I thought Pi(e) day was the 14th of March.

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Today is most definitely NOT pie day.

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You guys freaked me out! It's not March yet!

(By the way, am I the only one who had a Pi Day party on 3/14 at 1500 hours?)

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I am completely ok with multiple pie days, hehe. This is one of my favorites. I am salivating at the keyboard already....

Caramel-flavored apples combine deliciously with a crisp streusel topping. A bonus: There are plenty of juices from the pie to spoon over scoops of ice cream.

Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/2 C. all purpose flour
2 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in. pieces, frozen
4 Tbs. (about) ice water
Streusel:
3/4 C. all purpose flour
6 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into
small pieces

Filling:
3 lbs. Golden Delicious apples (about 8), peeled, cored,
cut into 3/4-in.-thick wedges
1/4 C. all purpose flour
1 1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. plus 2 Tbs. water
3 Tbs. unsalted butter

Directions

To make crust: Mix 1 1/2 C. flour, 2 Tbs. sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in enough ice water by tablespoonfuls to form large moist clumps. Transfer dough to work surface. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill dough 30 minutes.

To make streusel: Mix flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl to blend. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture forms pea-size clumps. (Dough and streusel can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate streusel. Keep dough chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

To make filling: Combine apple wedges and 1/4 C. flour in large bowl and toss to coat. Let stand while preparing caramel. Stir sugar and 1/4 C. water in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until syrup turns deep amber color, brushing pan sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and remaining 2 Tbs. water (mixture will bubble vigorously). Return to heat and stir until smooth. Pour caramel over apples; toss to coat. Let stand until apples release juices, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375 F. Roll out dough on floured work surface to 14 in. round. Transfer to 9 1/2-in. diameter glass pie dish with 1 3/4 in. high sides. Crimp edges decoratively. Spoon apple mixture into prepared crust. Sprinkle streusel over pie. Bake pie until apples are tender and streusel is golden, covering crust edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 10 servings

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The Math Faculty at the University of Waterloo celebrates pi day on March 14th at 1:59. People occasionally suggests that "e" day should be celebrated too, but that runs into some legality issues.

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