Florida Milk Blog

Now that summer is behind us, we can start focusing our energies on the lovely flavors of fall. Goodbye fresh berries and juicy stone fruits (for now) and Hello pumpkin, apples and everything caramel apples. This caramel apple pie is a celebration of one of my favorite fall flavors; caramel and apples!

Like all my favorite pies, this caramel apple pie starts with a buttery and flaky crust. The exception here is that the crust is enhanced with sharp cheddar cheese (I love using Cabot sharp cheddar cheese) adding a layer of flavor to the crust. This sharp cheddar resonates in every bite and pairs well with the spiced apple filling drizzled with a touch (or tons!) of caramel. Sweet, salty and perfectly tender apple filling is what makes this pie special.

If you make just one apple dessert this season, it has to be this pie. It’s worth every ounce of pie making troubles because the lovely combination of spiced apples and sharp cheddar with sweet and salty caramel is just remarkable. You have to try it!

Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

For Pie Crust

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 14 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ½ cup grated extra sharp cheddar, cold
• Ice cold water
• 1 egg, beaten
• Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

For the Filling

• 4 pounds apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced (I used a combination of Macintoshes, Galas and Cortlands)
• ? cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 14 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup caramel sauce and more for serving
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

To prepare crust

1. Prepare ½ cup ice-cold water and keep in fridge. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt. Add in half of the butter and pulse for 30 seconds. Add in the rest of butter and cheese and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Sprinkle about 6 tablespoons cold water over mixture and pulse until dough comes together in clumps. If dry, add a little bit more water (1 teaspoon at a time). Remove dough from processor and form into a disk. Divide dough into two disks; one slightly bigger than the other and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour.. The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 15-30 minutes before rolling out.
2. Roll out larger disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a large 12-inch circle. Fit into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish, crimping the edges into your desired style. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For filling:

1. While dough chills, prepare the filling. In a large dutch oven (or heavy bottomed saucepan), combine the apples, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and lemon juice. Toss together and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, mix in cornstarch and salt until well combined. Set aside as you prepare the dough.
2. Roll out the other disk of dough similarly into a 12-inch circle. Cut into strips to create a lattice top. The number of strips and size depends on the look you want. Set strips aside. (Alternatively, for a full covered pie, do not cut into strips. Leave the 12-inch circle whole).
3. Pile the apple filling into the crust; making sure it’s piled high in the center. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the filling. Create a lattice top by weaving the strips over the filling (or just cover with round 12-inch circle if make a full covered pie.). Crimp the edges to your desired look.
4. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Place pie dish onto a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and pie crust is golden. Check pie at 30 minutes to see if edges are browning too quickly. If they are, cover loosely with foil and continue baking. Remove pie once done and let cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.