Apple Pie of Everyone's Eye!

Thanksgiving Day is approaching. What food do you look most forward to indulging? The turkey with gravy, fluffy white mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmellows or a dessert? 

The dessert table is often filled with pies. I am not a big fan of pies. Why? I don't like pie crust, even home made. But my opinion changed one day back in November 2001. 

 I use to train Seeing Eye dogs. That November I was staying at a hotel in Falmouth, MA  for 10 days. I was doing a home training and placing a Seeing Eye dog with its new owner. I volunteered for this assignment as my fiance lived in nearby Boston. 

Before heading out to "work" that day I was watching Good Morning America. Emeril Lagasse was hosting an “Apple Pie of Emeril’s Eye” contest. Entries from all over the country were submitted. The winner -Marsha Brooks from Carmel, Indiana (where I later moved to) 

Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie. Best part, no top pie crust! Instead an oatmeal streusel topping. I made that recipe a few weeks later and got rave reviews. Now I bake that pie every Thanksgiving. Actually I bake 2 because 1 is not enough:) 

This pie is simple. I use a store bought crust.   This year I'm considering no crust and adapt it into an apple crisp. 

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 pastry crust for a deep-dish pie, 9-inch (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/8 t salt
• 6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (I do 3 Golden delicious, 2  Fuji)
• 1 recipe crumb topping (see below)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional 
• 1/4 cup caramel topping (I use Smuckers caramel ice cream topping)

Ingredients for Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions for Crumb Topping:

1. Stir together brown sugar, flour and oats.
2. Cut in butter until topping is like course crumbs. Set aside.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.
2. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated.
3. Transfer apple mixture to the pie shell.
4. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture
5. Place pie on a cookie sheet so the drippings don’t drop into your oven.
6. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil.
7. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and put back in for another 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle with caramel.
9. Cool on a wire rack. If can't enjoy immediately then just warm in oven.*Best with vanilla ice cream.