Blue Owl Bakery in Kimmswick, Mo., home of levee high apple pie. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Levee High Apple Pie Recipe

Is there a better combination than Mom and apple pie?

We’ve had a wet spring this year lately, wet enough for the forecasters to start comparing current river and levee levels to previous record-holding years. One community hard hit with flooding is Kimmswick, Mo., a self-made small tourist spot near St. Louis.

Typical of an adventure, what I thought I would enjoy turned out to be the least fascinating part about the visit, which included a stop at the Blue Owl Restaurant, known for its levee high apple pies.

Can you spot the levee high apple pie? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The apple pies were designed to celebrate the levee that keeps the town from getting flooded. The unique aspect of this well-known apple pie is the pie shape.

Closer look at the shape of levee high apple pies. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When I asked the waitress how they make it, she said it was a secret so I checked around to find the recipe.

Before trying to make it, though, I decided to taste test the real thing.

The caramel cover to levee high apple pie. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The caramel coating was delicious but what fascinated me was how the apples were added as the pie filing.

How the applies are piled high for levee high apple pie. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Levee High Apple Pie, The Blue Owl Restaurant Bakery, Kimmswick

Author: From Let’s Do Lunch, a cookbook from The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery

Recipe type: Pie

Cuisine: American

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins

Total time: 2 hours

Serves: 8 slices

A storied and award-winning apple pie.

Ingredients

2 deep-dish unbaked pie crusts
Filling
12 cups (14-16 apples) of peeled and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
2tsp cinnamon
Dash of salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
¼ cup milk
Topping
1 ½ cups melted caramels (21 oz).
½ cup chopped pecans
2 Tbsp evaporated milk

Instructions

For the Filling
Combine apples, sugar, flour cinnamon, and salt. Mound filling by hand or use a small, deep mixing bowl for a mold. Invert the filling into the bottom crust and dot with butter. Cover mounded filling with top crust. Moisten, seal and flute edges tightly. Brush top crust with a small amount of milk and sugar mixed together. Prick crust to allow steam to vent. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour or until the crust is golden brown.
For the topping
Melt caramels in the microwave. Add evaporated milk and stir until smooth. Add chopped pecans and stir. Spread over pie starting at the base and working up.