Salted Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie

So I’m back in the kitchen after a week away, and I’m actually having a challenge getting back into the swing of things. 

We were in Muskoka, Ontario, for a family getaway last week.  It was all of us in Jim’s immediate family in a cabin, about 2 1/2 hours north of Toronto.  And it was such a needed time away.  Every day was a beauty, filled with autumn colours, rustling leaves, evening fires with marshmallows, boating and canoe-ing, even a bit of fishing (not me)   We had turkey dinner as a family (we try to get together for all the various anniversaries, and it happened to be ours while we were away.  So I had a good time in the kitchen.  Yes, while others read, watched movies, worked on puzzles, hiked or sat in front of the fire pit, I had fun in the kitchen.  We all have fun our own way, right!?

I couldn’t have asked for a better week away with everyone.  The colours were their absolute best.  The mornings were covered in a misty fog, the evenings included fires and scotch.  Blankets, scarves, blue skies, bluer water, and forests in all their glory.  Oh to have this season last longer.

A highlight of our time away was  visiting a cranberry farm.  We even got to hang out in a cranberry bog!  It was my first time wearing waders!  What a weird sensation as I entered the cold water filled  with bobbing cranberries.  And I learned so much.  Did you know that cranberries grow on vines, kind of low to the ground?  When it is time for harvesting, they flood the various fields (called bogs) with water.  This causes the berries, which have hollow chambers inside to float to the top.  This makes it easy for a ‘tooth picker’ machine to come along and grab the berries off the vines.  They are gathered together and finally sized and processed.  Then the fields are drained.  They stay this way until the winter, and then they get flooded again.  The ice helps keep the roots dormant till the next season.  What is fabulous about this cranberry farm, Johnston Cranberries, is that they are open all year round.  They take a ‘cranboni’ to clean the top layer of ice on all the fields, and then open up for skating in the winter.  Isn’t that a hoot!?

Please disregard the abhorent lack of makeup and attention to my hair.  I kinda got into cabin mode, let everything slide! ;D

Any way, I came home bearing heaps of cranberries. Can’t wait to start coming up with recipes for them.  But this blog post is about apples, so back to the apples.

Just before we had left on vacation, I had hosted another Pie Workshop.  I made up a batch of my Bacon Apple Cheddar Everything Breakfast Biscuits for snacking on, in honour of the theme of the pie. And what a success the day was.  All four ladies produced the most gorgeous looking pies (I think they were holding out on me- the talent was definitely evident!)  The recipe we made was a Salted Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie.  It’s really not that different from a classic apple pie.  Just pour caramel sauce over the apples before adding the top crust.  The reviews were a resounding YES!  And ones have asked for the recipe, so here it is.

You will need to make up a batch of my Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce first.  But is that really a bad thing?  I mean, it will get used up in so many different ways: over ice cream, cheesecake (see my Cheesecake with Bourbon Caramel and a Mesquite Walnut Crust) over sautéed fruit and waffles, the list goes on and on.  And then there is always the sneaking of spoonfuls when no one is looking!

Once you have it made, you can store it in the fridge.  Just pull the jar out to warm up before you want to use it.  

The apples for the pie: use whatever you have on hand.  I like using a mix of apples: some bake up softer than others, some retain their crunch, some are sweet and others are tart.  But put them all together in one pie, and it is perfection. Each one brings something to the party.

The crust of course is my Perfect Pie Crust.  I didn’t do anything to it.  No additions etc.  There is enough going on in the pie, that the crust doesn’t need to be busy as well.  And of course, you can design the top any way you like: full top with vents, lattice, cookie cut outs, or a combo of all of the above!  Bake till golden and bubbling.  The bubbling juices indicate that the starch will be activated enough to thicken the juices in the pie.

Just give yourself time to let the pie set properly.  You want all the juices and the caramel sauce to thicken properly, so that when you slice into it, there isn’t a puddle of filling left behind in the pie plate. Bake early in the morning if you want to serve it in the evening.  I usually bake my pies the day before I want to serve them, ensuring that the filling has settled nicely.

Hope you all are enjoying a most splendid autumn! 🙂

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

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Salted Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie

Classic Apple Pie with the added richness of salted bourbon caramel sauce.  This is autumn at its best!  Warm with ice cream melting into the nooks and crannies of a slice of this pie will make your tummy very happy!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Resting Time 4 hours

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 batch of my Perfect Pie Crust recipe can be made in advance, see notes for link
• 1/3 cup of my Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce can be made in advance, see notes for link

Pie Filling

• 6 cups apple slices you can use a variety of apples, approx 6-7 apples, peeled and cored, slice between 1/6 and 1/8 inch, or 3-5 mm
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup raw or granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 4 tbsp arrowroot powder or AP flour
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 1/4 tsp flaked sea salt
• 1 egg for egg wash
• demerara or raw sugar for finishing

Instructions

1. Prepare the pie crust, dividing into two disks. Take one disk and line a pie plate with it, as per the instructions in the Pie Crust recipe. This can return to the fridge to cool while you work on the apples. Prepare the second disk as you desire: lattice lengths, cookie cutter shapes, leaves, etc, or another round with vents. These can also go back into the fridge on a parchment lined baking sheet.

2. Place the sliced apples into a med-large bowl with the lemon juice and 3 tbsp granulated sugar. Let this sit for 10 minutes to draw out any juices. During this time remove the remaining pastry to allow it to come to room temperature.

3. In a large bowl combine the remaining sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, kosher salt and arrowroot starch. Whisk till blended.

4. Take the apple slices and transfer to the large bowl with the sugar spice mixture. Leave any juices behind in the first bowl. Combine the apples and sugar mixture, tossing to coat well.  Let this sit to continue drawing out juices from the apples, about 10 minutes.

5. Remove the pie shell and sprinkle the bottom with the ground almonds.
6. Tightly layer the apple slices over the almonds, covering every space and gap to ensure a tight filling. Mound it slightly higher in the middle.

7. Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the apples. Sprinkle the Maldon salt evenly over the sauce.

8. Cover the top as you have determined, with the prepared pastry. Crimp the edges as you desire.
9. Preheat the oven to 400F. Position the oven rack to the lower third. Return the pie to the fridge to cook while the oven warms up.

   When the temperature has been reached you can remove the pie to the counter.

10. Brush the pie with the egg wash (egg mixed with a little water) Sprinkle with demerara sugar and more flaked sea salt if desired. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake on the lower rack for 20-25 minutes till the pastry is set and beginning to brown.
11. Remove the pie, and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Reduce the heat to 375F.
12. Move the pie and baking sheet to the middle rack and bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling all over. Test the apples for doneness with a wood skewer. This should take another 30-35 minutes. If the apples seem too firm, cover the pastry loosely with aluminum foil and continue baking another 5 minutes or so. They should be tender but with a slight resistance.
13. Allow the pie to cool on a rack completely, at least 3 hours or more. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.
14. You can keep the pie in the fridge for 3 days, or at room temperature for 2 days.

Recipe Notes

Pie Pastry recipe here

Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce Recipe here