I don’t know about your family, but ours has never owned an ordinary recipe box. Oh, it may have looked ordinary sitting there on the kitchen counter, but if you opened it, you quickly discovered it was holding much more than recipes.
There were recipe cards written in three different handwritings. Newspaper clippings that had yellowed around the edges. Little notes tucked between the cards that said things like, “Use a little more cinnamon,” or “Randy likes this one.” Every now and then I’d find a recipe that had obviously been folded and unfolded so many times it looked like it had lived through several generations of holiday dinners.
Some of the cards carried flour dust that never quite brushed away. Others had little splashes of vanilla, butter, or some mystery ingredient that somehow became permanent. I guess that’s what happens when recipes are actually used instead of simply collected.
This apple pie is one of those recipes.
The first time someone mentions cheese in a pie crust, most people give you a funny look. Then they taste it.
The cheese doesn’t overpower the apples. Instead, it adds just enough richness to make people wonder why their own pie crust has always seemed to be missing something. It’s one of those little family secrets that quietly finds its way onto every holiday table.
If you’ve never made a cheese crust before, don’t worry. It’s every bit as forgiving as an ordinary pie crust, and once you’ve tried it, you may find yourself reaching for the cheese grater every time apple pie is on the menu.
Who knows…maybe someday this recipe card will have a few butter spots and flour fingerprints of its own, along with a handwritten note in the corner that simply says,
“Make this one again.”
Apple Pie with Cheese Crust
Crust:
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- 1 t. sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1-1/3 c. Lard (or shortening)
- 1 to 1-1/2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese
- Ice Water
With a fork, blend together flour, sugar and salt. Blend in cheese. With two knives, a pastry cutter or your (clean) fingers, blend in the Crisco until incorporated and feels a bit grainy. Add enough ice water to hold dough together. Divide dough in half and roll out one to fit an 8” or 9” pie plate, leaving a bit hanging off the sides. Set aside.
Filling:
- 1 quart Sliced Apples (I use home-preserved apple slices)
- 1 t. Cinnamon
- ½ t. Nutmeg
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 T. Flour
- Butter
Mix apples, sugars, flour and spices in a large bowl. Add filling to pie shell and dot with butter.
To make a lattice top crust, roll out the remaining half of pie crust dough into a rectangle. Cut strips approximately ¼ to ½” in length. Lay one strip in the middle of the pie. Add a second strip across that one in the middle, forming a ‘plus’ sign. Working gently, weave additional strips out from the middle until the top is completely covered.
Cover the edges of the crust with strips of tin foil to prevent over-browning. Bake pie at 350 degrees until golden brown and filling is set, approximately 30 – 45 minutes. Ten minutes before the pie is completely done, remove the tin foil and allow to finish baking.
Come Back Anytime…
…I’ll leave the porch light on for you.
Until next time…travel safely.
Stroll Down Another Path
Another Porch Conversation
There’s always room for one more conversation.
Hands at Work
Sometimes the best conversations continue with busy hands
Another Garden Path
When one conversation naturally leads to another.
The Bookshelf
Stories, books, and favorite reads that have found a place on my shelf.
Front Porch
Head back to the porch and see what’s new.
Leave a Note on the Porch