Apple Pie

Carmel City is Proud

Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie

Marsha Brooks, Apple Pie Contest Winner

The following information was gathered from the abcnews.com website.

N E W Y O R K, Nov. 8 — When the leaves start turning colors in the fall, Marsha Brooks of Carmel, Ind., knows it is time to start baking her Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie. The Winning Pie of Emeril's Eye
Charlie Gibson, contest-winner Marsha Brooks,
Emeril Lagasse and Lara Spencer drool over a table
of award-winning apple pie. (ABCNEWS.com)

It's the perfect comfort food for cooler weather, and a hit with Carmel's potluck dinner crowd. They can smell the fresh-from-the-oven pie as soon as Brooks walks in the door (See her story below). Emeril Lagasse, also lured by the mouthwatering combination of caramel and apples, named Brooks' pie the winner of his Apple Pie of Emeril's Eye Contest on Good Morning America.

Brooks joined Emeril in New York to bake her pie at the Good Morning America studios. Enjoy her winning pie recipe, and take a look at the other apple pie recipes from our finalists, just below this one.

Recipe: Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie

Ingredients:

· 1 pastry crust for a deep-dish pie 9-inch (homemade or store-bought)
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
· 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
· 1/8 tsp salt
· 6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (You may need more if your family sits by the bowl and sneaks the sliced applies when you are not looking) Marsha likes to use golden delicious and fuji apples.
· 1 recipe crumb topping (see below)
· 1/2 cup chopped pecans
· 1/4 cup caramel topping
· 1 oz. of TLC (tender, loving care — see Marsha's love story below)

Ingredients for Crumb Topping:

· 1 cup packed brown sugar
· 1/2cup all-purpose flour
· 1/2cup quick cooking rolled oats
· 1/2 cup butter

Directions for Crumb Topping:

1. Stir together brown sugar,flour, rolled oats.

2. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until topping is like course crumbs. Set aside.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.

2. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated.

3. Transfer apple mixture to the pie shell (I remove the store-bought pie shell from the aluminum pie plate and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate of my own, but you do not have to.)

4. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture.

5. Place pie on a cookie sheet so the drippings don't drop into your oven.

6. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil.

7. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 25 minutes. Then remove foil and put back in for another 25 to 30 minutes without foil.

8. Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle with caramel on top.

9. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Marsha Brooks, Apple Pie Contest 2001

Marcia's Special Ingredient

C A R M E L, Ind., Nov. 7 — When I make this pie I put in a lot of TLC...tender loving care! This pie is total comfort food for me.

I usually begin making this pie in the fall. It announces the start of the season. Fall evokes a feeling of the importance of being with my family and friends. It is the only apple pie I serve at Thanksgiving. It represents warmth and family to me.

I love to see my family get excited when I make this. I love to bring it to a potluck dinner when it is warm so that you can smell the pie when I walk in. When I make this pie I feel like snuggling with my family. I think it always turns out so well not just from the ingredients I put in it (though that helps), but also from the heart and soul I add to it.

This pie is easy to make and the combination of ingredients gives it a little different taste than a traditional apple pie.

You may notice there are no fancy ingredients. I even use a store-bought pie shell (you can make your own if you want). I don't even have a specific type of apple to use. I think a combination of two or three different apples is also what makes it unique. (I usually just use whatever apples are in my house.)

I would love to share this with the people of New York. It is a total comfort dish to me. It deserves to be shared with the heroes of New York. Thank you for reading this.

—Marsha Brooks

Click here for more "Good Morning America" Recipes

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