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Dutch Apple Pie With Caramel Apple Drizzle

Ingredients

• 1 recipe 9 inch pie crust See Best of Both Worlds pie crust in Crust and Topping Recipes section
• 1 recipe crumble topping My go-to crumble topping can be found in the Crust and Topping Recipes section
• 4-5 cups Apples, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick Depending on how heaping you want it. Use a mix of your favorite tart and sweet apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Pink Lady)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest I just eyeball and zest one lemon over the apples
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice I squeeze half of a lemon over the apples and also eyeball this
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• OPTIONAL: Caramel Apple Drizzle
• 1/4 cup juice from apples Save juice from cooking apples and juice from the complete pie mixture
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream Heavy cream is ideal, but I used milk when I made this because that's all I had and it worked ok
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Up to two days in advance, prepare pie crust according to directions, roll and plate. If doing in advance, cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 425
3. Peel and slice apples 1/4 inch think and place in a dutch oven or large skillet.
4. Add lemon zest and brown sugar to the apples and mix.
5. Cook over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes or until the apples are just starting to soften but still hold their shape. Remove apples from pot or skillet and put into bowl to cool. Pour the remaining juice into a liquid measuring cup (if you are going to make the optional caramel sauce).
6. While the apples are cooling, you can make your crumble topping. Making the crumble topping is also a great step to do in advance.
7. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup sugar, spices and cornstarch.
8. When the apples are cool, add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well.
9. Add the sugar/spice/cornstarch mixture to the apples and blend well.
10. Using a large spoon so that you leave behind some of the juices in the bowl (and so that you take a little bit with you into the pie because it's delicious!), fill the prepared pie shell with apples. I like to fill mine just to the top because I like a compact, easy to eat pie. The more heaping it is, the longer it will need to bake but definitely fill to your heart's content. Apple won't overflow like other fruit pies will.
11. If you are going to make the caramel drizzle, dump remaining juice into the liquid measuring cup with the other apple juice.
12. Cover evenly with crumble topping.
13. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until pie is brown and juices are bubbling. Cool completely before eating.

1. Using a small saucepan, place 1/4 cup of remaining juices and 3/4 cup sugar into the pan over medium heat. If you have more juice, just adjust the sugar down so you are using no more than 1 cup total.
2. In a traditional caramel sauce recipe, the white sugar covers the bottom of the pot and you know when it's done because it turns clear and then begins to brown. This mixture is already going to be brown from the spices and brown sugar, so you are going to have to use some intuition to know when it's done. The important thing is to allow the white sugar on the bottom to completely liquify and begin to brown. If you tip the pot in this photo, you will see the white sugar still lining the bottom. Not done.
3. Allow the sugars to heat and cook for about 5 minutes but do not stir. YOU NEED TO STAY CLOSE AND WATCH. The mixture will begin to bubble strongly and it should be aromatic - if it smells remotely like burnt sugar, take it off the heat and go to the next step. In this photo, I let it keep bubbling for just a bit to make sure all the sugar had caramelized.
4. Turn the heat to low and add 6 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time. Continually mix with wire whisk. It may hiss and bubble but it will calm down.
5. Slowly add the cream in a thin stream and mix constantly. Only add 1/4 cup at first. If the caramel clumps, don't worry - the heat will work it back out. You might not end up needing a full 1/2 cup of milk, so if after 1/4 cup the mixture is light and a good consistency, stop there. You don't want it too watery.
6. Place sauce in a bowl or glass jar to cool and then refrigerate. It will thicken once it gets cold in the refrigerator. You can keep this in an air right jar for about a month in the fridge. The sauce has a hint of the apple juices and is so delicious!