Sous Vide Caramel Apple ‘Pie’
Courtesy of MasterChef’s Whitney Miller

INGREDIENTS

For the apples

• 4 small Granny Smith apples, cored (not peeled)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons (20 ml) light brown sugar

For the caramel sauce

• 1 can (14 ounces/396 g) sweetened condensed milk

For the topping

• 1/2 cup (33 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (63 g) light brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon (0.6 ml) kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml). ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons (85 g) chilled unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped pecans
• Butter pecan ice cream, optional, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat SousVide Supreme to 183F/84C.
2. Make the caramel sauce by pouring the condensed milk into a small (quart/0.9 liter) cooking pouch, evacuate as much air as possible from the pouch with your hands, and seal. (Even easier: use SousVide Supreme Zipper Pouches and the Archimedes Principle to remove the air from the pouch and zip the seal closed.)
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 6 and ½ hours or even over night. If not using right away, quick chill the pouch in an ice water bath and refrigerate.
4. When ready to cook the apples, pour 1/2 tablespoon of the lemon juice into the middle of each cored apple, swirling to coat the inside of the apple.
5. In a small bowl, combine the butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
6. Divide the butter mixture evenly among the apples, rubbing the mixture all around the inside of the apple and stuffing it well.
7. Put apples, 2 per pouch, into small (quart/0.9 liter) pouches and vacuum seal tightly.
8. Submerge the pouches in the water oven, being sure that the apples remain fully beneath the water surface throughout cooking, and cook for 1 and 1/2 hours. (If necessary, position the pouches in the slots of the pouch rack and invert the rack in the water bath to hold them into place, beneath the water surface, during cooking.)
9. Reheat the caramel sauce in its pouch along side the apples in the last half hour of baking.
10. Meanwhile, preheat the traditional oven to 350F/177C to prepare the crumble topping.
11. In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
    1. Using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until mixture resembles wet sand.
    2. Stir in the pecans.
    3. Pour the crumble mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 17 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Serve the apples straight from the pouch, topped with a few spoonfuls of the topping, and drizzled with caramel sauce. If desired, add a scoop of butter pecan ice cream.