Deep Fried Apple Dumplings with Miso Caramel Dipping Sauce

You know how sometimes something is really, really hyped up and you're just like, "uh huh, okay, but it can't actually be that amazing."  Well, I just wanted to let you know that miso caramel is *actually* that amazing!  I first heard about it on Food52, but then I noticed that some of my favorite food bloggers were also incorporating it into their apple pies and raving about it.  It is rather rich and strong so it might not be for everyone, but if you like salted caramel and miso, you'll probably love this caramel too.  The best way I can describe it is "flavor bomb".  Try it on ice cream, in apple pies, with apple slices, or just straight out of the jar!

The reason I even decided to make miso caramel is because I was invited by Rebecca and Ruth from Square Meal Round Table to join a fall collaboration with a bunch of other Instagrammers/food bloggers centered around the prompt #Aisforalltheapples.  I had the idea to make apple dumplings, but not the American baked kind using pastry dough; I wanted to make them with Hong Kong style dumpling skins and shape them like pot stickers.  Get it?  Instead of pan-frying them, though, I was going to deep fry them like McDonald's used to fry their apple pies!  And I figured to continue with the Asian twist, I'd pair the apple dumplings with miso caramel sauce.

When it came time to shape the dumplings, I decided to go a little crazy with the pleating since I knew I wasn't making that many, but it's entirely unnecessary to do that many pleats.  In fact, I also experimented with making a couple that were just folded in half, sealed, and then crimped with a fork so that the looked like little hand pies (see above).  This shape was actually the easiest to fry evenly and dip in the caramel, so I'd probably make them this way in the future, unless I specifically wanted the pot sticker shape.

Deep Fried Apple Dumplings
makes about 2 dozen

2 apples (I used gala but fuji or pink lady would work too)
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt
Dumpling skins
Oil for frying

Peel the apples and finely dice.  Mix with the brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the apples are tender and liquid starts to form.  Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

Wet the edges of the dumpling skins and fill with the apple mixture.  Seal tightly.

Heat the oil in a pot to 350°F.  Fry the dumplings until golden brown and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.  Serve immediately with the miso caramel dipping sauce (recipe below).

Miso Caramel Dipping Sauce (from Minxeats via Food52)
makes 1 pint

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons white miso

Heat the sugar and water over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil and continue to cook without stirring until it turns a medium amber and wisps of smoke just start to appear.  Immediately remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream.  If the caramel seizes, just return the pan to low heat and continue to whisk until everything is liquid again.  Whisk in the miso.  Pour into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator if not using immediately.  Rewarm briefly in the microwave before using after refrigeration.

Check out the rest of the entries in this collaboration below!

