Rum Runner Apple Pie
Gluten-Free, Vegitarian

The Pie

• One Gluten-Free Pie Crust (if you don't want to make your own go for the Whole Foods GF Pie Crust, all 22 people we served it to on Christmas raved about it.)

• 6 Granny Smith apples

• 6 Braeburn or Macintosh apples

• 2 Honey Crisp or Pink Lady or Golden Delicious apples

• 4 oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons organic dark brown sugar

• 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup

• 1/4 cup of your favorite gf flour blend (I love to use Artisanal Flour Blend )

• 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp allspice

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

The Topping

• 1/3 cup gf flour blend (again, I perfer Artisanal Flour Blend )

• 1/4 cup organic dark brown sugar

• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped pecans

• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter (coconut butter is super yummy in this recipe), cut into small pieces

• 1/4 tsp sea salt (or you can use salted butter and omit the salt)

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 and make sure the oven rack is low enough that your pie will be in the center of the oven
2. Place a foil lined baking sheet on the bottom rack or line the bottom of the oven with foil (do not place the pie directly on the baking sheet)
3. Dock (prick with a fork in various places) the pie shell, line with parchment or foil and pie weights (I use dry beans or rice) and pre-bake for 25 - 35 min, set aside
4. Measure the rum, brown sugar and maple syrup into a large bowl and whisk until well blended
5. Peel, core, and slice the apples.
   1. I use a food processor to the slice the apples, you can also use a mandolin slicer.  The key is to be sure your slices are consistent in thickness.
6. Place the sliced apples into the large bowl with the rum mixture and give the apples a good toss in the rum. Let the apples soak while you prepare the topping.
7. Measure all of the topping ingredients into a medium size bowl, except the butter, and mix well to combine.
8. Using your hands or a fork, work the butter into the dry mixture until the butter is worked in and the mixture is like wet sand.  Set aside.
9. Give the apples another good toss in the rum mixture and let sit.
10. Measure the gf flour blend, cinnamon, allspice and salt into a small bowl and gently mix until blended.
11. Pour the flour and spice mixture over the apples and mix together until totally blended.
12. Carefully pour the apple mixture into the prepared pie shell.  You should have a lot of apples so you will need to pile them high. 
    1. The pie height will reduce during baking, and again during cooling.
13. Starting on the top of the pie, gently press the topping onto the apples until all of the apples are covered.
14. Place the pie in the oven and bake at 425 for 30 minutes.  Watch the topping and cover it with foil if you start to see dark spots.
15. Reduce the over temp to 375 and bake for an additional 40 minutes.
16. After baking, let the pie rest and cool for at least 4-hours at room temperature.

Notes:  Please note that all of our recipes are created, tested and enjoyed at high altitude (Denver, CO).  For this recipe we might be using more liquids, less sugar, and longer cooking times than what might work best at sea level (or anything below about 3,000 feet).  If you are not sure what adjustments you need to make you can start by following the recipe as is, then make note of any needed adjustments.  Also be sure to check the apples for doneness (a BBQ skewer works great for this) after 25 minutes of the second baking time, if you are not at high altitude the pie will most likely cook faster than the cooking time called for in the recipe.