Caramel Apple Pie

This is my go to apple pie recipe, the combination of the caramel sauce  and streusel topping is just fabulous and baking the pie in Convection  gives amazing texture to the apples. There are a few steps to making this  pie, however the results are definitely worth the effort.  If you are  short on time use a prepared crust.

Ingredients

Pastry

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Pinch of Kosher salt

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, very chilled, cut into small pieces.

¼ cup ice water

Streusel Topping

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4 tbsps dark brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp Kosher salt

4 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Mix all the ingredients except the butter in a small  bowl and stir to combine.  Rub the butter in with your fingertips until  the mixture begins to form clumps.  The topping can be made in advance  and refrigerated.

Caramel Sauce

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

¼ cup water

3 tbsp unsalted butter

Apples

6 Granny Smith or your favorite pie apple, peeled, and cored and cut into ½” thick wedges.

3 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

Preparation

Directions

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor or in a deep mixing bowl if making by hand. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal or blend with a pastry cutter or two forks. With the motor running, add the cold water slowly until the mixture gathers into a mass. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for a few minutes. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

Before mixing the ingredients for the pie, roll the pastry out and line a 9” deep pie dish, crimp the edges and return the prepared pan to the refrigerator so the pastry remains chilled.

Streusel Topping

Mix all the ingredients except the butter in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture begins to form clumps.  The topping can be made in advance and refrigerated.

Caramel Sauce

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber.  This can take 5 - 8 minutes depending on the pan and level of heat. Once the syrup has reached the desired color, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter, taking care as the mixture will bubble and foam. Place the pan back on the burner over low heat and stir until smooth.

Apples

Place the apples in a large, wide, shallow bowl so you can easily toss them when adding the caramel sauce. Add the warm caramel sauce and let sit for 10 minutes until the apples release their juices. The caramel sauce will seize up when added to the cold apples but will relax as it sits. Stir the mixture occasionally before adding to the pie crust.

Add the mixture to the prepared pie crust and sprinkle the prepared streusel over the top.

Arrange the oven racks so you can place the pie on rack position 2, one up from the bottom.

Heat the oven in the Convection Bake mode 350 .

Slide the pie into the oven and set the timer for 50 minutes, the crust should be golden and the apples tender when pierced with a sharp knife.  Transfer the pie to a rack to cool before serving.