SPICED CARAMEL APPLE PIE
Buttery Pastry Crust (see recipe)
1¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
5-6 Granny Smith apples or any tart apple, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
I never throw away a scrap of dough! Simply lay extras on the pie’s baking sheet, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar! Also, if your crust edges begin to darken, tent with foil to finish baking. For a glossy bakery crust, beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water, and brush over the crust before baking. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar!
In a medium saucepan, simmer brown sugar, salt, butter, pumpkin pie spice and apples for 10 minutes over medium heat until the apples begin to lose a bit of their crunch. (I love using pumpkin pie spice in apple pie—you get four or five sweet, warm spices in one ingredient!) Remove from heat, sprinkle flour over the apples and mix thoroughly.
Pour filling onto rolled bottom crust in pie dish. (To make the lattice, roll half of prepared crust into a 10×10-inch round pan, and slice into 8 strips.) Once pie is filled, lay 4 strips across the pie lengthwise, then make a 45-degree turn and lay the other 4 the opposite way. My photo shows a 90-degree turn but for the recipe’s sake you just make any old turn. No weaving—who’s got time for weaving? Use your fingers to pinch and crimp the edges of the lattice strips to edge the crust. Place pie on a lined baking sheet, and bake for about 50-60 minutes at 350°
