This recipe is written in an old French recipe book that belongs to my mother’s family. I have a fond memory of the first time I made this apple pie with strong cheddar. My brother, my husband and I were having a perfectly happy weekend. Wandering on the road of the charming Eastern Township in the fall.
The whole story about our apple pie
We decided to start our weekend by picking apples in a fruit orchard. Gathering a couple of full bags of those crispy and tarts apples, like the McIntosh. Eating a couple in the process! The day was just a bit chilly but sunny with no cloud, a perfect day for us! We drove together the scenery drive on our way back. The Québec landscape is so magnificent in fall. It’s breath taking.
On the top of a big valley was this beautiful red farm named: “les dépendances du manoir”. We absolutely needed to stop. It was just magic. We stayed for a coffee and ate a couple of pastries. I remember having so much fun. We discovered that this shop was also a handmade cheese factory. For three descendant of France, cheese, pastry and coffee looks like heaven on earth! The shelf with all kind of different cheese looked so attractive that we had to buy some. The super sharp cheddar cheese aged for more than 10 years was going to get in our apple pie.
In this recipe the cheese is mixed inside the crust. You have to try it, to this day in my family this is the best apple pie with strong cheddar ever!
When the little cheese shop closed, we were pretty sad. But we tried it and you can do this pie with any cheddar that you like. The stronger, the better. Also the apples need to be tart to get the whole savory/sweet taste.
Apple Cheddar Pie
Cheddar crust apple pie
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups white flower
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of fat ( I use shortening)
- 2 tablespoon of butter
- 1/2 cup of cheddar (strong) shredded
- 5 tablespoon of cold water
- 4-6 big tart apples sliced and peeled
- 1/2 cup of sugar ( you can add 1/4 cup more)
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
Instructions
Mix together the flower and the salt. Add the fat with a fork until the mix is granulated. Then do the same with the cheese and the butter. Knead the dough. Put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Butter and flour a deep pie plate of 9 or 10 inches of diameter.
Roll your ⅔ of the dough into a circle bigger than your plate. Sprinkle flour on the bottom. Add the apple slices. Sprinkle the spices over the apples. Roll the rest of the dough. Put over the pie. Cut your borders and stick them together. Cut some shapes on the top so the heat can escape. Take a pastry brush and paint some milk over your crust. Sprinkle sugar over.
Cook 20 minutes at 425F and continue to cook for 35 minutes at 350F. Serve piping hot with fresh cream (or vanilla ice cream)
This is not an easy recipe but it is so worth it. Let me know in the comment how you like your apple pie.
Nous allons essayer cette recette!
Super Lucie et Pierre! J’ai hâte de savoir ce que vous en pensez. Bonne dégustation!