Caramel Apple Pie

My husband will be the first to say that he really likes my apple pie, but when he came to me with a recipe he found on Allrecipes.com, I was a little surprised that he wanted me to try something new. 

But I wanted to take the challenge and when I realized it was a Caramel Apple Pie with a Lattice Top, I was definitely up for the challenge. 

Let me tell you how delicious this pie was. It was not too sweet and had a nice syrup to it that made it extra special. 

I can't wait to make it again!!!!

6 TBS unsalted butter

1/2 C white sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C water

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 TBS flour

5 apples - peeled, cored and sliced

1 pastry for double crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.
3. Roll out half the pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate; pour in apple slices previously tossed in flour.
4. Roll out top crust into a 10-inch circle. Cut into 8 (1-inch) wide strips with a sharp paring knife or pastry wheel. Weave the pastry strips, one at a time, into a lattice pattern. Fold the ends of the lattice strips under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp to seal.
5. Pour butter-sugar mixture over top of pie, coating the lattice, and allowing any remaining sauce to drizzle through the crust.
6. Place pie on baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake until the crust is golden brown, the caramel on the top crust is set, and the apple filling is bubbling, 35 to 40 more minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chef-johns-caramel-apple-pie/

** There is also a video tutorial with the recipe that helps with making the lattice top.

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Banana Cream Pie

My oldest son absolutely loves bananas...

We have a really hard time keeping them in the house and I have an even harder time baking with them. 

This last time, I told him I couldn't try new recipes if he ate all the bananas, so I'm proud to say that he resisted the temptation and I made a

Banana Cream Pie

The recipe was taken from the

"Family Fun Cookbook" 
By Deanna F. Cook

I bought it years ago and have made many recipes with the kids. 

It's such a nice compilation of recipes that were featured in the 

'Family Fun Magazine'. 

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I first made the 
Graham Cracker Crust: 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

6 TBS unsalted butter, melted

Mix the crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Distribute the mixture evenly around the pie pan. Press it against the pan, the bottom first and then the sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then cool before filling. 

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I then made the filling for the pie: 

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

3 cups milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 TBS unsalted butter

2 large ripe bananas

Blend sugar, cornstarch milk and eggs in a large saucepan. Stirring constantly until the filling is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap so that a skim doesn't form and let the mixture cool for 30 minutes. 

Restir and pour half of the pudding into the baked pie crust. Slice the bananas evenly over the cream. Pour the remaining pudding over the bananas, then refrigerate until ready to serve. 

* The recipe calls for 2 bananas. Next time, I'll probably add 3 or more. 

Everyone loved it. My husband said that he'd eat just the pudding and bananas. He said there was no real need for the crust. LOL! 

Here is the finished product...

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