Upside-down apple pecan pie

Still don’t have a dessert picked out for your Thanksgiving dinner? How about this upside-down apple pecan pie?

The recipe appeared several weeks ago in the Greenville Journal in an article on “Blue Ribbon Baking From a Redneck Kitchen.” Now I’m not quite a redneck, despite having lived in the backwoods of Georgia for several years, but I found this to be the perfect fall recipe. More exciting than an apple pie, and not as sweet as a pecan pie, it has a show-off factor that will have people asking for the recipe. The pecans end up topping an apple pie, if you are lucky forming a dome in the shape of your pie dish. (And if you aren't so lucky, it's OK! It'll still taste just as great!!!) Here’s my take on the recipe …

Upside-down apple pecan pie

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 pie crusts rolled out to 11in diameters

1 ½ cups pecan halves

1 ½ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 cups sliced peeled apples

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450˚

2. Use entire stick of butter to grease a deep-dish pie pan.

3. Arrange pecans in pan, round side down, starting from center and working your way out up along the sides of the dish. The nuts should cover the pan without any gaps.

4. Cover the pecans with the brown sugar and then press one pie crust firmly into the pan, then set aside.

5. Stir together the flour, granulated sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and spices in a large bowl. Add the apples and coat with mixture, then pour into the pie crust. It is important to try and pack them in tightly so that the beautiful crust doesn’t collapse while cooking.

6. Place the second pie crust over the apples and crimp edges with the first. Using a fork make vents in the crust. Remember, this will be the bottom of the pie.

7. Bake 10 minutes at 450˚, then reduce heat to 350˚ and continue baking another 45 minutes, until browned. Remove from oven and let sit a few minutes, then very carefully flip onto serving dish. CAUTION: the juices may be extremely hot, I suggest doing the flipping in an easy to clean area and taking care not to splash any on yourself. Serve warm, possibly with some vanilla ice cream.

Bon appétit! Or should I say, bon appétit y’all?