Salted Caramel Apple Pie

By ruthg

"Use a blend of sweet apples and tart apples," suggest bakers Emily and Melissa Elsen, proprietors of the Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie shop in Brooklyn, New York. "An easy combination is Granny Smith and Golden Delicious." This recipe - their signature pie - comes from the ladies' gorgeous new cookbook, The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book (Grand Central Life & Style).

Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• All-Butter Crust for a 9-inch double-crust pie
• For the filling:
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 lemons
• 6 to 7 baking apples (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1/3 cup raw sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• One grind fresh black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon flake sea salt, plus more for finishing
• Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt)
• Demerara sugar, for finishing

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from grandparents.com

Preparation

Step 1

"Use a blend of sweet apples and tart apples," suggest bakers Emily and Melissa Elsen, proprietors of the Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie shop in Brooklyn, New York. "An easy combination is Granny Smith and Golden Delicious." This recipe - their signature pie - comes from the ladies' gorgeous new cookbook,

Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt)

Directions:

2. Whisk together 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the water in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is just dissolved.

3. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil.

4. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture turns a deep golden brown, almost copper.

5. Remove from the heat and immediately but slowly add the heavy cream—be careful, the mixture will bubble rapidly and steam.

6. Whisk the final mixture together well and set aside to cool while you prepare the apple filling.

7. Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl, removing any seeds.

13. Add the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, kosher salt, and flour, and mix well.

14. Add the prepared apples to the sugar-spice mixture, leaving behind any excess liquids.

15. Gently turn the apples to evenly distribute the spice mix.

17. Pour a generous 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce evenly over the apples (use the larger quantity of sauce if you’d like a sweeter pie).

21. Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

23. Place the pie on the rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is set and beginning to brown.