When you serve a pie, and everyone instantly proclaims it to be the BEST pie they’ve ever eaten, you know you’re onto something.
“Best pie, ever?” I asked. “Like, best apple pie?”
“No. Best pie ever. Any pie. This apple pie is better than any other pie in the world.”
Bold words. Bold words for a bold pie. This is not your grandmother’s apple pie. This apple pie is sexy. Dangerous. This apple pie lives on the edge.
It all starts with a perfectly buttery, flaky crust. The pie dough is easy to work with, which earns extra points in my book. But the Southern Comfort-caramel-super cinnamon-y apple filling is clearly the star of the show. Say it with me: Southern Comfort-caramel-super cinnamon-y apple filling. These are ingredients that clearly belong together. I had to go out and buy a bottle of Southern Comfort, because yes, my college days are over, and I’m not exactly tossing back SoCo lime shots at home on a quiet Friday night – though I do have quite a bit left in the bottle, and a few limes sitting in a bowl on the counter, so I’d be lying if I didn’t see anything happening with that in my near future.
In the Pastry Queen cookbook, the recipe is called “Chef Mark’s Southern Comfort Apple Pie,” so wherever you are, Chef Mark, I salute you for discovering this heavenly combination. It takes a true chef and stroke of genius to pair something as wild as Southern Comfort (what is it, anyway?…a whiskey of some sort, but it sort of falls into it’s own subcategory) with apple pie. It’s magic.
I have to tell you, this is the first apple pie I’ve ever made, but as I understand there are many ways you can make it. Often, apples are placed directly into the pie crust rather than cooked down in a pan. In this recipe, the apples are cooked down just a bit and then removed from the pan, where what’s left becomes the most marvelous Southern Comfort-caramel sauce. Don’t be nervous by my mention of the word caramel; this isn’t that difficult kind of caramel people are always losing their wig about, but just a thick, pourable sauce that the Southern Comfort gets poured into and cooked down until the alcohol burns away, at which point a nice pour of heavy cream is added. Can you think of a time when adding a little heavy cream was a bad thing? Me neither.
And then there’s the texture of the apples. They retain their shape and bite – we’re talking the antithesis of mushy apples. And they’re perfectly tart against the sugary cinnamon-spiked caramel. The topping is equally delicious – it’s a streusel/praline/crumb type of topping, and it will rock your socks. Fact.
I should warn you, however, that there is a potential negative effect of making this pie: No apple pie you taste may ever be the same.
Serve with vanilla ice cream, cinnamon ice cream, or whipped cream. Rebecca also offers a Rum-Spiked Caramel Sauce to serve it with, but this pie doesn’t even come close to needing any of that business.
{Click here to see what the other members of Project Pastry Queen thought}
Basic Pie Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2/3 cup (10-2/3 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
- 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, salt, and sugar on low speed for about 30 seconds. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Add butter to flour mixture and combine on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until mixture looks crumbly, with bits of dough the size of peas. Add 4 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing on low speed for 10 seconds after each addition. After final addition, dough should begin to clump together in a ball. If it doesn’t, continue mixing for about 10 seconds longer. (If it still looks too dry, add 1 more tablespoon ice water.) Gently mold dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Transfer unwrapped dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 1/8-inch-thick circle large enough to cover bottom and sides of a 9-inch-diameter deep-dish pie pan; do not use a regular (shallow) pan. Transfer dough to pie pan, crimping edges with your fingers or a fork. Prick bottom with a fork.
Topping:
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark-brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (5-1/3 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast until a rich brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Coarsely chop nuts and set aside.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process sugars, cinnamon, salt, and flour for about 1 minute. Cut butter into small pieces and add to sugar-flour mixture. Pulse 10 to 15 times until mixture is crumbly. Remove from processor and stir in pecans. Refrigerate topping, covered, until ready to use.
Apple Filling:
A note on the apples: If you have a nice-sized deep-dish pie pan, you may have room for more apples. I used 6: 3 Granny Smith, 3 Honeycrisp (my absolute favorite). I truly loved this combination, but I’m sure those mentioned below would be just as perfect. I probably had room for one more apple because my Granny Smith’s were rather small – but you don’t want to get too apple-crazy, because if you fill the pie too much, your precious caramel filling will bubble over into the oven. Bake your pie on top of a baking sheet if you’re worried about that happening.