• Cloudy Kitchen’s Salted Caramel and Apple Babka
• Square Meal Round Table’s Chai Spiced Tarte Tatin
• The Wood and Spoon’s Maple Apple Cake
• The Cooking of Joy’s Deep Fried Apple Dumplings with Miso Caramel Dipping Sauce
• Pensive Foodie’s Mini Bacon Crusted Apple Pies
• My Kitchen Love’s Bird’s Nest Caramel Apple Cake  
• More Icing Than Cake’s Apple Butter Pretzels with Rosemary Cheddar Dip
• Casey Joy Lister’s Waldorf Salad’s Twisted Sister
• The Kitchen Sink’s Apple Cheddar Loaf
• What Should I Make For’s Apple Puff Pastry Tarts
• Jessie Sheehan Bakes’ Apple Fritters
• Smart in the Kitchen’s Gluten Free Apple Cranberry Crisp
• This Healthy Table’s Cardamom Apple Tart
• Figs & Flour’s Apple Purple Potato Pizza
• Something New for Dinner’s Savory Bread Pudding with Apples, Sausage, and Pecan
• Always Eat Dessert’s Apple Spice Scones with Maple Bourbon Glaze
• Rezel Kealoha’s Rose Poached Apples with Rosewater Reduction
• The Soup Solution’s Fennel Sausage and and Apple Dressing (Stuffing)
• Lemon Thyme and Ginger’s Smoky Maple Apple Dutch Baby
• Gobble the Cook’s One Pan Pork Chops and Sausages with Apple
• Hola Jalapeno’s Fluffy Apple Chili Biscuits
• Salt and Wind’s Pomegranate Ginger Apple Cider Punch
• What Annie’s Eating’s Butternut Squash/Apple Soup with Asiago and Sage Croutons
• Flours in Your Hair’s Brown Butter Bourbon Apple Pie
• Confetti Kitchen’s Kale Salad with Chicken and Apple
• Salted Plains’ Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Cake
• Easy and Delish’s Fun Candy Corn Apple Pops
• This Mess is Ours’ Easy Baked Apple Custard
• Butter Loves Company’s Gingerbread with Brandied Apples
• Zestful Kitchen’s Puffed Apple Pancake
• Sweet Pillar Food’s Apple Honey Brie
• A Farmgirl’s Dabbles Peanut Butter Apple Cookies
• Amee's Savory Dish’s Peanut Butter Protein Dip
• Especially Southern Dishes’ Apple Pie Egg Rolls
• Pie Girl Bakes’ Salted Caramel Apple Pie
• Cocoa and Salt’s Vegan Apple Stuffin’ Muffins
• Saltnpepperhere’s Honey Apple Muffins
• Worthy Pause’s Thanksgiving-in-Your-Mouth Paleo Stuffing
• Baking The Goods’ Apple Cheddar and Thyme Scones
• Smart in the Kitchen’s Gluten Free Apple Cranberry Crisp
• Measuring Cups Optional’s Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
• Inspired by the Seasons’ Brussels Sprout & Apple Slaw
• Sprouting Radiance’s White Bean and Apple Soup
• Feed the Swimmer’s Apple Buckwheat Galette with Halva and Maple Tahini
• It’s a Veg World After All’s Individual Microwave Apple Crisp
• Farm and Coast Cookery’s Apple Cider Donut "French Toast"
• Champagne and Cookies’ Apple Cheddar Galette
• What’s Karen Cooking’s Country Apple Cake with Cardamom Apple Compote
• The Foodie and the Fit’s Venetian Bread Pudding with Apples
• Ful-filled’s Milopita - Greek Apple Cake
• Blossom to Stem’s Apple Beehive

Next:  Slow-Roasted Ginger Scallion Salmon
Previously:  Crane Rangoons
Last Year:  Pear Apple Cranberry Slab Pie
Two Years Ago:  Pad Thai
Three Years Ago:  Mochi Donuts and Pon de Rings
Four Years Ago:  Bahian Style Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)
Five Years Ago:  Magical Pumpkin Spice Latte

Quintessential Apple Pie with Bacon Fat Crust

Food52 started its cookbook club this month, and the inaugural cookbook was Kate McDermott's Art of the Pie!  I thought it was an interesting choice because it's the dead of winter here in New England, and I usually think of the summer and fall as better pie-making seasons.  But I was able to get a copy of the book from the library so I figured I'd take a look and see what might inspire me.

The first pie I tried was the Banana Rum Caramel Coconut Pie because, while there were several components to the pie--a blind baked pie crust, bananas, rum caramel, rum pastry cream, and toasted coconut chips--I actually already had all the ingredients!  Personally, I thought the pie was too sweet, but it didn't stop me from trying a couple more pies from the book.

Since I had a bunch of egg whites leftover from rum pastry cream for the previous pie, I decided to try my first lemon meringue pie.  While the pie tasted great, I had issues with the meringue weeping even after following all the directions from the book.  I was also a little confused with the direction to "pull up some soft peaks with the handle of a spoon".  I got little itty-bitty peaks whereas I would've preferred larger waves.  If I ever make a meringue pie again, I'll probably just use a spatula to do that.

