Caramelized Apple And Pear Pie Food

APPLE-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Peel the apples and pears; slice 1/2 inch thick. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, pears, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ginger and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly tender, 20 to 25 minutes (reduce the heat if the skillet looks dry). Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, flour and cinnamon. Let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, place a baking sheet in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees F. Cut 1 dough round into nine 1/4-inch-wide strips; cut the rest of that round into strips of varying thickness. Weave the 1/4-inch strips into 3 thin braids, 3 strips per braid (these will be for the edges). Make braids with some of the remaining strips; leave some as is. Refrigerate the braids and strips until firm, 30 minutes.
• Line a 9-inch pie plate with the other dough round; add the filling. Arrange the dough strips and braids (except for the 3 for the edges) parallel to one another on top of the filling. Trim any excess dough around the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg and line with the 3 thin braids; trim the excess. Brush all of the dough with egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet, 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the filling is bubbling and the crust is browned, about 1 more hour. (Cover the crust with foil if it darkens too quickly.) Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

CARAMEL APPLE PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the sugar, 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch and the salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, dulce de leche and eggs until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the cornstarch mixture and whisk to combine.
• Halve and core the pear. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Add the slices to a bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch and toss to completely coat the fruit.
• To assemble the pie and bake, place the baked deep-dish pie crust on a baking sheet. Lay the dried apple slices in a single layer on the bottom of the crust. Fan the pear slices out in a circle over the apple slices. Stir any excess cornstarch from the pears into the custard filling and pour the filling over the top of the pears.
• Bake the pie until the center is set and the pears are slightly golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature.
• Before serving, dust the top of the pie with ground cinnamon. Heat some dulce de leche in a microwave for 30 seconds and stir to loosen. Drizzle over the top of the pie and serve.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse to a coarse meal (the butter should be in pea-size pieces). With the motor running, stream in the water until the dough starts to come together. Dump out the mixture, gather into a ball, press to a disk and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
• Spray a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap and transfer to a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the prepared pie plate. Dock with a fork and crimp the edges between your fingers to make a decorative border, removing any excess dough. Freeze the crust for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Line the crust with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or uncooked beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, brush with the beaten egg and continue to bake until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

SPICED APPLE AND PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Dough:
• Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Rub 1/4 cup of the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until completely absorbed. Then rub in the remaining butter until it resembles cornmeal mixed with pea-size bits of butter. (If it gets warm and sticky, refrigerate it to chill.)
• Beat the egg with 3 tablespoons of the water; then drizzle it evenly over the dough. Lightly stir the dough together with a fork. (The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it together, with some dry crumbly bits.) If the dough is really dry, sprinkle it with the final tablespoon of water. (To make the dough in food processor, see below.)
• Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape into disks. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (The dough can be frozen for 2 months. Defrost dough in the fridge overnight.)
• Filling:
• Finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Peel, core and then slice both the apple and pear into 1/2-inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then toss fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fruit and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves and juices simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until the fruit softens and the juices evaporate some, about 10 minutes. Evenly mix the flour into the fruit; then cook about a minute more to thicken the juices slightly. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest; and remove from the heat. (The filling should resemble a tight compote.) Cool completely.
• Form the pie:
• Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll a disk of dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to 9-inch glass pie pan (see photo), trimming so it hangs about 1/2-inch over the edge of the pan. Fill the crust with the prepared fruit so it mounds slightly in the center. Roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle. Brush the rim of the crust with some of the egg.
• Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the fruit so it hangs over the edge of the pie pan by about 1/2-inch. Trim crust if needed, reserving the scraps for decorations or for patching, if needed. Fold the top crust edge under the bottom one, then press the edges together to seal. Cut trimmed scraps into designs if desired and set aside. Flute the crust by pressing a finger into the crust against the other hand's index finger and thumb to make an even impression. Repeat every 1/2 inch around the pie to create a ruffled edge (see photo). Refrigerate the pie for at least 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees F.
• Brush pie with egg and place cut dough designs on top if desired. Brush again and sprinkle with sugar. Cut 6 to 8 small steam vents into the top of the dough. Place pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake until the crust (both top and bottom) is golden brown, about 50 minutes more. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cut a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil and cover the edges (see photo). Cool on a rack.
• Serve pie warm or at room temperature with whipped or ice cream. Keep pie, covered, at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate for up to four.

