5 Pound Caramel Apple Pie

I finally have the second part to my pie video up! If you recall the last video, I made enough pie dough for 2 double crusted pies. Well here I show you how to make the caramel apple filling for my favorite 5 Pound Caramel Apple Pie. This time I made a crumble topping for the pie but I think I'll make it a double crusted pie next time. Just can't get enough of that buttery crust!



5 Pound Caramel Apple Pie
Makes 1 9" deep dish pie

• 1 ball of pie dough

Filling

• 2.5 pounds tart apples
• 2.5 pounds sweet apples
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Caramel

• 3 tbl sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• a few dashes of nutmeg
• 2 tbl butter

Crumble Topping

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbl butter, melted

Start out by peeling, coring and slicing your apples into same sized slices. I think I cut my apples in sixes unless they were small and I just quartered them. In a large dutch over combine the apples, sugars, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Put over a medium flame and stir to combine. Let the apples simmer, occasionally stirring very gently, until they are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove pie dough from fridge to allow it about 10 minutes to warm. Place a colander over a large bowl and empty the apples into the colander. Let cool. 

Place the juice released by the apples into a small pot over a medium flame. Add sugar and keep stirring the juice until it becomes very thick and syrupy. remove from heat and add spices and butter. Stir to melt an incorporate the butter. 

Now is a good time to roll our your dough. Place the dough disk between two sheets of parchment and roll it out, making sure to rotate the dough for an even thickness. Roll the dough until it is 1.5-2 inches larger than your pie dish. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and use the bottom layer to maneuver your dough into the pie dish, with the remaining parchment now on top. If you cannot remove the parchment without breaking the dough, put everything back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. Once the dough is in the pie dish and you've removed the parchment paper, tuck the dough into the corners of the dish. If your apples still aren't quite cool, crimp the edges of your dough: If you have a lot of overhand, fold the dough under and tuck the excess into the pie dish. I'm not going to try to explain, crimping- just watch the video! I use my index and thumb to shape the dough- but do what works for you! maybe you just want to crimp with the tines of a fork- go for it. No one will care because you made them pie!!  If you're still working on your caramel sauce or your apples aren't quite cool, put your finished pie dough back into the fridge.

Preheat oven to 425 degree. Place a baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven.

If making the crumble, combine the sugar, flour, oatmeal, 1 egg and pinch of salt into a medium bowl and mix to combine. 

Once you've got all your component together (pie crust, filling, caramel sauce, crumble topping) it is time to assemble! Place about 1/2 your apples in the crust and top with 1/2 the caramel sauce. Add the other half of the apples and the other half of the caramel sauce on top of that. You're probably going to have to be careful about adding those apples but they will fit! Top the whole thing off with the crumble topping.

Bake your pie on the preheated baking sheet for 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until everything looks brown and crispy. If for some reason your pie doesn't turn beautiful and golden, turn your broiler on for about 2 minutes. Watch that pie!!

Let your pie cool for about 2 hours before serving.

Pie Dough!

I got this crazy idea over the summer that I was going to perfect my pie making skills. Let me re-phrase that- I had this crazy idea that I would acquire some pie making skills. The Virginia State Fair is this week and I was going to enter a pie. I spent several months getting ready for the fair. I made all sorts of pies: peaches and dream pie, deep dish apple pie, pie dough made with water, pie dough made with vodka, pie with crumble topping, pie with streussel topping, cold pie, warm pie, blueberry pie, fancy cut crust pie, mixed berry pie, apple pear and pecan pie and the winner: 5 Pound Caramel Apple Pie. Apple pie was my front runner for a while but would I dare compete in such an iconic category? I thought my pie was up to the task. Unfortunately I found out too late that I was meant to register in advance. Well damn. But I've pretty much perfected my pie dough and that is what I am here to share with you today. Don't let my perseverance and ultimate oversight go to waste! Everybody- Make Pie! It's the fall, after all!

