Salted Caramel Apple Pie
Whatever pie dough recipe you use, you’ll want a double-crust amount > one for the shell base and one for the lattice/detail work on top. I happened to have two pie doughs in my freezer I’d saved from the recipe I usually make, which was perfect for this. A great pie dough recipe I always come back to can be found here.
Thinly sliced apples are tossed with all the usual suspects: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, and something special... Bitters! Yes... the same bitters that go into your beverages are in this apple pie. I was skeptical too, but it added this amazing depth of flavor. Not quite sour, not quite earthy... you just have to take my word for it. You want it in there.
This pie wouldn't be complete without homemade salted caramel. I used Kerry Gold Irish butter for this recipe and was more than tickled with the result. I did throw in a dash more kosher salt because I love how it really kicks things into high gear. Makes a huge impression.
Salted Caramel Apple Pie
Recipe inspired by Four and Twenty Blackbirds and Joy the Baker
THE PIE DOUGH
1 recipe for a double crust pie dough (use your favorite, or use mine)
THE SALTED CARAMEL
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon corn syrup
6 tablespoons salted butter (I used Kerry Gold Irish butter), cut into pats
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
THE APPLE FILLING
5-6 large apples (I used Granny Smith, but any tart apple would work well)
juice of 4-5 lemons
1/3 cup turbinado (raw) sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
THE REST
1 egg, beaten
raw sugar (for sprinkling)
1 teaspoon flake salt (I used Portuguese cream salt, but a kosher or even sea salt would be great here too)
THE DOUGH
Have a 10-inch pie plate out and ready before rolling out the dough. Make sure each half of your pie dough has been wrapped in plastic and had time to chill for 1 hour. Once chilled, remove the first half from the fridge and roll out on a lightly-floured surface into a 12 inch circle. Place this first round into the waiting pie plate, pressing gently into the corners and letting the edge hang over. Fold over the excess edges all the way around, allowing for about a 1 inch overhang (which will shrink when baked) and press into whatever crimped edge you like, all the way around. Chill in the fridge while you begin to work with the second half of the chilling pie dough.
Unwrap the second pie dough half and roll out into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle. Cut into eight 1-inch wide x 12-inch long, even strips. With the remaining dough, cut out shapes - leaves, hearts, stars, circles, whatever you want. Lay out the lattice and detail pieces on waxed paper and carefully place into the fridge to chill while you prepare the salted caramel.
THE SALTED CARAMEL
Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in the pan as it begins to heat up. Whisk the sugar occssionally as it starts to heat and break down. This ensures even cooking.
Continue to cook the sugar mixture, whisking more frequently as it bubbles. It will start to look a little dry and have an odd, matte finish with bubble underneath - this is normal. Keep whisking. Continue to cook and whisk until the mixture turns to a nice deep copper color. Make sure not to take your eyes off it, as sugar can easily go from light to dark copper in a matter of seconds. Once you’ve reached the color of a new penny, remove the pot from the heat but don’t turn the heat off yet.
Add the butter, all at once, and whisk into the copper-colored sugar. Reduce the heat on the burner to medium low and place the pot back on as you continue to whisk, butter melting and becoming smooth again. As soon as the butter has completely has melted, pour in the cream - it will bubble and froth, but just keep whisking! Once the bubbling has subsided, add the vanilla extract and salt. Whisk again. The caramel may seem thin - not to worry - it will thicken as it cools. Remove from the heat and pour into a glass container immediately. Refrigerate until ready to use.
THE APPLE FILLING
While the caramel cools, peel and core the apples. Using a mandolin or a chef’s knife, thinly slice the apples one at a time and place in a large mixing bowl. To ensure our apples will be evenly coated in lemon juice to prevent browning, alternate between peeling/slicking an apple and squeezing the juice from each of the lemons. Essentially, the cadence should be: Peel, core, slice, place in bowl, squeeze 1 lemon’s worth of juice over the apple slice, repeat with the next apple and next lemon. Once all apples and lemons have been processed like this, mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula to ensure all slices are covered in the acid. After a few minutes, drain in a colander, discard the lemon juice, and put the drained apples slices back into the bowl. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ at this point.
In a small bowl, mix together the pie seasonings, including the bitters, with a fork. Toss with the drained apple slices to coat evenly.
THE ASSEMBLY
Remove the chilled and prepared pie plate from the fridge. Layer 1/3 of the apple slices into the bottom of the pan, taking care to fill in any holes with more apple slices. Drizzle 1/3 of the cooled caramel over the apples. Repeat a second time. Add the third layer of apple slices over the caramel.
Remove the lattice strips and detail pieces from the refrigerator and create a lattice pattern on the top of the apples. Trim off any excess and pinch/press the edges of the crust all the way around.
Whisk the egg with a splash of water in a small bowl and have near your pie place. If the lattice work isn’t sticking to the edge of your pie shell, use a little bit of this mixture on your fingertip as “glue”. Continue to use a little of the egg and water mixture to stick down your decorative pieces. Once your entire pie crust has been decorated, gently brush the exposed dough with a light amount of the egg wash.
Top the lattice work with the last third of the caramel. Sprinkle the pie with a little raw sugar and a pinch of the finishing the salt.
Place the pie on a large rimmed cookie sheet to catch any bubbling caramel (which may or may not happen - but it’s good “insurance”). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven’s temperature to 325℉ and bake for 25 - 35 minutes more, or until golden, bubbly, and the apples are fork-tender. If the edges begin to brown before the apples are cooked through, cover them with a ring of foil and continue to bake in the upper third of the oven. Once cooked through, remove and let cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve!