Recipe of the Month: Upside Down Southern Apple Pie

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup pecan halves
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
Pastry for 9′ double crust deep dish pie
6 medium Rome apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
juice of 1 lemon, strained to remove seeds
1 teaspoon flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread butter in bottom of 9-inch deep pie plate. Arrange pecan halves in pie plate, rounded side down, and gently press into butter. Sprinkle 2/3 cup of brown sugar over pecans and press firmly onto sides and bottom. Place bottom pie crust on top of pecan-sugar mixture. In a bowl, combine remaining brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and chopped pecans. Sprinkle mixture over apples and toss gently. Spoon apple filling into pie crust. Put top crust on. Press edges together, then flute and pinch top to let steam escape. (You may want to place the pie on a baking sheet, because the brown sugar may bubble over the side when it cooks.) Bake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until apples are soft and crust is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes, then flip on a plate.

Author: North Carolina Apple Growers Association