Harrison Ford is an icon. His performances as Indiana Jones solidified him as such. There’s no arguing with that. His sun-weathered abs and mysterious chin scar, make him an even more delectable treat for the eyes. But, he’s got nothing on my Upside Down Apple Almond pie. From the rich caramel rivulets of gooey goodness, to the lightly toasted shaved almond morsels, this pie has “guilty pleasure” written all over it. I’d like to invite you strap on an apron and step into my kitchen. Together we will create the “Holy Grail” of all apple pies. Hopefully, we’ll have less mishaps than Harrison did :)

~Serves – well, that depends on how much you like it ;)~
Food Stuffs:
8 Large Granny Smiths apples
3 Cups AP flour
1/3 Cup Brown sugar
1 Stick salted butter-plus 4 Tbsp
12 Tbsp Butter Crisco
3Tbsp iced water
Cinnamon, salt, nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 385 degrees

The majority of people I talk to about pies tell me they just can’t seem to get their pie crust right so they don’t bother. Well, by the time we’re finished today, you won’t have an excuse to grab a shrink-wrapped frozen, tasteless pie from the freezer department, ever again! I started making pies at a small restaurant in Indiana when I was just 14. I had NEVER made a pie before, but I loved to cook. After about a year, someone entered one of my pies in the county fair and I won! This is the winning recipe:

You should start with your apples. Peel, core and slice your apples. Place them in a large PLASTIC bowl (the acids in apples react to metal and cause the apples to turn prematurely brown). Combine 4 Tbsp of flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 tsp nutmeg, and a dash of salt in a bowl. Add 4 Tbsp of butter and the flour mixture to the apples and stir. Cover with a towel and set aside.

*Tip: You can substitute 3 Tbsp of instant tapioca for flour if you have a gluten allergy.

Now for the crust – don’t panic! This is so easy and quick, you’re gonna love it! In a metal bowl, pour 2 cups of AP flour and 12 Tbsp of butter Crisco. I recommend using the Crisco Sticks as it is easier to measure. Using your pastry cutter – http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Pastry_Blender – mix the flour and Crisco until it forms small pea-sized balls and all of the flour is incorporated. Add the 3 Tbsp of iced water. It’s important to use super cold water! Doing so will give you layers of flakiness once your crust is baked. Fold the water into the flour mixture. DO NOT KNEAD! Form two balls – one for the top crust and one for the bottom. Set dough aside.

Melt the stick of butter and mix with the brown sugar. Pour in the bottom of the pie pan and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Lightly flour the surface of your counter. Flatten your ball of dough so it forms a round disc. Roll the dough until it is about 1in larger than your pie pan.

*Tip: Roll the dough out and turn your pie pan upside down to check for the proper size of crust.

Once your dough is the right size, place the dough onto of the brown sugar and almonds. Give the apples one last mix and the pour them onto the crust. Repeat instructions for rolling out dough. Cover apples with pie crust. Typically, you would trim and tuck the pie crust under. Not this time. Roll the crust up to form thick edges on your pie. Make sure you get a good seal. Slice 4 slits in the top of the pie. Place on a baking sheet (cover your baking sheet with foil for easier clean up) and pop the pie in the oven. Let it cook until the filling blows bubbles that DO NOT POP.

Once your pie is finished, remove from oven. Grab a large serving dish and place it on top of the pie. Using hot pads, hold the plate to the pie and quickly flip it upside-down. Remove the pan. Allow it to cool for 10min before serving. This will allow it to set-up and not fall apart.

You can make a warm caramel sauce to drizzle over the top: Just combine a 1/2 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar and about 2 Tbsp of water  and cook until it starts to thicken. Drizzle over individual pieces of pie and serve with coffee and vanilla ice cream – Yum!!

There you have it, folks! The Holy Grail of apple pies! I hope your family will enjoy this as much as mine does.

*I’d like to dedicate this post to my Aunt Peggy (aka Nana). This is her favorite pie and I look forward to making it for her every year on her birthday! Love you, Nana!