Now that Christmas is around the corner

 

I'll get around to posting on my Thanksgiving Pies.  It's been said that I go a bit overboard.  I like to think of it as artistic expression.  I think those of you who know me well will find it not the least bit surprising that we have almost as many pies or more as guests each year.  This year I did try to scale it back, making only six pies of my own.  Wendy made a chocolate cream and her in-laws made a pumpkin.  In the spirit of my experimentation this year, I'll report my findings one pie at a time.

 

I'll start with the apple.  This pie is a bit non-traditional.  It is a deep dish caramel apple pie.   Here is the recipe:

 

Make a double crust and line a deep dish pie plate.

Thinly slice eight apples--gala work well for this pie.  Following the advice of the Internet recipe, I left the peels on for nutrition and color, but would remove them next time.  Mix 1/4 cup of flour and some cinnamon together, pour over apple slices and stir to coat.

Assemble the pie as desired (I think my wide weave looks attractive here). 

In a medium saucepan, combine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cream

Bring to a boil and pour over assembled pie, being sure to coat the top crust well. (Note:  I will double the caramel sauce next time.  I would have liked more).

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for 35-40 more minutes.  I used the crust saver gadget from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and thought it did a wonderful job of protecting the crust from getting burnt. 

It was a good pie, and with the changes noted above, I think it will be exceptionally so next time.