Caramel Apple Pie

It’s November, so our pie series is BACK! Starting off with Harvest Fest’s third place winner🏅Caramel Apple Pie by Marie Miller.

• Sarah Golibart Gorman

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup chilled shortening

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter

• 5 tablespoons ice water (or more if needed)

Filling

• 7 cups mixed apples* (peeled and sliced)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 cup thickened apple cider (boil 1/2 cup apple cider on medium-high until it’s reduced to 1/4 cup)*

• 1/3 cup corn starch

• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 caramel topping

  *These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market

Method

1. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and shortening; blend until mixture resembles course meal. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

2. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and mix with fork until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry.

3. Gather dough together. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll one disk into a 9-inch circle and save the other for the top. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges to a 1-inch overhang. Fold the dough under and crimp the edges.

4. In a large bowl of water, toss apples with lemon juice. Let this mixture soak for 30 minutes. Drain excess liquid from the mixture and stir in thickened apple cider.

5. Combine the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and corn starch; add to apple mixture and toss to coat. Spread 1/4 cup of caramel topping over bottom of pastry shell; top with apple mixture. Use the other half of the crust for the top, crimp and vent pie.

6. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes uncovered. Cover the edges with foil; bake 30-40 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Cool on a wire rack.