Caramel Apple Pie with Toffee Streusel

Since the demise of the old Transplanted Baker, I've received several requests for a few of its' "lost" recipes. This, perhaps, has been the most asked for. To my knowledge, this pie has been baked in kitchens from St. Paul, Minnesota, Washington D.C., New York City, and across the ocean to Førde, Norway- just to name a few. If that's not incentive enough, maybe mentioning that I've gotten nothing but positive feedback on the recipe and the results can push you to make this pie. After all, Thanksgiving is in less than a week!

Here's the original post, published in September of 2008:

There are days in the kitchen when everything goes right.

When you feel like you could easily just close your eyes, mix up a batch of brownies, listen to a few tunes on the stereo, and pull out a batch of chocolaty goodness without breaking a sweat. But (and you knew there would be a but), there are other days when your confidence gets the best of you and before you know it, you have to rip up the seems of your perfectly formed double pie crust while the kitchen starts to heat up, the butter begins melting, a great, big, mess beings to form, your pastry brush has gone AWOL, and you start to doubt the quality of toffee you whipped up from scratch because your new homeland doesn’t sell Score Bars!!! And to top things off, the clothes you hung up to dry outside, are starting to get rained on. But then, right before you start to cry, Bob Dylan goes into a new song and you’re afternoon (and your pie) are saved-

“Don’t think twice, it’s all right” 

I should also probably mention that soon after, I looked through the kitchen window and saw this:

As tiring as the rain can be, there are perks to living in a 11-month a year monsoon region. Perks like frequent rainbows (and double rainbows), really green grass, clean, crisp air, oh- and this. 

And now I’d like to introduce you to today’s post: Caramel Apple Pie with Toffee Streusel. 

 

While I am sure it is debatable, I strongly believe that the two items a baker puts the most love into, are pies and yeast breads. A batch of chocolate chip cookies can be cranked out in half an hour flat, but a loaf of bread or a good old fashioned pie? That’s real commitment.  The kneading, the rising, the waiting, the rolling, the attention one must pay to cutting in the butter, the careful section of only the best fruit, now that’s a true sign of love. My recipe for today’s pie comes from a good friend back in Minneapolis, via Mrs. Marles Riessland of Riverdale, Nebraska. It’s a great recipe; one I’ve made once before with great success. It is a bit on the time consuming side, especially when you are forced to make your own toffee and use all your might to break it up into tiny pieces, but it’s 100% worth the effort. Some might argue that a basic apple pie is perfection and there’s no need to mess with perfection. But then again, those people have never tasted a slice of Mrs. Riessland’s blue ribbon pie.

This would make a fantastic addition to the Thanksgiving dessert buffet, but since it does have the combination of caramel and apple, it would be perfectly suited for any autumn celebration. Perhaps after a day spent out at the orchard or after you cave into the charming man in overalls at the farmer’s market, who persuades you to buy a full peck instead of just a half. I imagine you could use really any type of toffee for the streusel topping, but the pre-chopped Score pieces found in the baking aisle work like a charm.

One last inside tip: if you’re short on time or just feeling lazy, the caramelized apples alone make a great topping for vanilla ice cream! In fact, they’re so good I find myself just eating them straight from the pan.

Caramel Apple Pie with Toffee Streusel

Karamell og Eple Pai med Toffee Topp

*Recipe from Heather Saliba, via Marles Riessland

 

Crust:

3 cup (420 g) All-Purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (225 g) + 1 Tablespoon butter or butter flavored shortening, chilled

1/3 cup (80 ml) ice water

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 egg, beaten

 

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in the butter, then slowly mix in the water, vinegar, and egg. Chill for 30 minutes, then shape into two discs (one slightly larger than the other), and wrap well in plastic. Chill overnight.

 

Filling:

6 cups (6 medium sized) sliced and peeled apples

1/2 cup l(100 g) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (35 g) All-Purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup (70 ml) heavy cream

1/2 stick (4 T.) butter

 

Combine dry ingredients. Toss apples to coat, add lemon juice, vanilla, and cream, giving apples another good toss. Cook apples in butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.  While apples are cooking, roll out pie crusts on lightly floured surface. Place the slightly larger crust into a pie plate as the base. Trim any extreme excess. Fill with the apple filling.

 

Topping:

1/2 cup (70 g) All-Purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon butter, chilled

3 oz. (85 g) Toffee pieces

1 beaten egg white

Preheat oven to 450F/225C. Combine dry flour and sugar. Cut in butter. Add toffee and stir. Sprinkle over apple filling. Cover with the slightly larger pie crust. Make small ventilation holes. Brush the beaten egg white over top. Bake on bottom rake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F/175C and cover up your edges with foil, if necessary. Bake for an additional 30-40 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack or window ledge of an open window in Riverdale, Nebraska. Serve with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or a tall glass of milk. 

Comments

[Heather]

Oooooh! Are you making this for Thanksgiving? Are you making a Thanksgiving? We're doing the Chinese take-out, pajamas, and movie day, and I'm really looking forward to it.

[Murasaki Shikibu]

Hi Siri,

I'm looking for a nice sweetbread recipe. Do you have something? :)

[Megan@Feasting on Art]

Ohhh! This looks great. I am loving the archives seeing as I missed them the first time round. Toffee strusel = delish!

[Sassy Molassy]

I just printed out a few of your recipes I've been meaning to make. perhaps this means now they will actually be put to use! As usual, great work lady.

[Britani DeFoe]

I made this tonight...thanksgiving tomorrow! It smelled so fabulous I actually had to cut into it. I think a pie looks even more loved with one slice cut out before you even serve it to your in-laws..right?! Fabulous!!

[Nathan Bedingfield]

Whoa! That's an intense double rainbow all the way across the sky! On other note, the apple pie looks finely done, from the crust to the smooth filling, the sight will make you wanna dive at your monitor just to have a bite of that goodness!