Holiday Apple Pie With Dried Fruit Caramel Sauce Food

SALTED CARAMEL APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare pie crust recipe through step 5.
• salted caramel. You can do this as you wait for the pie dough to chill.
• Next, make the apple filling as the dough is still chilling: Place apple slices into a very large bowl. Add sugar, lemon juice, flour, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gently toss to combine. Set aside.
• On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. With a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang of crust and discard.
• Fill the pie crust with the apples. There are a lot of apples, but pile them tightly and very high. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the salted caramel, reserving the rest for topping.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
• Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough out, 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut 16 strips 1/2 inch wide. We always use a clean measuring tape or ruler as a guide to assure the lines are straight. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Using a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang. Crimp the edges of the dough with a fork or your fingers.
• Lightly brush the lattice top with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes. If the top of your pie is getting too brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil. The pie will be done when the caramel begins to bubble up. A small knife inserted inside should come out relatively clean.
• Cool pie for 4 hours before serving. Drizzle the pie with the extra caramel sauce to serve. This apple pie is best served on the same day, but it can be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

HOLIDAY FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, water and honey. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, combine pineapple, cornstarch and cinnamon; stir in cranberry mixture and apple. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of pastry dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry even with rim. Add filling., Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake 45-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover pie loosely with foil during the last 30 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack.

CHRISTMAS APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Divide the pastry into 2 parts, one a little larger than the other. Wrap the larger piece in plastic wrap and reserve. On a lightly floured surface, roll the smaller piece into a round, 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, large enough to overlap a 10 by 2-inch pie plate. Arrange in the pie plate and even with a sharp knife, leaving about a 1/2-inch overhang. (Add the trimmings to the reserved dough). Tuck the overhang back under, making a slightly thicker edging. Chill for 30 minutes. If using a glass pie plate, remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before filling.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the reserved piece of dough into a 12-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out a piece of cardboard, 1/2-inch wide and 10 or 12 inches long. Wrap the strip in plastic wrap and use as a guide. With a sharp knife or a pastry cutter, cut the dough into 20 (1/2-inch) strips. Lay 10 strips vertically on the back of a large baking pan, leaving a very small space between strips. Weave a lattice pattern by placing each of the remaining strips over and under horizontally. (It's easier to weave if the dough is not too firm, but it can't be too soft, either. If it's too soft, refrigerate for a little while and then continue). To weave, turn back every other strip of dough (1, 3, 5, etc.), lay a horizontal strip across, as close to the top as possible, and return the turned-back strips to the original length.
• For the next row, alternate the strips that you turn back (2, 4, 6, etc.) and again place a horizontal strip across, close to the first strip. Repeat this procedure until all the strips are used. Refrigerate just until firm. Using a 9-inch cardboard round, a plate, or a pot cover as a guide, cut out a 9-inch circle of latticework and refrigerate on the baking pan until needed. (Excess dough can be wrapped and refrigerated or frozen for future use).
• Peel, core and quarter the apples. Cut into 1/4-inch slices. In 2 or 3 large skillets, melt the butter (2 or 3 tablespoons in each skillet, depending upon how many you use) and brown. The butter will have a slightly nutty aroma. Divide the apples, arrange in the pans, and coat with the butter. Sprinkle in the sugar and over medium-high heat, saute the apples until lightly caramelized and tender, 15 to 20 minutes, turning often so that the apples cook evenly. Pour in 1 tablespoon of Calvados and the brandy and cook until the alcohol burns off. Pour in the cream and stir through. Transfer and spread over a large baking tray to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Warm the remaining 1/4 cup Calvados. Combine the chopped prunes, apricots, and figs in a small bowl. Pour the Calvados over and let plump.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooled apples and the plumped dried fruit. Stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon, lemon and orange zests, and nutmeg, and mix well. Spoon the filling into the prepared pie plate. Using a wide spatula, carefully transfer the 9-inch latticework circle and arrange on top of the filling. Brush the latticework with egg white and sprinkle with the crystallized sugar. Bake 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake 35 to 40 minutes longer, until the crust is golden brown. Cool on a rack. Serve warm.
• In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour and sugar. Add the butter and process until the texture resembles fine meal.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and 1 tablespoon of the cream. Scrape into the machine and process until a ball begins to form, using the additional tablespoon of cream, if necessary. Remove the dough from the machine, and on a lightly floured surface, press down into a circle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CHEF JOHN'S CARAMEL APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.
• Roll out half the pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate; pour in apple slices.
• Roll out top crust into a 10-inch circle. Cut into 8 (1-inch) wide strips with a sharp paring knife or pastry wheel. Weave the pastry strips, one at a time, into a lattice pattern. Fold the ends of the lattice strips under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp to seal.
• Pour butter-sugar mixture over top of pie, coating the lattice, and allowing any remaining sauce to drizzle through the crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake until the crust is golden brown, the caramel on the top crust is set, and the apple filling is bubbling, 35 to 40 more minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

HOLIDAY APPLE PIE WITH DRIED FRUIT & CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Sautéing the apples: Heat 2 large heavy skillets over high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in each. When the butter bubbles, add the apples and sauté about 3 minutes.
• Adding sugar & spices: Add the sugar, vanilla, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and the ginger. Stir or toss to coat the apples. Cook, stirring or tossing, frequently, until the apples are brown and juicy, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Completing the filling: Add the apricots, raisins, 1/2 cup of the cream, and the Calvados, plus a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring or tossing, until the apples are caramelized and the juices form a thick sauce, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet to cool.
• Rolling out the bottom crust dough: Dust a work surface with flour. Roll out the round piece of dough to a 12-inch-diameter round, dusting lightly if sticking and turning often. Press together any tears. Transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
• Rolling & cutting the lattice top: Dust the work surface with flour again. Roll out the second piece of dough to dimensions greater than the top of the pie and about 1/4 inch thick. Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the square into even 1/2-inch-wide strips.
• Filling the pie: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Transfer the cooled filling to the dough-lined pie dish. Press the filling slightly to compact. Trim the bottom dough to overhang about 1/2 inch around the edge.
• Forming the lattice top crust: Arrange 6 or 7 dough strips evenly across the filling. Arrange 6 or 7 strips at right angles to the first ones. Trim the ends. Fold the overhang over the lattice ends and crimp together into a neat border, rolling the rim toward the filling.
• Glazing the pie crust: In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the granulated sugar. Brush the lattice strips with beaten egg white. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the strips.
• Baking the pie: Place the pie on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the crust is deep brown and the filling is bubbling, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Leave the pie at room temperature to cool completely, at least 2 hours.
• Serving the pie: Whip the remaining 1 cup cream to soft peaks. Cut the pie into wedges and transfer to serving plates. Drizzle the Caramel Sauce over and around each slice and add dollops of whipped cream.