Savannah High Apple Pie

By Paula Deen

If you want to test your baking skills...and patience, then look no further (and block out a good 3 hours).  This pie is no doubt, a work in progress recipe for me!  I've baked this pie twice in the last year.  Notably, only for occasions with important guests - meeting the parents and Thanksgiving with my family.  I am looking forward to my next occasion to bake this pie.  Bring it on!

Ingredients
For the Deep Dish Pie Crust:
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups butter-flavored solid shortening (recommended: Crisco)
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup cold water

For the Filling:
24 apples, preferably Golden Delicious or Granny Smith, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced*
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the streusel:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons sugar
1 recipe Caramel Pecan Topping, recipe follows

Directions
*The number of apples depends on the size of the pie.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

For the Deep Dish Pie Crust:  Cut flour into butter-flavored shortening. Add salt and stir in enough water to make stiff dough. Knead slightly together. Chill dough before using.  Use 1/3 of pie dough for bottom crust. Roll bottom crust. Lay in pie pan.

For the filling:  Combine apples, flour, sugar, and cinnamon and mix lightly with spatula.

For the streusel:  In a small bowl combine together butter, brown sugar, flour, pecans and cinnamon. Layer this mix every so often between apples.

Using stainless bowl, begin layering apples slice by slice, slightly overlapping starting at the outside circle of the bowl and working towards the center. Push firmly as the layers build. Round off top layer of apple slices when you reach the top. Put a single layer of sliced apples in the bottom crust.

Take the pie pan with the bottom crust in left hand and the stainless bowl of sliced apples in right hand and invert. Put finger tips under edge of bowl to release the air and gently lift off. Press and firm apples and straighten. Add slices of apple to take away sharp edges (so as not to puncture the pie dough). Add slices of apples to top of pie to round off.  Add 4 tablespoons of butter pats on top of pie.

Roll out top crust using remaining pie dough. Gently place top crust over the mound of apples. Smooth the sides of pie crust towards bottom of pie pulling out on extra crust. Pinch down to seal 2 layers together. Crimp pie for first time. Cut extra crust with the back of a sharp knife. Re-crimp the edges and push towards the pie.

Brush with milk and sprinkle sugar rubbing your left hand from the bottom up to evenly spread your sugar.  Put 5 steam vents with a small knife towards the upper part of the pie. Do not vent at the top as it will cause the pie to split open as it bakes.

Bake between 350 to 375 degrees F for 1 hour, 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool for at least 1 hour.  Spread warm Caramel Pecan Topping on top of crust beginning at the base of the pie above the fluting and working towards the top.

Serving suggestions:  Drizzle caramel pecan topping with semisweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate.

Cook's Note: To add candied pecans to pie recipe, use 2 cups of candied pecans, 1 cup towards the bottom, 1/2 cup towards the middle, and 1/4 cup towards the top.

Caramel Pecan Topping:
2 (12-ounce) cups melted caramel
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup chopped pecan pieces

Melt caramels completely in microwave. Add evaporated milk and stir until smooth consistency. Add chopped pecans and stir. Spread over pie starting at base and working in.

As you can tell, I have many more pies to prepare before I reach the upper echelons of bakers such as Paula.



As Paula would say, Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!