Spiced Upside-Down Apple Pie

Eighteenth Thanksgiving. Forty-eight people. We put a tent up in the yard for the first time because the weather forecast said maybe rain and we couldn't fit forty-eight inside. It didn't rain. The tent was unnecessary and everyone was grateful for it anyway because it turned the gathering into something larger, more like a festival, with the inside tables and the outside tent tables connected by the smell of the cooking and the sound of so many voices at once.

Wren cooked the venison braise. Her own, from her own deer, made with her own recipe that she'd been developing since October. River called in from Stillwater during the meal and we passed the phone around the table so he could talk to everyone, which was its own kind of presence. Tommy held the phone at arm's length and told River about the tent and the soup and the "big fire outside" with the urgency of someone reporting breaking news. River said he'd be home in three weeks. Tommy said okay and handed the phone to Wren.

Wren told River about her deer and her stew and he was quiet and then said: "Send me the recipe." She said she would. I thought about all the people connected to this table by phone and by distance and by the memory of having been here — Danny not here, but present in the food and the way River learned and the way Wren learned and the way everything that came from Danny's teaching was still moving through the world after twelve years.

Hannah gave the blessing in Cherokee. Tommy sang the last two words again and this year he got the vowels right. Forty-eight people started passing food.

Wren’s venison braise was the heart of that meal, but every great feast needs something to close it — something warm and spiced that settles over forty-eight people like a slow exhale. This Spiced Upside-Down Apple Pie was what came out of the kitchen after the blessing, after the phone call with River, after Tommy’s urgent tent report: a dessert that smelled like the season itself, dramatic enough for a tent gathering, simple enough that the cooking of it felt like an extension of the same love that had been moving through that yard all afternoon.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 20 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs firm apples (such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp fine salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 double-crust pie dough (homemade or store-bought), chilled
1 tbsp granulated sugar (for topping)
1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.
Make the caramel base. In a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture bubbles and deepens in color, about 3–4 minutes. Pour evenly into the bottom of the prepared pie plate and let cool slightly.
Spice the apples. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, salt, and lemon juice until evenly coated.
Arrange the apples. Fan the spiced apple slices in tight concentric circles directly over the caramel in the pie plate, layering as needed to use all the apples. Dot the top of the apples with the remaining 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces.
Top with crust. Roll out one round of pie dough to a 12-inch circle. Drape it over the apples, tucking the edges down around the inside rim of the pie plate. Cut 4–5 small slits in the center for steam. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and caramel is bubbling up around the edges. If the crust browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 35 minutes.
Cool and invert. Remove from the oven and let the pie rest for exactly 10 minutes — no longer or the caramel will set and stick. Run a thin knife around the edge, place a large serving platter firmly over the pie plate, and invert in one confident motion. Lift away the pie plate to reveal the caramelized apple top.
Serve. Serve warm, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spiced Upside-Down Apple Pie — The Dessert That Closed the Feast