In our second installment of our monthly Recipe Recipe post, I’m once again being very traditional in my subject choice (it’s fall in New England, so apples, duh), but the recipe choice is something pretty special. What better way to enjoy (freshly picked) apples than a homemade crust (surprisingly easy, for those non-bakers), cinnamon, butter, and lots of sugar.
At Bisousweet we get all of our baking apples from Carlson Orchards in Harvard, MA, which also offers PYO (pick-your-own, for you non-natives and/or city slickers) apples. Other local orchards where you can PYO apples (and in the gift shop/farm stand you can PYO Bisousweet treats) include Smolak Farms in North Andover, MA, and Lanni Orchards in Lunenburg, MA.
Caramel apples on a stick are a favorite of mine, and this pie recipe from the Boston Globe uses homemade caramel as an additional sweetener.
CRUST
1. In a bowl, combine the flour and salt.
2. Add the 1/2 cup canola oil and milk. Mix gently but thoroughly; do not overmix. Add additional oil by the spoonful if the mixture seems too dry to roll out. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
FILLING
1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Have on hand a 9-inch pie pan.
2. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Toss them with the nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon; set aside.
3. Cut the dough in half. Place one piece between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out into an 11-inch round. Peel off the top piece of parchment. Invert the other onto the pie pan. Pull off the other sheet of parchment. Gently press the dough into the pan, trimming off all but 1/2 inch of overhang. Brush the egg wash over the crust. Add the apple mixture.
4. For the caramel: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the granulated and brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Pour about 3/4 of the caramel over the apples. Roll out the other piece of dough between parchment paper. Peel off the top piece of parchment. Invert the dough onto the apple mixture. Pull off the other sheet of parchment. Fold the dough under all around like a hem. Crimp the edges with a fork. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie.
6. With a pastry brush, brush the remaining caramel on the top crust; it should make a fairly thick coating.
7. Set the pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 35 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. (Total baking time is 50 minutes.)
Jenny Olins. Crust adapted from Wesson Oil. Filling adapted from allrecipes.com.
What’s your favorite orchard? Let us hear your fall/apple picking/apple pie stories!
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& Storyteller
You know that friend who has it all together? Yeah. That’s not me. What I can offer you instead are my experiences, insights, and passions. Pithy observations about making cookies. Wry commentary on running a business. Loving (if slightly sarcastic) parenting advice. And if that doesn’t interest you, I have dogs. Cute ones.
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