Peel, core and slice apples. Remove pie crust from refrigerator and let set on counter for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a large bowl, mix apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg until apples are well coated. (If you are omitting the caramel sauce, be sure to add an extra ¼ cup of sugar here.)
Unroll first pie crust and set on 9½" pie plate. Unroll second pie crust on cutting board and cut out design or pattern, if desired.
Place ½ of apples in pie crust. Top with 3 pats butter. Cover with remaining apples.
Carefully place 2nd crust over top of apples and crimp edges with edge of bottom crust to seal.
Whisk together egg and heavy cream. Carefully brush top of pie with egg mixture. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 375ºF for 60-75 minutes, until crust is brown and juices are bubbly. If crust begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil. Let cool before serving.
Preparing the apples is the hardest part of making apple pie, so just trust me when I say that if you like apple pie, buying one of those apple corer-peeler-slicers might be the best money you ever spend. It literally took me about 5 minutes to core, peel and slice all 8 apples.