CARAMEL APPLE-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with oven rack in bottom position. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll 1 Pie Dough disk into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Roll remaining Pie Dough disk into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 10 (1-inch-wide) strips. Cut 5 of the strips in half again lengthwise. You should have 5 (1-inch-wide) strips and 10 (½-inch-wide) strips. Place all strips on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate both crust and strips until ready to assemble.
• Gently stir together apples, pears, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger until combined. Spoon apple mixture into chilled crust. Drizzle evenly with caramel topping. Remove dough strips from baking sheet, and set aside prepared baking sheet. Arrange dough strips in a lattice design over filling, alternating 1 thick strip with 2 thin strips. Trim excess dough, and crimp edges as desired. Brush crust with beaten egg, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Freeze pie 10 minutes.
• Place pie on prepared baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven on bottom rack until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 55 minutes, covering loosely with aluminum foil during last 10 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Drizzle with additional caramel topping just before serving.

APPLE PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; trim to 1 in. beyond edge of plate. In a large bowl, combine the pears, apples, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Transfer mixture to crust; dot with butter. , Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges. Add decorative cutouts if desired. Brush with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Cover edges loosely with foil. , Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 30-35 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

APPLE-PEAR GALETTE WITH APPLE CIDER CARAMEL

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine flours, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with some larger pieces. Add the ice water and pulse just until the mixture is evenly moistened. Tip the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Use the edges of the plastic to pack the dough into a disc. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together apples, pears, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and cinnamon. On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Top the dough with the prepared fruit in concentric circles leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Lift and press the edges up over the fruit, folding as necessary. Using the parchment paper, transfer the galette to a rimmed baking sheet. Chill for 10 minutes.
• Brush the border of the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if using. Dot the fruit with the butter. Bake until the filling is tender and the crust is deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Some of the juices may leak out, but that's O.K.
• Meanwhile, make the caramel: Bring apple cider to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Continue to cook the cider until it has reduced to 1 cup liquid, about 13 to 14 minutes. Then add brown sugar, butter, and salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and continue to cook the mixture, whisking often, until it has become syrupy and thickened slightly, about 13 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the cream and set aside to cool slightly. (The caramel will thicken as it cools.)
• Remove tart from the oven, and let it cool slightly on the pan on a rack. Transfer the galette to a serving plate and drizzle with caramel. Serve warm or at room temperature with any remaining caramel.

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 APPLES AND PEARS

Steps:

• Insert a licorice stick, cinnamon stick, or bamboo skewer into the stem end of each apple and pear. Spread the granola on a baking sheet; reserve. Have ready 1 or more cooling racks or a large sheet of parchment paper for cooling the caramel fruits.
• In a saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and water. Cook, stirring, until the sugar melts. Add the butter and cream, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the caramel registers 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 2 minutes.
• One at a time, dip the apples and pears in the caramel, twirling and swirling them to coat completely. Dip the tops in the granola to coat them, then transfer to the cooling rack or the parchment paper to cool. As the apples and pears cool, the caramel will set. Store the caramel apples and pears, wrapped in cellophane if desired, in a cool, dry place until ready to serve or up to 2 days.

CARAMEL APPLE-PEAR GRANOLA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Oatmeal Crust Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine oats, almonds, powdered sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Stir in butter. Grease/spray a 9-inch pie pan. Press half of oatmeal mixture into bottom and up sides. Take remaining half of oatmeal mixture and spread it out onto a greased cookie sheet as if making 1 large cookie. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool while making pie filling.
• Apple-Pear Cream Filling Preparation: In a saucepan, whisk together sugars, lemon juice, butter and maple flavor over medium heat. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt and sprinkle into sugar mixture in saucepan. Mix in sliced apples and pears. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese and heavy cream until smooth. Stir cream cheese mixture into warm apple mixture until well incorporated. Pour filling into prepared pie crust.
• Assembly: Take baked large "oatmeal cookie" and crumble it into small chunks. Sprinkle oatmeal crumble onto pie filling, covering it almost completely. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 375 degrees F. Cool at least 30 minutes. While pie is cooling, prepare caramel sauce.
• For Caramel Sauce: Unwrap caramel candies. In the top of a double boiler, melt the caramels in the evaporated milk, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and pourable. Pour caramel sauce in a zigzag pattern over cooled pie. May serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

CARAMEL PEAR PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine pears and lemon juice. In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to pears; stir gently. Let stand for 15 minutes. , Pour into pastry shell. In a small bowl, combine the oats, flour and remaining sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over pears. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes., Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with milk. Stir until smooth; add pecans. Drizzle over pie. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.