Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust

Family dinners have always been one of my fondest memories growing up. Every night we would gather around the table and poke fun at one another. Dad would always leave a souvenir on his shirt and one of the family members would be the butt of almost every joke for the evening. It was a time for us to connect together and leave our day behind us.

Thanksgiving was always a heightened version of these hysterical events. Adding more people in the mix only added to the playful bickering and the laughter grew louder the more we ate. You could always tell a new-comer by the various shades of red they would turn.

Mom would always make too much food and there was always room left for Key’s (that’s me) Pies. This year I wanted to do something different so I tried this recipe from Gourmet. I mean, how can you go wrong with cheese and apples???  Enjoy!

Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust

yield: Makes 6 servings

active time: 40 min

total time: 5 1/2 hr (includes chilling dough and cooling pie)

For pastry:

·         2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·         1/2 teaspoons salt

·         1/2 pound extra-sharp Cheddar (preferably white), coarsely grated (2 1/2 cups)

·         1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

·         1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening (trans-fat-free), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

·         6 to 8 tablespoon ice water

·         1 tablespoon milk

For filling:

·         1 1/2 pound Gala apples (3 medium)

·         1 1/2 pound Granny Smith apples (3 medium)

·         2/3 cup sugar

·         3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Make pastry dough: 
Stir together flour, salt, and cheese in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Add butter and shortening and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 6 tablespoon ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful: If dough doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.

Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half, then form each half into a 5-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make filling and bake pie: 
Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in middle of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Peel and core apples, then slice 1/4 inch thick. Toss apples with sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt until evenly coated.

Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining disk chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch round.

Transfer filling to shell. Dot with butter, then cover with pastry round. Trim edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Press edges together to seal, then fold under. Lightly brush top crust with milk, then cut 5 (1-inch-long) vents.

Bake on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F and bake until crust is golden-brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes more. Cool to warm or room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.

Cooks' note: Dough can be chilled up to 2 days or frozen up to 3 months.