Hot Sauce Recipes

Ingredients
1 package of Pillsbury Rolled Crust Pie Dough (room temperature)
1 jar of good quality apple butter
1 jalapeño pepper, finely minced
1 tangelo (zest only)
2 lemons (juice only but zest them and freeze the zest for another use)
4 to 5 Granny Smith apples (quartered and cut into bite size chunks)
2 to 3 Honey Crisp applies (quartered and cut into bite size chunks)
1/4 cup of granulated (white) sugar
2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tablespoons of freshly minced ginger root
1 tablespoons of freshly minced fennel bulb
1 can of frozen apple juice concentrate (at room temperature)
2 envelopes of Knox unflavored Gelatin
1/2 to 1 cup of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese; optional
Kosher salt

Directions:

1.  Wash your apples, cut them into quarters (removing the stem, seeds and cores) and then into bite sized pieces (usually 5 pieces per quarter). As you are cutting them, place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut up enough apples to fill the baking sheet in a nice even layer. Mix the apples in a two (Granny Smith) to one (Honey Crisp) ratio.
2. Sprinkle the apples on the baking sheet with two tablespoons of granulated (white) sugar from the 1/4 cup of granulated (white) sugar; set the sugared apples aside.
3. In a 9-inch pie plate, unroll one of the rolled crusts onto the pie plate. Gently press into the pie plate and press along the sides – do not cut off the excess.
4. Put about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the apple butter into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 20-30 seconds; spread the loosened apple butter on the bottom of the pie crust and about half way up the sides but not to the top or over the top of the crust. If you don’t use all the apple butter, don’t worry – just make sure to cover the pie crust. I used the back of a spoon to do the spreading. 
5. Take the baking sheet of apples and place into your cold oven – set the oven temperature to 425 degrees and when the oven reaches the 425 degrees, remove the baking sheet of apples; they will be a little soft but still have their crunch. Let the apples cool a little bit. 
6. While the oven is coming up to temperature, in a large bowl, prepare the sauce by combining (a) one half of the room temperature can of apple concentrate; (b) two teaspoons of the Pumpkin Pie Spice, (c) minced ginger root; (d) minced fennel bulb, (e) minced jalapeno pepper; (f) zest of the tangelo; (g) 2 tablespoons of the granulated (white) sugar; and (h) the juice of two lemons – stirring/whisking to combine. Over the top of this mixture, sprinkle the two envelopes of the Knox Unflavored Gelatin and set the mixture aside. Right before you use the sauce, in the next step, give the sauce a quick whisk to combine everything.
7. After the apples have cooled a little bit (Note 6), gently put the apples, in batches, into the sauce. Coat the apples with the sauce and place them into your apple butter prepared pie crust. Continue until all the apples have been moistened in the sauce. You should have sauce leftover. Sprinkle a pinch or two of kosher salt over the apples.
8. Take the remaining pie crust and choose one of the following two options:
   a. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese onto the remaining pie crust, then press the cheese into the dough, and then drape it over the pie so that the cheddar cheese is facing the INSIDE of your pie; -OR-
   b. Drape the remaining pie crust over your pie without the cheese.
9. Roll the dough that is hanging over the edge together to seal the pie. I roll the edges over the edge of the pie plate so the edge is pinched together and actually on the top of the pie edge. This forms a nice rim to the pie.
10. Brush the remaining sauce over the pie dough 
11. Cut four slits into the pie top. Sprinkle the top of the pie with a pinch of kosher salt.
12.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven, remove and let cool at least 10 minutes.