Sour Cream Apple Whiskey Pie

Much like Cinnamon Peters from The Christmas River series, I love just about every flavor and variety of pie under the sun. But if I had to choose just one flavor as my favorite, then I'd have to say there's nothing more magical than a slice of homemade, buttery-crusted, creamy apple pie in the fall.  

My love for apple pie can be traced back to childhood. I don't remember my mom baking that many pies growing up (she baked plenty of other delicious things for us, but pie wasn't usually on the menu), so it was always such a special treat when she'd make her Sour Cream Apple Pie. She made it most years in either September or October, and I think that it was the start to my obsession with the dessert. To this day, I think this is my very favorite pie ever because of the fond memories I have of it. My mom still bakes this in the fall, and it's still always such a treat when she does! 

The other day, I felt inspired and decided to use her recipe, which is based on a very excellent one in The Silver Palate Cookbook. I tweaked it a little here and there (whiskey was not in the original recipe!), and I think it turned out pretty tasty. Not as good as my mom's, but still pretty darn good! 

Here's the recipe:   

Sour Cream Apple Whiskey Pie

(makes 1 lattice pie)

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

5 tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

6 tbsp unsalted butter

6 tbsp shortening

6 tbsp apple cider

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry cutter until the mixture becomes pebbly. Add apple cider to the mixture until the dough begins to stick together. Add more cider if necessary. Gather up into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Let it chill in the fridge for at least two hours. 

Bring the dough out from the fridge, and divide in half. Roll out one half of dough, and fit it into a pie dish. With a fork, place some breathing holes in the crust, then place the pie tin in the freezer for half an hour (freezing it before baking helps ensure that the crust will keep its shape!) Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. After half an hour, remove the pie dish from the freezer and bake for ten minutes. Remove from oven, then let cool. 

Filling 

7 Granny Smith apples

3 tbsp butter

2/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp whiskey

3 tbsp flour

Peel and cut apples into eighths. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted and starts bubbling, add the apple slices. Saute for about 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, making sure not to burn the apples. When ready, the apples should be a nice golden shade and should be slightly tender. Remove from heat, and let cool. 

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, salt, whiskey, and flour. Pour mixture over cooled apples, and toss until well-covered. Spoon filling into pre-baked pie crust. 

Topping

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Dust mixture evening over the apple filling before baking. 

Roll out remaining half of crust dough, and cut even lattice strips from it. Weave them atop the pie filling. Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes or so. If the crust starts browning too much, cover with aluminum foil. 

Let cool, then enjoy a slice with whipped cream, ice cream, or even a hunk of good-quality cheddar cheese. Sit back, and enjoy watching the leaves fall!  

 

I hope you enjoy this tasty recipe. Wishing you a very happy October!

MM

Cinnamon's "Last of the Summer" Peach Maple Pecan Pie

It’s hard not to love everything about this time of year.

The days feel magical somehow – it’s still warm and sunny, but the air feels different. The sun has a slant to it that it didn’t have only a few weeks earlier, and every once and a while, a leaf will turn yellow and drift on down to the ground.

It’s not fall yet, but it’s not summer either. It’s a beautiful in between time: A time to appreciate the end of one season, and get excited about the beginning of another.

Cinnamon Peters, the pie-baking heroine of the Christmas River Cozy Mystery series, likes to celebrate this time of year with a delicious peach maple pecan pie she calls "The Last of Summer Pie." It takes peaches, an end-of-summer staple, and pairs them with the rich fall flavors of pecans, maple syrup, and bourbon. Cinnamon likes to think of this pie as the perfect bridge between seasons.

So without further ado, here’s Cin’s recipe for the perfect September dessert!

Cinnamon's "Last of the Summer" Peach Maple Pecan Pie

Inspired in part by Host the Toast 

For Pie Crust: 

1 store-bought butter pie crust, rolled out into pie pan and pre-baked in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

For Filling: 

6 to 7 peaches (not too soft)

2 tbsp of cornstarch

1 1/2 tbsp flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

4 tbsp bourbon

1 tbsp water

3 tbsp plus 1 tbsp butter

1. Roast Peaches: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Halve and pit peaches, and place on baking pan. Brush tops and bottoms with 1 tbsp of melted butter, and roast in oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until fragrant. Remove and let cool. When cool, peel peaches and slice. (Pre-roasting peaches not only makes it easy to peel them, but also ensures maximum flavor.) Place slices in a bowl. 

2. Mix Filling: Toss peaches with cornstarch, flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat, combine sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, and water. Stir until sugar dissolves, then allow it to boil. Leave it boiling, without stirring, until the caramel becomes a deep amber color. Once it does, remove from heat, and add butter. Stir until butter is completely melted.

3. Pour caramel sauce over peach mixture, and coat completely. Put mixture into pre-baked pie crust, and place in fridge while you assemble the crumble. 

For the Crumble: 

3/4 cup of chopped pecans (salted and roasted variety)

1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp dark brown sugar

Dash of cinnamon

1 stick of butter

1. Mix together the pecans, flour, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut butter into small cubes, and work into mixture until it becomes pebbly. 

2. Generously spread crumble out across top of peach pie. Bake pie for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Then bring temperature down to 350, and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes. Check often and if the crust is darkening too quickly, cover it with foil. Pie is ready when the top has turned a deep golden color and the house smells like a peach tree!

Let cool for at least 2 and a half hours. 

Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream on a crisp September evening! 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy this recipe! Magic in Christmas River, the seventh book in the Christmas Cozy Mystery series, will be out in October, so stay tuned! 

MM