Double Crusted Cheddar Apple Pie

Double Crusted Cheddar Apple Pie
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

Growing up, attending many church potlucks*, I witnessed a strange repeating occurrence of older church members adding slices of cheddar cheese to their apple pie. At the time, I was disgusted but intrigued. I wondered if there was a way to fit the flavors together in an intentional way.

I wasn't the only person to think of this. Sarah Moulton created a Double Crusted Cheddar Apple Pie, and John T. Edge pushed it even further in his Cheese-Straw Apple Pie, complete with cayenne pepper.

I'm not sure why I picked Sarah's recipe, because she has said time and time again that she is not a baker. And from the reviews I knew the pie filling part was watery, so I substituted another person's pie filling for hers. I think the pie would have been better if I had picked a better variety of apples. It lacked depth of flavor to compete with the intensity of the crust.


Oh, the crust. It was delicious. I'm not sure I'd pair it with apple pie again, and in fact, I used the remnants on a quiche tart (with "mom-dried" tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella), and it was marvelous in that capacity. But not just good flavor - flaky, buttery, and sturdy.

Cheddar Crust
(from Double Crusted Cheddar Apple Pie)

Ingredients
* 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cubed
* 4 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
* 4 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated fine and chilled well
* 2 egg yolks beaten lightly with 1/3 cup cold water
* Milk**

Make the dough: In a food processor combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until it resembles very coarse meal. Add the Cheddar and pulse until it again resembles coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the yolk mixture, tossing with a fork until it forms a dough. Add more cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, and dust with flour. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Do with it what you will. :)

* - in the south, these are sometimes called a "covered dish," in the midwest they were "pitch-ins." Just didn't want to confuse anyone!
** - I used cream. Why not.

Categories: Cheese, Pastry, Pie