DULCE DE LECHE APPLE PIE

Steps:

• 1. Prepare Dulce de Leche and set aside to come to room temperature. (Directions Follow) Set oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 400 F.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix sugars, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, toss together apples, Dulce de Leche, apple cider and vanilla extract. Add sugar mixture and toss to combine. In another small bowl whip the egg white and water together and set aside.
• 3. I use store bought pie crusts (Pillsbury in the frozen section - it's always consistent), but if you wish to make your own, roll out bottom crust, between waxed paper or plastic wrap, as large as possible but don't let it get too thin. Transfer the bottom crust to the pie plate and let it hang over the sides. Brush entire crust with egg white mixture then spread filling evenly into the crust.
• 4. Place the second pie crust on top of the pie and fold the top crust over and under the edge of the bottom crust. Crimp edges together in a decorative fashion to seal. Brush entire top crust with egg white mixture and sprinkle with coarse white sugar and a little cinnamon. Cut a few holes in the top crust for venting.
• 5. Bake the pie for 30 minutes at 400, then lower the temperature to 375 F. If pie top or edges of pie are browning to quickly place an aluminum foil tent over it, or cover the crust with a pie-crust shield. If your oven browns unevenly, gently rotate the pie 180 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and cool on a wire rack for several hours to allow filling to set. If this isn't decadent enough, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle some warmed Dulce de Leche over the top. YUMMM!
• 6. Tips: If you wish to convert this to a standard depth pie plate, reduce the amount of apples to 5 cups and use slightly less Dulce de Leche. Dulce de Leche can be found in the Latin aisle of most markets. Nestle makes it in a can or jar, or make it homemade from the directions below.
• 7. DULCE DE LECHE DIRECTIONS: Prep: 10 min Cook Time: 75 min Yield: 1 1/2 cups You can find Dulce de Leche in a can in Latin markets or sometimes on the International food isle at the grocery, but this is so easy to make and it turns out perfect every time. I've seen recipes where you boil the unopened can for 3-4 hours, but if you don't watch the pot and the water boils out, the can may explode.
• 8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Open up the can and pour the sweetened condensed milk into a non-metallic pie pan. Cover tightly with foil and place the pie pan into a larger pan. Open the oven and pull out the oven rack. Place the larger pan with the pie plate inside on the oven rack and gently pour the boiling water into larger pan until it reaches about halfway up the pie plate. Don't allow any water to seep into the pie plate.
• 9. Carefully push the oven rack back into the oven, making sure not to slosh the boiling water; bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and check the milk for progress. If the mixture has thickened and turned a nice caramel color, it's done. If it doesn't quite look thick enough or dark enough, cover it up and bake it a little longer. Check after 15 minutes more - it should be done.
• 10. Once the milk has turned into a nice, thick caramel, carefully remove the pans from the oven and leave the foil off. Sit it on top of the stove for a few minutes then beat the caramel with an electric mixer until it's silky smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• 11. Tips: You can store this in a covered container, in the refrigerator, until ready to use, within a few days. Let it return to room temperature before using.