Caramel Apple Meringue Pie Food

APPLE MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater onto a sheet of wax paper and freeze until very hard, at least 20 minutes. Stir the flour and sugar in a medium bowl, then stir in the frozen butter with a fork. Stir in the ice water, then knead the dough into a shaggy ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and flatten into a disk with a rolling pin. Fold in half left to right and then top to bottom. Roll out into a 12-inch round, dusting with flour as needed. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and gently press into the pan. Crimp the edges, creating a tall rim to keep in all the apple juices. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make the filling: Position racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and place a foil-lined baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drips; preheat to 375 degrees F. Toss the apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice and pie spice in a large bowl. Sprinkle the flour on top and toss to combine. Spoon the filling into the pie shell and gently pack evenly with your hands; dot with the butter. Cover the top with a round of parchment paper and press to adhere.
• Bake the pie on the middle oven rack until the apples are tender and bubbling and the crust is browned, about 1 1/2 hours. Let stand while you make the meringue. (You want the pie to still be hot when you add the meringue.) Leave the oven on.
• Make the meringue: Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks are just forming, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually beat in the sugar until the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Spread the meringue over the hot pie filling all the way to the crust; make swoops with the back of a spoon. Bake until the meringue is lightly browned in spots, 5 to 7 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

APPLE MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk sugar, flour, milk, egg yolks and lemon zest until smooth. Pour over apples and toss to coat. , Line a 9-in. pie plate with pastry; trim to 1/2 in. beyond edge of pie plate and flute edges. Pour filling into crust; dot with butter. Cover edges loosely with foil. , Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until apples are tender. Reduce heat to 350°., In a bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high just until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. , Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to crust. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

CARAMEL MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar evenly in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place over medium heat.
• Caramelize sugar by constantly stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Remove sugar from heat, gradually add the milk, stirring constantly.
• Combine 3/4 cup sugar and flour.
• Add to caramelized sugar mixture.
• Beat egg yolks.
• Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot mixture into the yolks, add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly.
• Return to low heat, cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened.
• Add butter, vanilla, and pinch of salt, stirring well.
• Spoon custard into pie crust, and set aside.
• Add a pinch of salt to egg whites, and beat (at room temperature) until foamy.
• Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
• Spread meringue over custard, sealing to edges.
• Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
• Cool pie completely before serving.

CARAMEL APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For the perfect spiced pie crust: Mix the flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the butter and vegetable shortening. Work the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. Add the white vinegar, egg and 5 tablespoons cold water and stir until just combined.
• Form 2 equal-sized balls. Place each in a large plastic bag (do not seal) and slightly flatten with a rolling pin; this makes it much easier to roll out the crust later. After flattening, seal the bag tightly. Place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to chill.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove 1 bag of dough from the freezer (save the other dough for another use), remove the dough from the bag and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough starting at the center and working outward. Be gentle and patient; it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out. If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below while rolling, use a metal spatula to loosen it. When fully rolled out, loosen again with a spatula and lift the pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan (or you can roll the pastry over the rolling pin, lift it onto the pie pan and unroll it). Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan and tear off any excess dough. Then tuck under the edges and go around the pie pan pinching the dough to crimp the edge.
• For the pie filling: In a bowl, mix the apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour and salt. Set aside.
• For the crumb topping: Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, then add in the brown sugar, oats and salt.
• Add the apples to the prepared pie shell and top with the crumb topping. Bake for 1 hour, covering the edge of the crust with foil if it starts to brown too quickly. After an hour, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the pie, then bake for a further 5 minutes.
• Remove the pie from the oven and pour 1/2 jar (or more, if you're feeling dangerous and naughty) of caramel topping over the top. Allow to cool slightly before serving - or don't if you can't wait!

CARAMEL-PECAN APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling., In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and vanilla. Mix pecans, sugars, cinnamon and cornstarch; add to apples and toss to combine., Spread caramel topping onto bottom of crust. Fill with apple mixture. Drizzle with butter. , For streusel topping, mix flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly; stir in pecans. Sprinkle over filling., Bake on a lower oven rack until filling is bubbly, 65-75 minutes. Drizzle with caramel topping. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, serve with whipped cream and additional caramel topping.

TOFFEE MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 4-6 tbsp cold water, bit by bit, until a dough is formed. Knead briefly on a floured surface. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry on a floured surface into a circle large enough to line a 25cm tart tin with a slight overhang. Cover with tin foil and fill with baking beans. Place on a baking tray and bake for 15 mins before carefully removing the foil and beans. Brush liberally with egg white, place the pastry case back in the oven for 10 mins or until golden, then remove from the oven and trim the edges. Turn the oven down to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
• For the filling, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the sugar until dissolved completely. In a small bowl, add a little of the milk to the cornflour, working into a smooth paste. Pour remaining milk and cornflour paste into the butter mix, slowly bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 mins, stirring continuously. Leave to cool slightly. If you've only thought of meringue pie as the lemon kind, then think again. Try making my version with toffee - it involves a bit of work, but the result is spectacular Beating all the time with a whisk, pour ½ the milk mixture onto the egg yolks, then pour back into the rest of the milk. Stirring non-stop, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 mins until thick. Turn off the heat, but leave the mixture in the pan - it must be hot when topped with the meringue.
• For the meringue, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff. Sprinkle in half the sugar and whisk again until stiff and shiny, adding the remaining sugar, 1 tbsp at a time and whisking until stiff again. Spoon the hot filling into the pastry case. Spoon the meringue over the top and bake for 35 mins until the meringue is golden and crisping up. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating. Best eaten on the day.

CARAMEL PIE WITH MERINGUE TOPPING

Steps:

• To make the caramel pie:.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Caramelize 1 cup of sugar by placing it in a medium iron skillet (or heavy bottomed skillet) over medium heat. Begin stirring with a wooden spoon. The sugar will come together in pieces the size of almonds. Continue to stir until the sugar becomes like syrup and is the color of caramel. Take your time with this step; don't rush it. While the sugar is heating up, put the remaining 1 cup of sugar, flour and salt in a large saucepan. Mix well, and gradually add the milk. Add the beaten eggs. Cook over low to medium heat until hot, stirring constantly.
• Add the caramelized sugar to the milk, stirring quickly. Cook until thick, continuing to stir. Add the butter, and pour into the pie shell. Top with the meringue and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
• To make the Meringue Topping: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, and continue beating until stiff. Spread the meringue on top of the pie and bake.

RUSTIC CARAMEL APPLE TART

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water and vanilla, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 30 minutes. , Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10-in. circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the filling ingredients; spoon over crust to within 2 in. of edges. Fold up edges of crust over filling, leaving center uncovered. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over filling. Whisk egg and water; brush over crust., Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbly, 25-30 minutes. Using parchment, slide tart onto a wire rack. Drizzle with caramel topping. Serve warm.