Who Put the Apples in My Bourbon Pie

The first fall frost made an appearance last week and the students from Cornercopia delivered to me a final box of tomatoes. Twenty pounds canned up quickly, like kissing summer goodbye.

Out with the tomatoes, in with the apples. Nature soothes each ending with a beginning. This is good news for T, who loves apple pie almost as much as he loves Packer football and cats. Rather than making the same old apple pie filling tossed with sugar and spices, I wanted to try something saucey and rich. The bourbon vanilla caramel comes together quickly, and makes a kind of custard when baked with the cornstarched apples, but it would be equally delicious warm, poured over ice cream or apple crisp. (Note: This pie is prettier in person than it appears in photos.)

Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie
Cream Cheese Pie Crust7 tablespoons cold butter
3 ounces cold cream cheese
2 cups flour (1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ice water
3 tablespoons ice vodka

Pulse together in processor (or use pastry blender) butter, cream cheese, flour, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and vodka, one tablespoon at a time, and process until dough forms a ball. Divide dough into two discs, wrap in plastic, and chill at least one hour.

Bourbon Vanilla Caramel
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 pod vanilla
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together over medium high heat in small saucepan. Bring to simmer and continue whisking until sugar and sour cream are melted and combined. Remove from heat. Remove vanilla pod.

Apple Filling
6 cups tart baking apples, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Toss apple, cornstarch, and spices together and set aside for 10 minutes.

Pie Assembly
Roll discs into two thin, uniform crusts and place bottom crust into pie plate. Fill with apple filling. Pour caramel sauce over apples. Cover with second crust, seal edges, and pierce top to steam. Sift a tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon over top. Place pie on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for additional 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool before slicing.