lljordal's Recipe

Paula Deen Savannah High Apple Pie

Category: Recipes

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

*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.
Yield: topping for 1 pie