Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie with Toasted Pecan Crumble

Seagram’s 7 Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water (So dry here in Denver, I’ve used more…just enough for it to hold together)

Topping:

• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:

• 5 to 6 medium-size tart apples, such as Braeburn, Cortland or Winesap
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Seagram’s 7, Southern Comfort or your favorite bourbon
• 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream (half and half will require a bit more time to cook down to sauce)

Garnishes (optional):

• Vanilla or cinnamon ice cream
• Whipped cream
• Caramel sauce (purchased or use this recipe with or without the cinnamon and rum)

Preparation

Crust

1. Pulse the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add the  butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to form a ball. Add an additional 1 tablespoon water of water at a time until it does. Form the dough into a disk,; wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Topping

1. In a food processor, process the sugars, the cinnamon, salt and flour for about 1 minute. Add butter; pulse 10 to 15 times, until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the pecans. Refrigerate the topping, covered, in a a medium bowl until ready to use.

Filling

1. Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, allow it to cook until it starts to turn a warm brown color; watch very carefully!
3. Add the apples and sauté for 5  minutes.
4. Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle it on the apples, and reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Simmer the apples for about 1 minute.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples from the skillet to a large baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer. This will keep them from getting soggy.
6. Pour the bourbon into the butter-sugar mixture in the skillet. Simmer the mixture over medium heat at least 5 minutes, until the alcohol burns off. Add the cream, and continue cooking about 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick as pourable caramel. Allow to cool while preparing crust.

Preparation

1. Transfer the pie dough to a lightly sugared flat surface (I use powdered sugar in lieu of flour when making pie crusts for a sweet dish).
2. Roll it into a 1/8-inch-thick circle large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. (To keep the dough from sticking, gently pick it up every once in a while and rotate it in place, adding more powdered sugar underneath if necessary.)
3. Wrap the dough lightly over the rolling pin, and set it in the ungreased pie plate. Press it into place, and crimp the outside edges with your finger or a fork.
4. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust, and sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is brown. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature with ice cream, whipped cream and/or caramel sauce.