Mom’s Magical Apple Caramel Pie

Pie Filling

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

6 large apples (Granny Smith, Gala, or Cortland)

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Core, peel, and thinly slice the apples, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add zest and juice of the lemon and using your hands make sure the apples are coated in the lemon juice so they don’t turn brown.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples. Use your hands to gently mix and coat the apple slices.

Assemble the pie

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Gather your rolled pie crust, salted caramel, and apple mixture. Begin by layering 1/3 of the apples in the bottom of the crust so that there are minimal gaps. Pour 1/3 of the caramel over the apples. Add 1/3 of the apples and caramel for a second layer, and then add a third layer of apples, and then the caramel again. Save a small portion of the caramel for garnishing.

Assemble the lattice crust and blend in with the fluted edges of the crust.

Topping

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon cream

1/2 teaspoon raw sugar

1 pinch of sea salt

Mix together the yolk and cream. Brush the crust with this egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar and sea salt.

Bake the pie on a baking sheet larger than the pie pan for 20 minutes (otherwise the caramel will bubble over and burn on the bottom of your oven). Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 25 to 35 minutes. You can test the apples for doneness with a small knife. The apples should be just soft.

Let the pie cool. Slice and enjoy with vanilla ice cream!