Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

Recipe courtesy of Marsha Brooks, Emeril's Apple Pie Contest winner, 2001

Ingredients:

  1 pastry crust for a deep-dish pie 9-inch (homemade or store-bought)
  1/2 cup sugar

  3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  1/8 tsp salt

  6 cups thinly-sliced peeled apples (You may need more if your family sits by the bowl and sneaks the sliced applies when you are not looking); Marsha likes to use golden delicious and fuji apples.
  1 recipe crumb topping (see below)
  1/2 cup chopped pecans
  1/4 cup caramel 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 rolled oats.

2.  Cut in 1/2 cup 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. (I remove the store-bought pie shell from the aluminum pie plate and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate of my own, but you do not have to.)

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°F oven for 25 minutes. Then remove foil and put back in for another 25 to 30 minutes without foil.

8.  Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle with caramel on top.

9.  Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature.