Tara O'Brady

I'm pasting the recipe here so you can see it as written but I make a couple of changes.  I added in about a cup of fresh cranberries since I had some on hand and thought the tartness would pair nicely with the caramel apples.  This was an excellent idea.  I decided to add a crumble topping to my pie rather then a traditional double layer.  This is personal preference!   

For the Pie 

Juice from ½ lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
3½ pounds (1.5 kg) apples
½ cup (90 g) packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
60 gratings fresh nutmeg, or ¼ teaspoon ground
Flour, for dusting
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Coarse sugar, such as Demerara, coarse Turbinado, or sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Pie Doug (recipe below) 

Lightly butter a 9-inch (23 cm) pie pan and set aside. Squeeze the lemon juice into a large, nonreactive bowl. Peel, core, and cut the apples into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices, adding them to the bowl as soon as they are cut. Turn the apples in the lemon juice now and again while you work. Toss the apples with the sugars and salt. Cover and leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, or refrigerate overnight. Stir whenever you remember to do so. If you haven’t already, this is a good time to make the pastry. (Instructions below.)

Set a colander over a large heavy pot. Turn the apples into the colander and let them drain completely. Flip the apples back into their bowl and pour the juice into a liquid measuring cup, taking note of the amount. Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Let it brown, swirling occasionally. Add the drained apple liquid and bring to a boil without stirring. Reduce the liquid to ½ cup (120 ml).
Toss the apples with the cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg, until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour the reduced juices over the top and fold to combine. Set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll half the dough out to a 12-inch (30.5 cm) round. Drape the dough over the prepared pan and gently ease into place, snug against the bottom and overhanging at the rim. Fill tightly with the apples and the juice, mounding the fruit toward the center. Place in the fridge. Roll out the remaining dough to a 12-inch (30.5 cm) round and either cut into strips for lattice or leave as is. Retrieve the pastry shell from the fridge. Brush the edge of the lower crust with beaten egg, reserving any remaining egg. Place the top crust over the filling, or weave the lattice directly on top of the filling. Press the top and bottom crusts together to seal, then crimp or decorate. Pop the whole pie in the freezer for 15 minutes.

While the pie chills, preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Brush the chilled pastry with the remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar. For solid-top crusts, cut steam vents with either a knife or a small cookie cutter. Set the pie on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the juices are bubbling and the apples succumb to the tip of a knife, 50 minutes or so. If the crust browns too quickly, protect it with a layer of foil.

Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 1½ hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pie Dough

Makes enough for 2 pie shells or 1 double-crust pie, each 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter

2¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (for sweet crusts only)
1 teaspoon medium-grain kosher salt
1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into large cubes
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Ice water

In a large, wide bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar and salt. Scatter the butter over the flour. With the pads of your fingers, squish each cube of butter into thin cakes, in a motion similar to dealing cards off the top of a deck. Toss the butter into the dry ingredients as it is flattened, so that it is kept coated on all sides. Once all the butter has been squashed, chill the mixture for 30 minutes.

Stir the egg yolk with the vinegar in a 1-cup (240 ml) liquid measure, then add enough ice water to make ¼ cup (60 ml) total. Drizzle the liquids over the flour and butter mixture, then, with a butter knife, start stirring the wet into the dry. After a few stirs, abandon the knife and use your hands or a spatula to pick up stray flour and press it into the damp pockets of dough. Continue collecting the dough together in this way, pushing and smearing the mass against the bowl. This will not only incorporate the flour but also create long sheets of fat within the dough in a lazy-person’s version of fraisage, a classic pastry technique. If the dough seems dry, stingily drip in more ice water as needed. Once the lion’s share of the our is incorporated, fold the dough onto itself a few times, trapping any remaining our in the folds. Cautiously pat out the dough in between each fold, and shift the bowl a quarter turn so that the dough isn’t always folded the same way. The dough should be together, albeit raggedly, with visible pieces of butter.

Tip the dough onto a work surface and shape into a round. Wrap with plastic wrap. Once sealed, press firmly, so that the film is good and tight and the dough looks like it could burst from its wrapping. I feel this binding helps the dough in the end, encouraging the dry ingredients to fully absorb the wet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Lightly flour a work surface, a rolling pin, and both sides of the unwrapped dough. Roll the dough into a long rectangle. Dust off the excess flour and fold into thirds, like a business letter. Turn the package 90 degrees and roll out again, flouring the board, rolling pin, and dough as needed. Brush away loose flour, then fold as before. If ever the dough gets too warm, cover and chill before proceeding. Turn the package a final time and roll the dough into a rectangle double the length of its width and cut in two. Shape the pieces into rounds, wrap snugly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. For frozen dough, defrost in the fridge before using.

Whole Wheat Variation: Up to about ¾ cup (85 g) whole wheat flour can be swapped in for the same amount of white, though the crust will not be as flaky. Use whole wheat pastry flour if you can.