- 5 to 6 medium-sized tart apples, such as Braeburn, Cortland, or Winesap
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup Southern Comfort liqueur
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter starts to foam, add apples and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes. In a small bowl stir together cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle on apples, and stir to combine. Simmer apples over medium-low heat for about 1 minute longer. Remove apples from skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of butter-sugar mixture in skillet as possible. Transfer apples to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer until ready to use. (If heaped in a pile, they will become soggy.)
Pour Southern Comfort into butter-sugar mixture in skillet. Simmer mixture over medium heat until alcohol burns off, at least 5 minutes (sniff mixture at close range; if it burns your nostrils, the vapors are still burning off). Add cream and continue simmering until mixture is quite thick but still pourable, 5 to 10 minutes. Return apples to skillet and stir to coat.
Pour apples and cream mixture into unbaked piecrust (do not fill to more than 1/2 inch below top of crust) and sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake until filling is bubbling and topping is brown, 50 to 60 minutes.
This is the second glowing review of this pie that I’ve read, and I am convinced that I need to make it for Thanksgiving! I feel like a lot of apple pies kind of lack depth, but this sounds super flavorful and delicious!
Maggie @ A Bitchin’ Kitchen recently posted..Mini Halloween Oreo Cheesecakes, and The Awkward Tale of Halloween ’96
I’m sold! I have never sauteed my apples before baking them, but your review convinced me to give this baby a try!
This pie looks amazing! I’m so far behind on PPQ, but I definitely need to make this pie, and soon. I love your description and photography too
Amanda recently posted..Homemade Applesauce
I know there are little airplane bottles, so I could get a few of those, but I have many excellent (and decent mixing) whiskeys in my barcart. Any chance I could substitute?
percentblog recently posted..sharing the holiday spirit with blog swaps
Thanks everyone! I highly recommend you try this pie, and definitely let me know what you think. Kat – You could try a different whiskey if you wanted, but because Southern Comfort is kind of in its own category, I say go for the SoCo. I think it adds a sweetness you won’t find in any other whiskey.
*excellent* choice, Sarah! The pie is absolutely phenomenal.
Shawnda recently posted..PPQ: Southern Comfort Apple Pie
Aww, if there were only a non-alcoholic substitute for the whiskey, I would have made this in a heartbeat. It sounds delicious!
Memoria, the alcohol does burn off during cooking, leaving the flavor – but I’m sure you could try it without, and it would still taste great. If you do, let me know how it comes out!
Can MacIntosh apples be used? Or are they too sweet?
I think you could, Helen! They may not be as tart as Granny Smith, but I would still classify them as slightly tart – and they’re a popular choice for pies. Let me know if you try them.
I saw this posted on Pinterest and had to try it. I followed your recipe exactly, and it came out perfectly! I’ll be making it again for Thanksgiving. My husband commented that it “combined two of his favorite pies – apple and pecan.” And that’s definitely true – the garnish of the pecan topping and that carmel/sweet taste of the Southern Comfort. I think you definitely have to use this liquor. Whiskey would produce a very different taste, in my opinion. Great recipe! Thank you for sharing it.
Sadaf, loved reading this. So glad you both enjoyed it! I never thought of the pecan pie/apple pie combination. Love it. And I agree, the Southern Comfort is such a perfect pairing with the apples – but then again, I understand when people don’t want to buy a whole bottle of it. You can always use the rest on more apple pies though, right?
I just put my pie in the oven and realized I forgot the cream. I’m guessing it will still be delicious, because one apple slice fell on the counter as I was filling the pie, and it was unbelievable. Can’t wait to taste the finished product!!!
I just bought what is called a split which is just perfect amount of Southern Comfort.
My family also declared it the best apple pie they’ve ever eaten, it stole the show at Thanksgiving
Shawnda recently posted..Soft Dinner Rolls with Rosemary and Black Pepper
This was a hit at thanksgiving gathering…it went fast! I have a request to make another one ASAP!
Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I made this pie last night and it was delicious! I actually think I’ll add a little more southern comfort next time and a little less sugar, but I absolutely loved the pecan topping. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa recently posted..Southern Comfort Caramel Apple Pie with (Machine FREE) Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream