Curtis Stone’s Individual Apple Pie

To make crust: In a large food processor, pulse flours, sugar, and salt to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles sand. Drizzle ½ cup ice water over dough and pulse just until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (The mixture will still look crumbly.) Add more ice water by teaspoonfuls to moisten, if necessary.

Transfer mixture to a work surface and press dough together. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk and wrap each disk separately in plastic.

To make brown butter: In a small frying pan over medium heat, add butter and stir until it melts, about 30 seconds. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 2 minutes longer. Pour butter into heat-proof bowl set over ice. Cool brown butter, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Cut brown butter into cubes and reserve in refrigerator.

To make filling: In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add apples, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Cook apples, stirring frequently, until sugar melts and apples have just softened but are still crunchy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Transfer to bowl and cool completely.

To make caramel sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir sugar until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil, tilting pan as needed but without stirring to ensure sugar melts evenly, about 6 to 8 minutes, or until caramel is golden brown. Remove pan from heat and carefully whisk in cream; the caramel will bubble vigorously. Add butter and salt and whisk until smooth. Return pan to medium heat and cook until caramel is smooth and bubbling. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, or until lukewarm.

To make pie: Position oven rack on lowest rung of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Roll out each dough disk on a lightly floured surface to 6-inch diameter. Arrange dough disks on a sheet pan and keep in refrigerator.

Lightly press one rolled dough disk into each of six 4-inch pie dishes. Fold overhanging dough under and lightly press dough into dishes.

Divide apple filling among the lined pie shells, then drizzle 2 tbsp caramel sauce over each filling. Divide chilled and cut brown butter among pie shells. Cover pie shells with remaining rolled-out dough disks. Press edges together and fold dough under itself so it is flush with the edge of the pie dish. Crimp dough edges decoratively.