green fire farm poppy...a mature fuschia bloom in june, pollinators buzzing about its delicate petals...in august, a dried pod resting in the hot sun, full of dark brown and black seeds...one of those seeds buried under a thin layer of soil in late september...and in october, a fragile but determined sprout pushing up into the sun...the cycles of life...so simple to see...

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"don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant."
-robert louis stevenson

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...although i didn't make blue ribbon status this year with my entry at the uc santa cruz harvest festival, i'm still proud of my lil' apple pie...and of the fact that i found a way to sneak libations into the recipe :)

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newtown pippen apple pie

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Pastry for Double-Crust Pie

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter (very cold and cut into half-inch cubes)

2 t granulated sugar

0.5 t salt

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry-blender, cut in the butter until the pieces are pea-sized. Sprinkle 1 T cold water over the mixture and toss with a fork. Repeat, using 1 T water at a time (use a total of 5-6 T water) until all the flour mixture is moistened. Shape into a ball; wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate at least one hour. While the dough is chilling, make the caramel apples.

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 (mulled wine would work GREAT here)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon lemon juice

8 Newtown Pippen apples
1 tablespoon flour

1 tsp cinnamon, divided into two

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

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. There may be some bubbling and spitting, so beware! Return the sauce to the flame, add the vanilla, and heat it slowly, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened (make sure it's pretty thick, or the pie will be runny...but still tasty).

Fill a large bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Peel, halve and core the apples. Put the apple halves in the lemon as you finish peeling and cutting all of them to prevent oxidation. Then drain the apples and toss with the flour and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the waxed paper, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return one 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 pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits all snug.

Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a very sharp knife….slice them very thinly so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets...this is gonna be a dense 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.

Next, 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 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 (I cut a pretty design). Place the pie on a sheet tray. Bake the 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 pie from the oven and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Now’s the time to add fun dough decorations like little hearts or apple cutouts, if you so desire. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is dark golden and bubbling.

Let the pie rest at room temperature for at least one hour before digging in...serve with some vanilla bean ice cream and hot mulled wine :)