Pie Dough
Makes enough dough for 2 double crusted pies

• 18 oz Flour
• 13 oz Butter
• Pinch of Salt
• 8-10 Tbls ice cold water

Measure out the flour and the butter. Place the butter in a food processor and top it off with the flour and salt. Pulse about 20 times, until the mixture looks like sand. Place the mixture into the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add 5 tablespoons of ice water and then turn the machine on low, continue adding the water until the dough comes together. The dough will probably need about 20-30 seconds in the mixer. Turn the dough out onto a cold surface and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and flatten it down into a 4 inch disk. Wrap each disk very tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough can stay in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

Here are some of those pies:

Peach Crumble Pie

 Wild Blueberry Pie (with anemic crust....)

Deep Dish Apple Pie

5 Pound Apple Crumble Pie

Blueberry and Plum Pie

Peaches and Dream Pie

Apple, Pear & Pecan Pie

5 Pound Caramel Apple Pie (split into 2 pie dishes...)

Slice of Apple Crumble Pie

Wien- The Cultural Tour

Oh what to say of my Anniversary weekend in Vienna... Well I got really sick. My fancy and expensive celebration meal seems to have brought about sharp hint of food poisoning to my saturday night slumber while Kris managed to get tonsillitis. Nevertheless, we were completely enchanted by this perfect little city.

One of the first places we visited was the highly recommended Cafe Sperl which has the unfortunate (and now secret) fame of being Hitler's favorite haunt as a young chap.
As the entire menu was in German, we had what we assumed was the "Cafe Sperl Breakfast Special" which for about 7 euros got us a pot of coffee with some warm milk, sugar, a basket of rolls and some very good jam. Kris got a slightly too sweet strawberry while I got lucky with delicious orange marmalade.
Café Sperl
Gumpendorfer Straße 11
A - 1060 Wien

Next we walked on over to the seriously awesome Natural History Museum. I don't think this museum has been updated since about 1897 but therein lies its charm. Each room is filled to the brim with stuffed animals, rocks, minerals and other weird and wonderful things.
I would highly recommend the Naturhistorisches Museum. Apparently every child in Austria comes here at least once with their school. It was only 3.50 euros for us "students" and was really worth the walk around. The museum's pride and joy is the Woman of Willendorf, a little carved statue from the paleolithic era of some importance... and even though I studied it in college I couldn't tell you what that importance actually is... There's also the gorgeous Nautilus Cafe set in the middle of the museum surrounded by some pretty intense architecture. They offer pastries, loads of Japanese ice tea and a pretty kick ass Goulash
Naturhistorisches Museum
Burgring 7
A- 1010 Wien

I can't imagine a more impressive library than the Nationalbibliothek. It's straight out of a Disney movie. You expect the statues and globes to start dancing and singing at any moment. But I have to say that the woman selling tickets definitely gave us the evil eye when we flashed our US college ID's for the slight discount... mean old bat...

The Österreichische Nationalbibliothek
1, Josefplatz 1
A - 1060 Wien


So I don't really like chocolate cake. Yes i know- please don't hate me. But it's usually too rich, too dry or too gooey or just plain headache inducingly sweet. But the famous sachertorte from the Sacher Hotel is just about perfect. Based on a secret recipe developed in 1832, the sachertorte is a moist chocolate cake with an apricot glaze topped with a crispy melt in your mouth chocolate ganache. This 36 step cake should be enjoyed with a simple hot chocolate.
The Sacher Hotel
Philharmonikerstraße 4,
A-1010 Wien

The Morning training session of the Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish riding school was adorable. And i don't meant to sound condescending, but I don't get to see horses everyday and these ones were so full of character. Apparently they're born black and then turn white with age which makes for really cute fowls and, as Kris informed me, provides a wonderful metaphor for this inspiring dialogue from the movie "Crimson Tide":

Capt. Ramsey: Speaking of horses did you ever see those Lipizzaner stallions.

Hunter: What?

Capt. Ramsey: From Portugal. The Lipizzaner stallions. The most highly trained horses in the world. They're all white?

Hunter: Yes, sir.

Capt. Ramsey: "Yes, sir" you're aware they're all white or "Yes, sir" you've seen them?

Hunter: Yes, sir I've seen them. Yes, sir I was aware that they're are all white. They are not from Portugal; they're from Spain and at birth, they're not white; they're black. Sir.

The Spanish Riding School
1, Michaelerplatz, 1
A- 1010 Wien

On the next edition of the Flying Quiche in Wien: The Third Man, a cry in the night and walking through graves .... stay tuned!

But first- a completely illegal video from inside- so cute!