Miami Christmas Apple Pie

Even though I live in the North East I've never experienced a white Christmas. That's because every year I travel to visit my family in Miami. I'm not complaining, I love a tropical Noche Buena. As far back as I can remember, my entire family gets together on Christmas Eve and my uncle roasts a whole pig in a make-shift box out in the yard. Caja China we call it, it's a Cuban tradition we adopted from his in-laws. Roasting the pig takes about 12 hrs so there's usually a barrage of snacks and goodies to feast on prior to the main course.

This year, I offered to bring an apple pie to the party; however, while out in my mother's yard I was inspired by her bitter orange tree. Like a phoenix, the tree managed to rise again from a stump when local authorities had previously chopped it down due to the citrus canker hysteria rampant in South Florida.

Rather than using lemon, I used bitter orange with a bit of Triple Sec. I actually enjoy bitter orange juice, it's like orange juice with the sugar content dropped down a notch. I left the apples to soak in the juice for about an hour, mainly because my mother was using the oven; however, the result was stupendous: sweet, tart, and boozy- apples with an orange twang. Perfect for Christmas in Miami.

Ingredients


**Filling**

  • 1 juice & zest of a bitter orange
  • 2 tbsp Triple Sec
  • 1 tbsp dark rum
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4-6 tart apples
  • dash of salt

Use 2 shells of your favorite pie crust or try my sweet pie crust recipe

Instructions: 

Serving: 1 nine inch pie
Prep Time: 1 1/2 hrs
Cook Time: 1 hr

  1. In a large bowl, squeeze and zest the bitter orange. Add the Triple Sec, rum, sugar, salt and flour. Stir until all ingredients are completely mixed.
  2. Wash, peel, and slice apples. Add them to the bowl and mix well. Let them sit in a cool spot for an hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 375°, add entire mixture to your pie crust of choice and bake for an hour. You may want to bake the pie over a cookie sheet or casserole as the liquids may spill out.
  4. Let cool for 20-30 minutes then enjoy.