Dutch Carmel Apple Crumb Pie

We combine several different recipes and brainstormed some ideas at our house recently and came up with this pie.

Peeled, cored and sliced 6 cups of apples.  We used a combination of soft sweet apples and firm tart apples.  Sprinkle cinnamon on the apples, then fill a 4 quart casserole dish and cover with lid or foil.  Cook in oven at 400 until apples are the consistency of chunky apple sauce.

Next create carmel sauce....In a small saucepan combine 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup milk, 2 Tbs flour.  Heat slowly, stirring frequently.  When it gets close to boiling, stir constantly.  Boil for one minute stirring constantly, stir in 2 Tbs vanilla and remove from heat.

Combine cooked down apples and carmel sauce, set aside. 

Prepare a 10 inch pie crust.  2 cups flour, 1 Tbs sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2/3 cups shortening.  Cut shortening in until completely absorbed, then add 6 to 10 Tbs ice water until it forms into a manageable dough.  Dough should be fairly dry, do not add any more water than absolutely necessary to create a workable dough.  Roll dough out and place in glass pie plate.

Preheat oven to 350.  Pour apple and carmel mixture into pie shell.  Peel, core and slice 2 additional cups of firm tart apples (like Granny Smith).  Press apples down into the carmel apple mixture, then cover the carmel apple mixture with a layer of apples.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp salt.  Mix together very well.  Add 1 1/2 sticks of softened butter.  Cut in with pastry cutter until a stiff paste or fine crumbs form.  Cover top of pie evenly with crumb mixture.

Cook with a cookie sheet underneath at 350 until bottom crust of pie is golden.