SALTED CARAMEL APPLE PIE

 

the day you have all been waiting for is finally here. APPLE PIE! but not just any apple pie, oh no: salted caramel apple pie. i have been waiting until american thanksgiving was approaching to create & share this recipe. i received the salted caramel sauce from one of my readers a little over a month ago & refused to open it until it was time to make this pie. do you know what kind of torture that is? staring at a jar of salted caramel every time you open the pantry! anyone who eats things straight out of the jar with a spoon understands the pain i went through. but now look! i can reward myself with a big slice of apple pie & drizzle all the left over salted caramel i want on it!

NOTE: for this particular pie, i used a delicious salted caramel that was sent to me by kristin of the ardent homesteader. you can find her cara-sel here. you can also use my recipe for homemade salted caramel which can be found here.

ingredients

for the dough

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, cold
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • 1 egg, for egg wash (optional)

for the filling

  • 5-6 cups sliced tart apples
  • 1/2 raw sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup salted caramel, plus more for drizzle

directions

  • begin by making the dough. using a food processor pulse the flour, salt and sugar.
  • add the cubed butter, shortening and vanilla. pulse until a crumb like mixture forms.
  • add the cold water one tablespoon at a time until the crumbs begin to come together. turn out onto a pastry board and shape dough into a disk. if dough seems wet, add a bit more flour. if the dough seems dry, add a bit more water.
  • wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours.
  • for the filling mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and cornstarch in a bowl. toss until evenly coated and combined.
  • once you are ready to assemble the pie, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  • roll out half the dough between 3/4cm and 1cm thick. transfer to pie dish, clean up & shape edges. poke dough with a fork a few times to allow steam to release.
  • add 1/3 of apple mixture & drizzle with 1/3 of salted caramel. repeat, finishing off with a layer of salted caramel.
  • roll out remaining dough to the same thickness for the top.
  • add one tablespoon of water (or milk) to egg to create an egg mixture. brush all over pie top & bake pie for 35-40 minutes.
  • let cool completely before serving. serve with vanilla ice cream & additional salted caramel.

like what you see? get it here. pie dish | linens | rolling pin | pie server | plate

CRANBERRY APPLE COBBLER

 

happy sunday! the weather here in toronto is slowly starting to cool off again after the oddly hot november week we just experienced. while everyone was freaking out over how gorgeous it was.. i just want snow & to be able to put my chunky knit sweaters back on & cook wintery comfort foods (sorry, not sorry). CUE: delicious apple cranberry cobbler. what is seriously a better way to end off a sunday dinner then with this rustic cobbler. i absolutely love the combination of apples & cranberries.. the tartness of the berries compliments the sweetness of the apples perfectly! anyways, i have a busy day of relaxing to get back to.. sipping on tea, wrapped in my favourite wool blanket & finishing the latest book i just received titled food whore by jessica tom! it's a fun book about what life in new york is like for an aspiring food writer! if you instantly thought of the devil wears parada meets delicious food, then you got it.

ingredients

for the filling

  • 3 lbs firm apples (approximately 5-6 large apples)
  • 1.5 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

for the topping

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

  • preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • in a mixing bowl mix apples, cranberries, cornstarch, vanilla, sugar & nutmeg.
  • place mixture into baking dish and bake in oven for 10 minutes, while you prepare your topping.
  • in a separate mixing bowl sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  • blend in butter like you would a pie dough, until mixture resembles a crumb like texture
  • add milk & vanilla until just combined.
  • remove filling from oven & evenly top with the mixture.
  • finish off by sprinkling raw sugar & dusting with cinnamon.
  • bake for 20-25 minutes until topping begins to slightly brown.
  • remove from oven, dust with powdered sugar & serve.

like what you see? get it here. double handled frying pan | pour bowl | plates | flatware | spatula | pie server

CANADIAN MAPLE FUDGE

 

i don't have much to say today besides that i love fudge + this fudge is the bomb. there was a time back in the 7th or 8th grade where my school took part in a fudge selling fund raiser. we went door to door selling both chocolate & maple fudge.. but by the end i had eaten more maple fudge then i sold. i think it is safe to say that was when my love for fudge began, especially pure maple. i didn't think i would be able to make a fudge as good as the fudge shops sell, but here we are. my advice before making this is to invest in a candy thermometer!!! the temperatures are very important to achieving the right texture. otherwise you may end up with a maple caramel or a grainy fudge. trust me, in the end the thermometer will cost you less then the pure maple syrup.

this recipe has been adapted from canadian living

ingredients

  • 2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 pinch baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

  • in a sauce pan over medium heat add sugar, cream, maple syrup, butter, baking soda & salt. stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to boil.
  • if the mixture does not foam up when boiling, add in a touch more of baking soda.
  • once it reaches a boil, stop stirring & let cool until the thermometer reaches 238 degrees F [approximately 8 minutes]. this is known as the "soft-ball stage" of candy making.
  • immediately pour into a greased bowl. do not stir & do not scrape the sauce pan clean. let mixture cool until it reaches 100 degrees F [approximately 1 hour].
  • once mixture reaches the correct temperature add vanilla. using hand beaters or the stand mixer, beat on medium speed until the gloss disappears [approximately 8 minutes].
  • scrape into a parchment lined baking dish & let cool. once fudge has set, cut into individual squares.

like what you see? get it here. plate | mug | linen