My favorite pie that I made from the book was the Quintessential Apple Pie.  Kate's preferred pie crust is one made with butter and leaf lard, but since I didn't feel like sourcing any leaf lard, I turned to what I already had in my freezer:  bacon fat.  It was definitely more malleable than the butter even when chilled, but I think it made for a wonderfully flaky pie crust with a subtle bacon flavor.

For the filling Kate suggests using a mix of sweet and tart apples, so I used a blend of Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Cortland, and Red Delicious apples.  She also wrote that you don't need to peel the apples if the skins are pretty thin, so I nixed that time-consuming step.  She was right; the inclusion of the apple peels didn't really make a difference in the texture of the cooked filling and may have even improved the taste with their tannins.

And since I've been eyeing Serious Eats' herringbone lattice crust for a while now, I decided to try it on top of this pie.  It was actually my first time making any sort of lattice pie crust!  I was pretty pleased with the result even though I did mess up the pattern.  Because you want the filling to be quite flat before laying the herringbone lattice on top, I decided to pre-cook the apple pie filling which reduces the volume ahead of time and prevents the dreaded gaping hole between the top crust and filling after baking.

Quintessential Apple Pie with Bacon Fat Crust (adapted from Art of the Pie)
makes 1 pie

For the pie crust:
1/2 cup rendered bacon fat
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup ice water

Cut the bacon fat and butter into tablespoon-size pieces.  Place the bacon fat, butter, flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 15 times.

Add 1/4 cup of the ice water and pulse 10 more times.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup of ice water and pulse 5 more times.  Dump the contents into another bowl and use chilled hands to bring the dough together.  Divide the dough in half and place half in the fridge.

Place the other half on a floured surface and cover with plastic wrap.  Roll the dough out to 1/16" thickness and an inch or two larger than your pie pan.  Carefully transfer to the pie pan, trim the edges, cover, and let chill in the refrigerator.  Add the excess trimmings to the other half of the pie dough that was already chilling in the fridge.

For the filling:
10 cups of apples, preferably a mix of tart and sweet ones with thin skins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 gratings of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon artisan apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg white (for the egg wash)

Leaving the skins on, slice the apples and mix with the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.  Cook in a large pan over medium-low for about 15 minutes, just until the juices start to flow.  Toss with the vinegar and flour and let cool completely before filling the pie shell.  Dot the top of the apples with the small pieces of butter.

If you want to do the herringbone lattice, follow the directions from Serious Eats.  Otherwise, roll out the other half of the dough and top the pie, cutting a few vents on top.  Trim the excess dough and crimp the edges.  Cover the pie and let it chill in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 425°F.

Mix the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and brush on top of the pie.  Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for another 40 minutes.  Cool the pie for at least an hour before serving.

Next:  Japanese Chicken Curry Rice
Previously:  French Onion Tater Totchos
Two Years Ago:  Hugo & Victor's Pink Grapefruit Tart
Three Years Ago:  Okonomiyaki
Four Years Ago:  Cauliflower Steak with Cauliflower Puree
Seven Years Ago:  Bacon Caramel Corn
Eight Years Ago:  Wok-Fried Edamame with Garlic

Pear Apple Cranberry Slab Pie

Sometimes you get an idea in your head that you just need to make a reality.  This was one of those times.  I already had alphabet cookie cutters from another project and a good slab pie recipe.  I didn't have any leaf cookie cutters, but those were easy enough to freehand cut out of the dough.

For the filling I used up fruits that had been accumulating from my Boston Organics deliveries and ended up using 3 pears, 2 apples, and 4 oz. of cranberries, which I think ended up being about 5-6 cups of chopped fruit.  I liked how the cranberries added a little tartness and color to the otherwise simply sweet filling.  (If you want to add more than 4 oz. of cranberries, I would also up the amount of sugar to account for the additional tartness.)

