Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust from ‘1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die’

Photo: Envision/Corbis

Mimi Sheraton has been writing about food for more than 50 years. Her book, “1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover’s Life List” is a best-selling must-read for anyone who eats. Her book, ”The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cuisine,” is celebrating its 50th anniversary. 

I almost bake this apple pie recipe as much for the aroma as for flavor and texture that I bake apple pies with grated sharp, aged cheddar cheese as part of the shortening for the crust. Not only does the baking cheese impart a tantalizing bitter-buttery aroma, but it adds its toasty flavor and a bronzy glow to the top crust that covers the silky apples — hopefully, Northern Spys or Cortlands for the most sublime results.

Makes one double-crust, 9-inch pie; serves 6

For the pastry:
4 ounces white, sharp, aged Cheddar cheese
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter
1 ¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour, as needed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon mace
5 to 6 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
5 large apples (about 2 pounds), preferably Cortland or northern spy
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
About 1 tablespoon butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
Sugar, for sprinkling

Make the pastry: Place the cheese in a food processor, and grate it to a fine meal; you should have about 1 cup loosely packed cheese. Cut the butter into small pieces.

Measure out 1 2/3 cups of sifted flour and resift it with the salt and mace into the food processor. Add the grated cheese and butter and process until the mixture has the texture of fine meal.

Slowly trickle in the ice water, 2 tablespoons at a time, processing between each addition until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. If the dough seems too sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time; if it is too dry and crumbly, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.

Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry board and divide it in half. Form each half into a ball and lightly knead each once or twice with the palm of your hand, to firm up the dough. Reshape each half into a ball and flatten them slightly into thick disks. Wrap each with plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for at least 1 hour, but preferably for 3 or 4 hours, or even overnight.

About 10 minutes before rolling out the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it warm up a bit. Roll out each disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ¼". One round of rolled dough should be fitted into the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch pie pan, leaving extra hanging over. Roll out the second sheet of dough and drape it, untrimmed, over the lined pie pan. Cover the dough snugly with wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate the pie pan and dough while you prepare the apples.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Make the filling: Peel and core the apples and slice them vertically to 1∕8" to ¼" thickness Place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle the apples with a little lemon juice as you slice to prevent discoloration.

Toss the apples with sugar, the salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator and gently lift the top crust from the pan. Arrange a flat layer of apples that completely cover the bottom pie crust. Then heap the remaining apple slices on top and level them. Dot the apples evenly with the pieces of butter.

Fit the top pie crust over the apples, trimming the edges to just cover the rim of the pie pan and crimping them to the bottom crust with the tines of a fork dipped in cold water.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350ºF. Bake until the top crust begins to turn a light golden brown, another 25 minutes.

Beat the egg yolk with the milk in a small bowl. Remove the pie from the oven and brush the mixture all over the top crust. Sprinkle the crust liberally with the sugar and return the pie to the oven, until the sugar is firm and the edges of the pie are deep golden brown, another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Note: If you must serve this pie à la mode, the best flavors of ice cream to pair with the cheese crust would be vanilla or cinnamon. Strictly speaking, however, the pie needs no enhancement.

Excerpted from “1000 FOODS TO EAT BEFORE YOU DIE,” Copyright 2014 by Mimi Sheraton. Used with permission of Workman Publishing Co., Inc. New York. All Rights Reserved.

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