Maple Roasted Apple Pie with Maple Apple Caramel Sauce

Instructions:

Filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the apples, maple syrup, maple sugar and cinnamon.
2. Using a silicon spatula, mix until the apples are well coated with the maple sugar mixture.  Set aside to macerate for 2 hours.
3. Nearing the 2 hour mark, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Arrange apples in a single layer in the baking sheet.  Reserve juices and set aside.  Dot apples with butter.
5. Roast apples for about 30-35 minutes until tender but firm.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.  While apples are cooling, make the pie crust.

Crust:

1. To a food processor, add the flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse to combine.
2. Add the cold cubed butter and shortening to the flour mixture and continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. With the machine running, add 1 tablespoon of the ice-cold water. Stop as soon as the mixture starts to come together and forms a dough. If required, add more water, a teaspoon at a time to help the dough come together.
4. Remove the dough and divide into 2 equal portions. Pat each portion into a 1/2” thick flat disk, wrap each disk with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
5. Once chilled, working with one disk at time, on a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a 13” circle, approximately 1/8” thick. Lift and place rolled out dough onto a 9” pie dish, lightly pressing the sides to conform the dough to the pan. Trim dough so that it extends beyond the rim of the pie plate by 1”.  Tuck ½” of the dough under itself to create a thick edge.  To crimp the edges, press the index finger on one hand between the thumb and index finger on the other hand. Set aside.
6. To create the top crust, roll out the 2nd piece of pastry dough to about 1/8″ thickness. Using a leaf cutter complete with built in stamp, cut out about 120 leaves. Set aside.
7. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooled apple pieces into the pie crust, creating a domed effect.  Reserve the juices for the caramel sauce.
8. To create the look of a pile of fallen leaves, top the apples with overlapping pieces of the dough leaves.
9. Gently brush the leaves with the egg wash and sprinkle liberally with turbinado or raw sugar.  Place the pie in the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes while preheating the oven.
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Move the oven rack to the lowest position. If using a baking stone, place the baking stone in oven at this time.
11. Remove the pie from the freezer and place on a cookie tray to catch any drips. Place the cookie tray directly on the baking stone (if using). Bake in the oven for about 65-75 minutes until the top crust is golden. At the 45-minute mark, check your pie crust. Should you find that the crust is browning too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the crust and continue baking.
12. Remove from the oven, allow the pie to cool before slicing. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of Maple Apple Caramel Sauce. Enjoy.

Maple Apple Caramel Sauce:

Add the juices from the macerated and roasted apples to a small saucepan.  Without stirring, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.  Turn heat to low and allow mixture to simmer without stirring until bubbly and thickened, approximately 10 minutes.  When mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, add the heavy cream.  Simmer for a few minutes more, stirring in between.  Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.  Mixture will thicken slightly once cooled.  To serve, heat the sauce in the microwave for about 20 seconds or until warm to the touch. Drizzle over Maple Roasted Apple Pie or over ice-cream.  Refrigerate leftovers.  Delicious!