Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Monday, July 15, 2013

All American Pub Apple Pie

San Diego is well known for its craft beer industry.  You may have heard of a few - Karl Strauss perhaps.  Or the "All-Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth" which was the title bestowed by BeerAdvocate magazine upon Stone Brewing Co. - an irreverent San Diego brewery with big dreams. Kaarl Strauss and Stone are just two of over 60 craft breweries in San Diego County, which is fast becoming the Napa of beer.  It is no surprise that San Diego takes pride in our craft beer. 

The list of San Diego brewers is long, colorful and filled with passionate brew masters whose enthusiasm and exuberance are downright intoxicating, so this month's Spiked Recipe Challenge seemed perfect for this San Diego girl.

The recipe I made was inspired by a recipe for a pumpkin pie recipe I saw in Beer Advocate magazine last December.  I've been dreaming about that pie since I read about it, but have been trying to think of a variation because I just can't make a pumpkin pie except in the fall.  And something just clicked - Apple Pie!  This All American Pub Apple Pie showcases three San Diego craft beers, and is an amazing blend of flavors.




The recipe I made was inspired by a recipe for a pumpkin pie I saw in Beer Advocate magazine last December.  I've been dreaming about that pie since I read about it, but have been trying to think of a variation because I just can't make a pumpkin pie except in the fall.  And something just clicked - Apple Pie!  This All American Pub Apple Pie showcases three San Diego craft beers, and is an amazing blend of flavors.

This pie is made with apples infused with Wheat Beer, a cheddar Stout crust and Barley Wine caramel sauce {which, oh my, is to die for!}.


All American Pub Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:


Filling:

  • 6 - 10 Granny Smith apples (enough to fill your pie pan with a nice domed pile of apples), peeled, cored and sliced (Granny Smith apples have the perfect tartness to match the flavor of the wheat beer)
  • 16 ounces wheat beer (I used Coronado Brewing Company's Orange Avenue Wit)
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar


Caramel Sauce:





Directions:

Prepare the Apples:

Place the apples and 16 ounces of Wheat Beer in a bowl and allow to soak at room temperature for 2 hours. Stir the apples occasionally so that all of the apples will soak in the beer.


I used Coronado Brewing Company's Orange Avenue Wit Beer.  This So-Cal take on a traditional witbier honors Coronado's main street, which is home to Coronado Brewing Co. and was once lined with orange trees. Bolstered by orange zest, coriander and orange blossom honey, its Belgium by way of Coronado. This wonderful beer is a refreshing, light-bodied brew rife with citrus zing and a hint of earthy spice.

I really like this beer - it is fresh and crisp and totally drinkable.  See the beautiful light golden color?





Make the crust:




I used Ballast Point Brewing Company Imperial Sea Monster Stout.  Opens with bold roasted coffee, and soon after, bitter cocoa. As the taste progresses, there is a strong wave of vinous warming alcohol. As the taste progresses, the citric hop presence manages to shine, no mean feat in the presence of the dark roasted malt and alcohol. Finishes with a long, lingering note of cold coffee, bitter chocolate, and citric hops.

This beer has a rich dark color to match its flavor:



Combine flour, salt, sugar, and in a food processor, pulse a few times until it is well combined. Add the cheddar cheese and 8 tablespoons of the Stout, and mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix - you want to see pieces of the cheese in the dough. If the dough is too dry, add more Stout until the right consistency is reached.





Split into two equal sized portions and form into disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and chill until very firm, while the apples are soaking. Because this buttery dough is very soft, you want dough to be very cold and very firm before rolling.


Make the filling and prepare the pie:

Remove the apples from the beer and allow to drain.  Add the apples, flour, cinnamon and white and brown sugars to a bowl and toss to coat.

Preheat oven to 350.

On a well floured surface, place one of the disks, add flour to the top of the disk as well.  Roll out into an even thickness.  Carefully place the pie dough into your pie pan and press into shape, removing any excess.



Add the filling.



Roll out the second disk of pie dough and add to the top of your pie. Press the top crust and the bottom crust together at the edges, cut holes to vent steam.  {You can see the dark color of the crust from the Stout and the cheddar cheese too!}



Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cover the edges with foil if the edge starts to brown too quickly.

Make the Caramel Sauce:

I used Green Flash Brewing Company's Barleywine Style Ale.  A four hour boil intensifies the caramel malts and enormous Pacific Northwest hop charge. The result is a rich, estery brew with toffee notes and citrus hop flavors layered throughout.   See the dark golden caramel color?




To make the sauce, combine the Barleywine and sugar in a large pot.  Using a whisk, stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Watch this carefully - the mixture will bubble up a lot - which is why you want a large pot.



Cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes, whisking occasionally to incorporate all of the bubbles from the beer.  Remove the pot from the heat and let cool.  {You may have leftover caramel sauce - it would be great over ice cream, or even over pancakes for a football brunch!}


Remove the pie from the oven and let cool.


The pie will "set" better if you let it cool completely, but I like to serve it still a bit warm.




Serve:

While the pie is still just warm, slice the pie, and serve with a {generous} drizzle of the caramel sauce and a bit of whipped cream if you like.







This pie has a wonderful complex flavor.  The apples are a great match for the bright citrus-y flavors in the Wheat Beer.  The crust has just the right amount of bitterness from the Stout with just a hint of cheddar cheese {which every piece of apple pie needs}.  And caramel sauce.  Holy cow - so good.  It tastes like beer, but not.  And all of it, together, is an amazing blend of flavors!



The extra work for this pie is very much worth the effort.  Try this one and you'll be hooked!




zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
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