Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
2 eggs separated, (yolks for the pastry, whites for the glaze)
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Caramel Apples:
1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the top
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 lemon, halved
8 apples (recommended: Granny Smith and Gala)

1 tablespoon flour
1 cinnamon stick, freshly grated
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the chunks of cold butter with
a pastry blender, a little at a time, until the dough resembles cornmeal. Add the 2 egg yolks and the ice
water, and blend for a second just to pull the dough together and moisten. Be careful not to overwork the
dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1
hour.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.

To make the caramel sauce: place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook, stirring constantly, over
medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner
and add the cream and wine slowly. It may bubble and spit, so be careful. When the sauce has calmed down,
return it to the flame, add the vanilla bean and heat it slowly, until the wine and caramel are smooth and
continue to slowly cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice. Peel the apples with a paring knife, cut

them in half, and remove the core with a melon baller. Put the apple halves in the lemon-water (this will keep
them from going brown). Toss the apples with the flour and cinnamon.


Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return 1 of
the balls to the refrigerator, until ready for the top crust. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes
so it will be pliable enough to roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface
into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch glass pie pan.
Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. The apples need to be thinly
sliced so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets. This makes a dense,
meaty apple pie. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no
gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the cooled red wine caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the
layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie
cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.

Now, roll out the other ball of dough just as you did the first. Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a

little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and using some kitchen
scissors, trim off the overhanging excess from around the pie. Crimp the edges of dough together with your
fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking. Place the pie
on a sheet tray and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil, so the crust does not cook faster than the
apples.

Directions

Bake the caramel apple pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small
bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the foil from the pie
and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the
oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is golden and bubbling. Let the apple pie rest at
room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall
apart when you cut into it.