Apple-Pecan Bourbon-Caramel Pie
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 105 mins
Active: 50 mins
Cooling and Macerating Time: 2 hrs 35 mins
Total: 4 hrs 40 mins
Serves: 8 to 10 servings
Makes: 1 pie
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 recipe Buttery, Flaky Pie Crust, prepared following recipe directions as a single-crusted pie in a 9-inch pie plate
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream
Granulated sugar, for filling the pie shell to blind bake
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
For the Apple Filling:
3 1/2 pounds (1.6 kg) tart baking apples, such as Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, or Jonagold
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh juice from 1 whole lemon
4 teaspoons (11 g) cornstarch
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (2 1/4 ounces; 64 g)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 28 g)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
For the Pecan Bourbon-Caramel:
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 100 g)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick; 2 ounces; 113 g)
1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (30 ml) light corn syrup
1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup or sorghum syrup
1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon whiskey
1/2 tablespoon (8 ml) blackstrap molasses
1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
2 cups whole pecans (1/2 pound; 227 g), toasted
Directions:
For the Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Whisk egg with cream, set aside. Using a large sheet of aluminum foil, press into the pie crust so it conforms to the curves of the plate. (A second sheet of foil may be needed for full coverage.) Fill to the brim with granulated sugar (see note), transfer to a half sheet pan, and bake until fully set and golden around the edges, 60 to 75 minutes, brushing the crimped edge with egg wash and sprinkling with demerara sugar after 40 minutes.
Fold long sides of foil toward the middle, gather the short sides, and use both hands to carefully transfer sugar to a heat-safe bowl. Let the sugar cool to room temperature. If needed, continue baking the crust a few minutes more to brown along the bottom. Let cool for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the Apple Filling: Peel apples partially in a spiral pattern, starting at the stem and proceeding towards the bottom, removing about half the skin while leaving a stripe of skin on each apple. Core apples and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large mixing bowl, toss together apple slices, lemon juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, allspice, and nutmeg until well combined. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes (liquids will be released during this time, preventing a wet pie filling later).
Melt butter in a large, wide-bottomed pot and heat over medium heat; add the apple mixture and any juices in the bottom of the bowl. Cook, stirring often, until apples are soft but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Allow apples to cool for 30 minutes, then scrape into pre-baked pie crust.
For the Pecan Bourbon-Caramel: While apples are cooling, place granulated sugar, butter, heavy cream, corn syrup, maple syrup, bourbon, molasses, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until ingredients are fully combined, about 2 minutes.
Stop stirring, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook until the mixture reaches 236°F (113°C) on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Off heat, allow caramel to cool to 190°F (88°C), about 3 minutes. Mix in toasted pecans, then spoon the caramel-pecan mixture over apples, patting and shaping to form an even coating. Let the pie cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes:
It’s very important to use sugar to weigh down the pie crust as directed in this recipe and not pie weights or beans; this is because this crust can retract if not fully weighed down, and sugar accomplishes this better than the other options.
Also, make sure to fill the pie shell all the way to the very, very top with sugar, lest the crimped edge retract.
Bonus: The Baked Sugar is a versatile ingredient that can be saved to act as a weight for future pies and/or used in any recipe calling for granulated sugar, even if it darkens.
Here are a couple of key blind-baking points:
Make sure that the crust has completely chilled and relaxed before you bake it in order to avoid shrinkage and drooping (nobody wants that). Just roll the crust out, transfer it to a plate (rolling up the overhanging edge), and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
When you’re ready to blind bake, transfer the crust to a pie plate and line the pastry with aluminum foil. Then fill the crust not with the typical beans or pie weights, but instead jam-packed with good old granulated sugar; sugar, because of its fine grains, packs into the shell more fully and weighs every inch of it down more, ensuring the shell doesn’t contract at all as it bakes.
Even better, the baked sugar can be used repeatedly as a pie weight, but it can also be used as a flavorful, toasted alternative to plain granulated sugar.
Recipe courtesy of Serious Eats.com
