Bourbon Apple Pie with Dulce De Leche Recipe

For the Crust

1. In a bowl, whisk together the vodka and sugar and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter and salt until combined.
3. Add in the egg yolk and combine.
4. Mix in one third of the flour and ¼ teaspoon of baking powder on a low speed, just until incorporated.
5. Add in the vodka/sugar mixture and the remaining flour and mix until fully incorporated. You’re going to have a wet dough.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. To ensure the dough is lump free, take a bench scraper and scrape the dough towards you. Don’t do the whole piece of dough in one go, take several smears to smear it all out over the counter.
7. Collect the dough together, divide the dough in half, wrap it in plastic and store in the fridge until you’ll be using it, preferably overnight. In the fridge the butter will turn solid again which will help to create the right consistency.

For the filling

1. In a large bowl, toss the apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, bourbon, vanilla extract, cinnamon, Chinese five spice, salt, and cardamom in a large bowl to coat. Let apples sit until they start to release their juices, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

For assembly

1. Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature 5 minutes to soften.
2. Roll out the disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛” thick. Carefully transfer dough round to pie dish.
3. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish (if too cold to be pliable, let it warm up slightly first). Press dough firmly against sides and bottom of plate. Trim, leaving about 1″ overhang. Fold edge of bottom up and over; press together to seal and crimp the edge.
4. Scrape in apple filling in an even layer. Braid lattices with leftover pie dough on the top of the pie. Egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
5. Place pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill in freezer 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
6. Bake pie until crust is deep golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling, 1½–2 hours.
7. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool at least 4 hours before serving. Top with a drizzle of dulce de leche.