I was tasked with bringing apple pies over for TGiving. Last year's 8 lb. pie didn't go over as well as I expected (it got a little sloppy when serving and was undercooked). This year I wanted to make my pies smaller but somehow wow people. I colluded with my wife's aunt and I ran a few ideas past her. I experimented about four times. I made a pie every week in Oct.
While discussing recipes, I remembered one of the scents that remind me of the holidays; bay rum. I brought out a jar of homemade bay rum for aunt to sniff and she absolutely loved it! I decided to use the same basic ingredients from my bay rum AS in my pie and it turned out wonderful. It smells just like the aftershave, but tastes just like Christmas. Be easy on the rum sauce, or you'll be feeling much happier than you should. Here's the recipe for anyone interested.
Choose your favorite homemade crust recipe.
Apple pie filling (for one pie):
4 tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
3 lbs granny smith apples
2 lbs sweetie apples (or any other sweet apple. Enough to balance the tartness of the granny smiths)
1/3 to 2/3rds cup sugar (to taste)
1/3rd cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 bay leaves
3 tbsp cornstarch
For the filling, melt the butter in a cast-iron dutch oven or large pot with a cover. Add the apples and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugars and add spices and bay leafs and cornstarch. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the apples have exuded their juices. Uncover and continue cooking until the apples are the desired consistency (I cook them for 15-20 minutes more). Cool the filling. The filling can be made a day or two in advance to let the spices tone down, but it's not necessary.
Place the filling in the pie crust while removing the bay leaves and add a little egg wash and more cinnamon and sugar to the top of the crust. Cut vent holes in the crust and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.
And now for the rum sauce!
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup spiced rum
3 tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water
In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water and blend it thoroughly and place in the fridge.
Combine sugar and water into your cooking pot and bring to a simmer/light boil. Once the liquid starts to get thick, add the cinnamon. Remix the cornstarch and cold water solution so that it's thoroughly blended and SLOWLY add it to the sugar and water mixture.
Continue cooking while stirring constantly until it really thickens up. It should readily stick to your spoon and, when stirring, you should be able to push the mixture aside and see the bottom of your pot. Turn off the heat and slowly add your rum, little by little, until the consistency of the sauce is similar to light gravy. Keep the mixture warm and add water as necessary to prevent crystallization of the sugar.
When serving the rum sauce over the pie, watch out! It will have a kick that will leave you and your guests in the holiday spirit.
Enjoy!
While discussing recipes, I remembered one of the scents that remind me of the holidays; bay rum. I brought out a jar of homemade bay rum for aunt to sniff and she absolutely loved it! I decided to use the same basic ingredients from my bay rum AS in my pie and it turned out wonderful. It smells just like the aftershave, but tastes just like Christmas. Be easy on the rum sauce, or you'll be feeling much happier than you should. Here's the recipe for anyone interested.
Choose your favorite homemade crust recipe.
Apple pie filling (for one pie):
4 tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
3 lbs granny smith apples
2 lbs sweetie apples (or any other sweet apple. Enough to balance the tartness of the granny smiths)
1/3 to 2/3rds cup sugar (to taste)
1/3rd cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 bay leaves
3 tbsp cornstarch
For the filling, melt the butter in a cast-iron dutch oven or large pot with a cover. Add the apples and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugars and add spices and bay leafs and cornstarch. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the apples have exuded their juices. Uncover and continue cooking until the apples are the desired consistency (I cook them for 15-20 minutes more). Cool the filling. The filling can be made a day or two in advance to let the spices tone down, but it's not necessary.
Place the filling in the pie crust while removing the bay leaves and add a little egg wash and more cinnamon and sugar to the top of the crust. Cut vent holes in the crust and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.
And now for the rum sauce!
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup spiced rum
3 tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water
In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water and blend it thoroughly and place in the fridge.
Combine sugar and water into your cooking pot and bring to a simmer/light boil. Once the liquid starts to get thick, add the cinnamon. Remix the cornstarch and cold water solution so that it's thoroughly blended and SLOWLY add it to the sugar and water mixture.
Continue cooking while stirring constantly until it really thickens up. It should readily stick to your spoon and, when stirring, you should be able to push the mixture aside and see the bottom of your pot. Turn off the heat and slowly add your rum, little by little, until the consistency of the sauce is similar to light gravy. Keep the mixture warm and add water as necessary to prevent crystallization of the sugar.
When serving the rum sauce over the pie, watch out! It will have a kick that will leave you and your guests in the holiday spirit.
Enjoy!
