French Apple Pie is a delicious type of caramel apple pie that I guarantee everyone will enjoy. It has loads of thinly sliced apples glazed in a French caramel sauce that is just incredible. You probably can’t even imagine how good all the gooey caramel, thick layers of apple, and flaky cinnamon crust will taste. I would probably not give this to any guests if you ever want to try it yourself.
This pie isn’t even that hard to make. All you do is make a simple crust and throw in the apple-caramel mixture. The only hard part of this recipe is making the sauce for the mixture. It can be a little tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it will hardly take more than a few minutes.
So enough of me telling all about this great dessert, just heat up you oven and go experience for yourself this delectable French Apple Pie!
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- three cups of all purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- three-quarters of a cup of butter that is unsalted, that you have cut into pieces
- two eggs that you have separated into whites and yolks
- at least three tablespoons of cold water
For the filling:
- one and a quarter cup of sugar
- three tablespoons of water
- one-quarter cup of cream that is heavy
- one-half a cup of red wine
- half of a vanilla bean that you have already split and scraped out
- half of a lemon
- eight apples
- one tablespoon of flour
- one grated cinnamon stick
- one-quarter cup of butter that is unsalted
Directions:
For the pastry:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix together the salt and flour into a large bowl.
- Blend the cups of cold butter in a blender for pastries.
- Mix both of these together until it is mixed well.
- Now add your egg yolks and cold water, blend it very briefly.
- Scoop together the dough, wrap it up and put it in the fridge for an hour.
For the French caramel sauce:
- In a small pot on medium heat, mix together the sugar and water. Make sure to stir it constantly so it doesn’t stick. Keep doing this until the sugar has melted.
- Take the pot off of the heat and slowly mix in cream and wine. Watch out for spitting!
- Put the mixture back onto the heat and add in the vanilla bean. Keep heating it until the caramel and wine have smoothed out and then keep on cooking it until you have reduced the mixture by half.
- Cool the mixture until it is thick.
For the apple mixture:
- Fill a big bowl with water and squeeze in some lemon.
- Peel, core and slice the apples, then put into the bowl of water.
- In another bowl that is dry, mix the apples with flour and cinnamon.
- Set aside.
To assemble the pie:
- Cut the ball of dough you put in the fridge earlier in half. Wrap up one of the halves again and put it back in the fridge.
- Leave the dough on the counter until you can use it for rolling out.
- After it has warmed up a bit, roll out the dough to a circle that is about 12 inches.
- Press the dough tightly into a glass pie pan that is about 10 inches
- Arrange a layer of apples into the pan, make sure they fit tightly.
- Pour some of the wine and caramel sauce onto this layer.
- Keep repeating the last two steps until it is heaping with apples and sauce.
- Lastly, roll out the other half of the dough out and brush some egg white onto it. Put it on top of pie and crimp and seal it. Cut slits into the top.
- Put the pie onto a sheet for baking and and put a tent of tinfoil on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes, and in a little bowl mix together the rest of the sugar and cinnamon.
- When you take the pie out brush the rest of the egg white on top and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top.
- Put the pie back into the oven for 25 minutes more.
- Cool for at least an hour.
- Enjoy!
Although recipe may seem really long, it is actually not very hard at all, and I promise it won’t take more than three hours. So remember, its not the time it takes, its how good it tastes in the end, and believe it is definitely worth it!