This Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie with Toasted Pecan Crumble has everything I love in an apple pie. A great crust, a crumble topping and the extra that takes it over the top...a bit of bourbon!
This Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie with Toasted Pecan Crumble is truly comfort food isn't it? Apples are sauteed and mixed with a combination of sugar, butter, and cinnamon...not to mention the richness of Bourbon and I'm in trouble!
Add to those ingredients a flaky crust and apples and it's sort of a fall, fruit flavor combination I could not resist...in May! There is a reason for my madness though and truth be told, after getting rave reviews I wonder why I limit my apple pie baking to the fall anyway.
A friend gave me a copy of the book, ' The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe ' and this recipe was so up my alley. The author called for Southern Comfort which I don't keep on hand but I knew I could modify that ingredient so decided this was the pie I had to make.
So I did and then I posted it on this blog. TEN YEARS AGO! The post was so old that I had actually put it back into drafts so that I could get the pie made again and republish it with new photos. Better photos. I mean MUCH better. I pretty much had no idea what I was doing with a camera 10 years ago and it showed!
But why now? Well, in a nutshell, I got a phone call from the nicest young man in North Carolina, wondering what had happened to the recipe. He had insisted his dad try it but it was nowhere to be found. You can imagine my surprise.
A ten year old recipe with lousy photos was missed? So I found it for him, made it live again and then set out to right the wrong of those awful photos. Thanks Adam; I and my neighbors thank you for being the catalyst for enjoying this pie in the middle of May!
I made two pies, one for a neighbor's birthday and one to share with the rest of the neighbors. They all assured me that a Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie ala Mode was not seasonal; that is was perfect year round. They might be on to something...I loved it too and well, ice cream helped.
This is unique in that the apples are precooked a bit in the sugar and spice mixture, removed after just a couple of minutes of cooking and the remaining sugar and liquids are cooked down to create a caramel type mixture (called caramel but not really the flavor of caramel in my book). The apples are then mixed back in with the liquid before being put into the butter pie crust and topped with a toasted pecan mixture. Sounds good, huh?
As to that Southern Comfort? First...did you know it's actually considered a liqueur? Jack Daniel's Honey Whiskey would be more similar than using a bourbon but SoCo is still loved by many; it's just never been by me...so I had to reboot a bit.
I had both Seagram's 7 and Maker's Mark on hand. Seagram's 7 is a blended whiskey and Maker's Mark a Kentucky Bourbon that's in my liquor cabinet for cocktails so I went the Seagram's route. Use whatever you prefer, bourbon or whiskey; the brand is not important, even SoCo is not important. 🙂
I also added a bit of nutmeg to the original recipe from the book by Rebecca Rather...I just can not help doing something other than what a recipe calls for! Some browning of the butter and my caramel has a unique taste that is lucky if it gets into the pie, I could literally eat it with a spoon! But I didn't, promise.
I remember the first time I made this pie and couldn't wait to try it. I needed a dessert for a small dinner for some neighbors and was anticipating a grand finish...it did not disappoint. It had been awhile, too long actually, and the anticipation was as great this time around. Honestly...this is an amazing pie!
One thing you might notice if you look closely at the photo above? I never peel my apples. Such a time consuming waste if you ask me. The peels soften so much that I think unless you know they weren't peeled you might not even notice. I also used my new electric food slicer on the apples. I see even more apple pies in my future, it made that job SO easy. I'm still having fun with it.
When I originally made this pie, I made my favorite homemade crust using lard. It is truly spectacular. However I'm down to my last piece of frozen lard and needed enough crusts for two pies so I went the quick and easy route and used the Pillsbury pie crusts that you unroll and put into your own pie pan. Yes, sometimes I do love convenience foods too!
This is one of the old photos I'll keep. I love that red handled rolling pin. I can't tell you it's the best ever (even if I think it is!), or ergonomically perfect but what I can tell you is that it was my Grandma's. She died almost 30 years ago at the age of 94 and that was her original rolling pin; it could be close to 100 years old!
Nothing quite makes pie making more fun than thinking of her; she was the absolute best. Still miss you Grandma! Do you have a kitchen tool or utensil that has special meaning to you?
I hope you try this pie in spring or summer but once you do I'll bet you'll want it for your holiday table too!
PIN IT! 'Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie with Toasted Pecan Crumble'
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