I cheated a little and didn't make a bottom crust, but in the end I think that was a good call because it saved a lot of time and aggravation and really, no one likes the soggy bottom crust right?  That meant I could make the top crust a little thicker and have plenty of dough left for the cut outs.  If I had had the time, I would've added more leaves, but for my first attempt at pie dough decorations, I think it went pretty well.  =)

Pear Apple Cranberry Slab Pie
makes a 9" x 13" slab pie

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed
3 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
3 pears, peeled and chopped
2 apples, peeled and chopped
4 oz. fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, beaten

Remove a heaping tablespoon of flour from the 2 cups and reserve for the filling.  Mix the remaining flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor.  Add the butter and pulse until the butter has been cut into pea-sized pieces.  Add the water and pulse to combine.  Add more water if needed, a teaspoon at a time, just until the dough comes together.  Form the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the chilled dough on a large piece of floured parchment paper or Silpat and roll the dough out to a 9" x 13" rectangle about 1/6" thick.  You should have enough leftover dough to make cut outs from.  Cover and return to the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Mix the sugar with the reserved flour and cinnamon,  Toss with the chopped pears, apples, and cranberries.  Pour into a 9" x 13" baking pan.

Decorate the pie dough as you like and place it over the fruit.  Make an egg wash by mixing the beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water.  Brush the entire crust with the egg wash.  Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Next:  Cranberry Curd Tart
Previously:  Soy Garlic Glazed Korean Fried Cauliflower
Last Year:  Pad Thai
Two Years Ago:  Raindrop Cake
Three Years Ago:  My Mom's Taiwanese Sticky Rice
Four Years Ago:  Duchikey (Simplified Turkducken)
Seven Years Ago:  Nanaimo Bars
Eight Years Ago:  Homemade Crystallized Ginger

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

As soon as I saw this recipe on Use Real Butter, I knew I needed to make it.  Combining soft, warm cinnamon rolls with ooey, gooey caramel sauce and diced apples is a totally irresistible combination!

I didn't have two round pans, so I ended up baking half the rolls in a round pan and half in a square pan.  Because of the shapes of the pans, I decided to make the suggested 7 rolls in the round pan and 9 smaller rolls in the square pan.  I would definitely take the suggestion to place a sheet pan or aluminum foil underneath the pans while baking to catch any caramel that might spill over.

Reducing the apple cider and making the caramel takes a bit of time and monitoring, so you can do those steps the day before if you like.  You could even make everything up to the point where you place the shaped buns in the baking pans and refrigerate them overnight to bake the following morning after they've come to room temperature and doubled in size.

I underestimated the amount of all-purpose flour I had on hand when I started making this and had to replace half the amount of flour with white whole wheat flour.  I don't think it affected the flavor too much, but it was probably less fluffy and soft as it could have been.  I also halved the amount of butter used in the filling because I didn't think I needed a full stick in there.  I like to think of my version as "half-healthy".

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from Use Real Butter)
makes 14 large or 18 smaller rolls

For the dough:
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
Vegetable oil

For the filling:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
2 cups apple, peeled, cored, and small dice

For the apple cider caramel:
2 cups apple cider
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Combine 2 1/2 cups of flour and the yeast in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Place the milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir together to dissolve the sugar until the mixture is just warm (the butter should be just melted). Pour the milk mixture into the mixing bowl containing the flour and yeast. Add the egg. Beat with paddle attachment for 30 seconds on low speed. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as the dough can take. Knead 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic (you can do this with a dough hook and finish by hand or knead by hand). Grease a large bowl with the vegetable oil. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the large greased bowl. Turn the dough over to coat the entire thing with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until the volume has doubled.

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Cut 1/2 cup butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Pour the apple cider into a medium saucepan and warm over medium-high heat. Let the cider boil down until it has reduced to 1/4 cup in volume (doesn’t have to be exact, but no more than 1/3 cup), about 20 minutes.  Measure out the cream into a microwaveable measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds .  Place the sugar in a clean medium saucepan over medium heat. When the sugar begins to melt, gently swirl it around to distribute the rest of the unmelted sugar. When completely melted, let the liquid sugar turn a medium to dark amber color. Slowly pour the hot cream into the caramelized sugar while stirring. It will splatter and bubble, that’s okay, keep stirring. Return the pan to low heat and stir until all of the hard caramelized sugar has melted and your sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the reduced apple cider, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and vanilla.

Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly-floured large (bigger than 24×16 inches) work surface. Alternatively, you can halve the dough and work on a smaller surface, which is what I did.  Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Butter two 9-inch round pans or two 8-inch square pans. Pour half of the apple cider caramel in each pan. Set aside. Roll the dough out into a 24×16-inch rectangle, if you're working with all the dough at once.  If you're only working with half, roll out into a 12x16-in rectangle. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar filling evenly over the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch margin bare along the long side furthest from you (this is to make sure you can pinch it closed when you roll it up). Do the same with the diced apple.

Roll up the dough incrementally to ensure that the filling stays put.  Pinch the clean edge onto the roll to seal it. Cut the roll into 14 equal-width pieces if you are using the round pans and 18 equal-width pieces if you are using the square pans. Set the slices cut-side down in the baking pans, cover and let rise for 45 minutes until doubled in volume.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover the rolls and bake for 45 minutes until lightly browned. If using 2-inch high pans, you may want to set foil or a baking sheet under the rack to catch any caramel drips. Invert the baking pans onto a serving plate and serve warm.

Next:  Spatchcock Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables
Previously:  Raindrop Cake
Two Years Ago:  Cereal Milk Panna Cotta with Cornflake Crunch

Apple Cider Donuts

Cider donuts from Honeypot Hill

One of my favorite things about fall is apple cider donuts.  They have to come fresh from an apple orchard from New England, though, preferably on a brisk, sunny day.  I've tried the ones they sell at super markets and even the state fair, but they're just not the same.

If you've never had one before, you might be disappointed to hear that they don't really taste like apple cider.  That said, they're still incredibly delicious and pair perfectly with a nice, cold glass of cider.  I like my cider donuts on the small side, coated with cinnamon and sugar, and, most importantly, fresh from the fryer so that they're still warm and crispy.  The interior should be cakey, but not dry, and never, ever greasy.

Luckily, even if you don't live in New England, you can make your own as long as you can get your hands on some real apple cider:  the cloudy, unfiltered kind that burns just a little bit on the way down your throat, not the weak, see through stuff they sell off-season.

Apple Cider Donuts (from Food52)
makes 10-12 donuts

1 cup apple cider
2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup buttermilk
canola oil, for frying
1/2 cup sugar, for topping
2 teaspoons cinnamon, for topping

Bring the apple cider to a boil over high heat and cook it until it has reduced to 1/3 cup, 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the donuts.

   
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

   
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the shortening and sugar together on medium speed until sandy. Add in the egg and egg yolk and mix on high until light and thickened, about 5 minutes.
  
Mix the reduced apple cider and buttermilk together. Then add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk mixture to the mixer in three additions mixing until just combined. The dough will be soft and sticky much like cookie dough.

  
Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour or overnight.
   
When you are ready to roll and fry the donuts, heat a large pot or dutch oven with at least 2 inches of oil over medium heat until the oil reaches 370ºF on a candy thermometer.

Gently roll the chilled dough out onto a generously floured board or piece of parchment paper into a circle about 1/2'' thick and about 8'' wide.

Cut as many donuts as possible, making sure to flour the cutters before each cut.  If at any time the dough becomes too soft to handle, just put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Place the cut donuts on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes until they are slightly firm and easier to handle. While the donuts are chilling, stir together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping in a shallow, wide bowl.

   
Brush off any excess flour and fry the donuts for about 1 minute per side, being careful not to crowd the pan.  When the donuts are deep golden brown on each side, remove them from the oil, gently blot off excess oil and toss immediately in the cinnamon sugar.

I had a couple of issues with this version:  the finished product was a little too dense for my liking, the outside was only barely crispy, even fresh out of the fryer, and I had a hard time getting the cinnamon and sugar to stick to the donut.  My friends who got to try them liked them enough, though, so I probably just have really high standards when it comes to cider donuts.  Next time I might try Smitten Kitchen's version, which are fried in Crisco.

Next:  Pluot Lambic Sorbet
Previously:  Salted Butter Caramel Apple Pie with Vodka Pie Crust
Last year:  Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard Quiche

Salted Butter Caramel Apple Pie with Vodka Pie Crust

My church went apple picking last weekend, and I went with the express purpose of picking apples to make this pie.  Or more precisely, so I could make this pie crust from America's Test Kitchen.  I first made the vodka pie crust three years ago with Tammy.  It made the flakiest, most flavorful pie crust I had ever eaten, but it uses shortening, an ingredient I don't usually have on hand.  Luckily, my new roommate had some from when she made this same pie crust (it's her favorite, too!).

*photo by Tammy Hui

According to America's Test Kitchen, the addition of the vodka helps to keep the pie dough tender because it inhibits the formation of gluten while still acting like a binder for the dry ingredients.  The shortening also helps to prevent gluten from forming because unlike butter, it doesn't contain any water.  Yay, science! 

*Pro-tip:  If you don't have a rolling pin, the vodka bottle works!

I adapted the filling and salted caramel sauce from Sally's Baking Addiction.  Sadly, I took my sugar off the heat too soon, and my sauce is more of a blond sweet butter sauce than a caramel, but it still tastes uber delicious!

If you can, try to use a variety of apples for the pie so you have some sweet and some tart, some softer and some firmer.  I picked Macintosh, Golden Supreme, and Honeycrisp apples for this pie.

Salted Butter Caramel Apple Pie with Vodka Pie Crust
makes 1 pie

For the pie crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
1/4 cup vodka, chilled
1/4 cup ice water

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, and salt together in food processor until combined.  Scatter butter and shortening over top and continue to process until incorporated and mixture begins to form uneven clumps with no remaining floury bits.  Sprinkle remaining 1 cup flour over dough and pulse until mixture has broken up into pieces and is evenly distributed around the bowl.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl.  Sprinkle vodka and ice water over mixture.  Stir and press dough together, using stiff rubber spatula, until dough sticks together.

Divide dough into 2 even pieces.  Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a 4-inch disk.  Wrap each piece tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the caramel sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup room temperature water
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Combine the granulated sugar, salt, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook without stirring, until the syrup becomes a medium dark amber caramel, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and immediately stir in the room temperature butter and cold heavy cream. Do not worry if the butter starts to separate; it will come together as the caramel cools. Transfer the caramel to a medium bowl and whisk until the caramel begins to come together.  Set aside.

For the apple pie:
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 large apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced (use a variety for better flavor, such as Macintosh, Golden Supreme, and Honey Crisp)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

Put the lemon zest and lemon juice into a very large bowl. Add the apples and toss gently. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar. Pour over the apples and gently toss to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

On a floured work surface, roll out one of the balls of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle about 12" in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9"x2" pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth.

Fill the pie crust with the apples. There are a lot of apples, but pile them tightly and very high. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the salted caramel, reserving the rest for topping.

Roll out the other ball of dough to a 10" circle.  Carefully place on top of the pie.  Fold over any excess dough and crimp all the way around.  Cut a few slits into the top with a sharp knife.

Make an egg wash by beating the egg yolk with the milk.  Brush the top with a very thin coating.

Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes. If the top of your pie is getting too brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil. The pie will be done when the caramel begins to bubble up. A small knife inserted inside should come out relatively clean.

Allow the pie to cool for 4 hours before serving. Drizzle the pie with the extra caramel sauce to serve.

Previously:   Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Black Raspberry Swirl
Next:  Apple Cider Donuts