Luscious Almond Caramel Pie Food

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 PIE

Steps:

• In a large pot, place the can of sweetened condensed milk with the label taken off, in the pot and cover with water. Cook on high until water comes to a boil, then turn on medium/high for 4 hours, only adding water to keep the can covered.
• Carefully open can and pour into pie shell. Cool pie in refrigerator. When completely cooled, top with frozen whipped topping. Serve.

LUSCIOUS ALMOND CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, almonds and sugar; stir in the butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of a greased 10-in. springform pan; set aside. , In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in extracts. Pour into crust. Place on a baking sheet., Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 5 minutes (leave oven on). Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spoon around edge of cheesecake; carefully spread over filling. Bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight., Just before serving, sprinkle with almonds and remove sides of pan. Refrigerate leftovers.

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.

SWEET ALMOND FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, white sugar, and brown sugar. Cut in the shortening by pinching between your fingers or using a pastry blender, until the mixture has lumps no larger than peas. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, water, vanilla, and almond extract.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into halves, pat into a ball, and flatten slightly. Wrap each one in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight before rolling out to make a crust.