Apple N Cheddar Pie Food

APPLE CHEDDAR PIE

Steps:

• Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter on top. Using a pastry cutter, food processor, or two forks (pastry cutter is ideal, see post above), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until all flour is coated. You're looking for pea-sized bits of flour coated butter. A few larger bits of butter is OK.
• Measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water in, 2 Tablespoons (30ml) at a time, and stir after each addition. Stop adding water when the dough comes together easily and begins to form large clumps. The dough will feel moist and a little sticky, but not overly wet. Do not add any more water than you need to. I always use about 1/2 cup (120ml) of ice water. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the cheese. Avoid overworking the dough.
• Place pie dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Cut dough in half. Using your hands, flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
• In a large bowl, stir the apple slices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and 1/3 cup cheese together until thoroughly combined. Set filling aside as you roll out the pie crust.
• On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Smooth out the edges with your fingers if you notice cracks. Keeping your work surface, rolling pin, and hands lightly floured makes rolling out easier. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. You can watch me do this at the :43 mark in my praline pumpkin pie video. (Also, for a nice thick edge, I usually don't trim the overhanging dough from the edges of the crust. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a nice thick rim around the pie. You can do this before or after you add the top pie crust.)
• Spoon the filling into the crust.
• Roll out the 2nd pie crust just like you rolled out the bottom pie crust. You can simply lay the pie crust on top of the filling to make a double crust pie (slit a few holes in the top for air vents) or you can create a pretty pie crust design on top like a lattice pie crust and/or a braided pie crust. Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges with your fingers. Brush the pie crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. This adds a lovely sweet crunch.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). As the oven preheats, place your pie in the refrigerator or freezer to keep it cold. The colder the pie dough, the more likely it will hold its beautiful shape.
• Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
• Cool for at least 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

APPLE CHEDDAR CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese. Combine water and vinegar, and gradually stir in until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C.) Roll one ball out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate. Roll out top crust and set aside.
• In a large bowl, toss apples in lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Drain and discard any excess juice. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Arrange rows of overlapping apple slices, working from outer rim in. Dot with butter. Cover with top pie crust. Seal and crimp edges with fork, then trim excess dough. Cut a few slashes in top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake on cookie sheet in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, brush lightly with beaten egg, and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake 5 to 10 minutes more until sugar forms a crisp glaze.

APPLE PIE WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE CRUST

Steps:

• For the pie crust: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of the food processor and give it a quick pulse to blend the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like crumbly sand. Add the cheese and pulse again until combined and cheese is worked into the mixture and cut into small chunks. Turn the mixture out into a bowl, drizzle in 6 tablespoons cold water, and mix in with a rubber spatula until the flour is moistened. Add another tablespoon of water, only if needed. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball and flatten to a disc. Rest the dough to relax the gluten, 30 minutes.
• For the filling: Combine the Granny Smith apples, Braeburn apples, sugar, flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and toss to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Adjust the baking racks to the center of the oven.
• Roll out 1 disc of the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Add the apples in an even layer and dot with the butter. Lightly brush the edges with egg wash. Roll out the next dough round, slightly smaller than the first. Cover the top of the apples with the second pie dough, pressing the edges to seal the crust. Trim the crust so you are left with a 1-inch overhang. Tuck the crust underneath itself so it's flush with the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the edges decoratively. Brush the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Make 5 air slits in the center of the pie. Place the pie on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes longer. Cool to room temperature, at least 3 hours, before slicing.

APPLE PIE WITH CHEESE, PLEASE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Line the bottom of the pie crust with Cheddar cheese slices. Place apples into the crust in a circular fashion, layering slices on top of one another. Set aside.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and mix well to combine, removing any lumps. Add white sugar, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a slight simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Pour butter mixture over apples to cover all slices. Top with additional pie crust; seal edges. Pierce the top with a fork to allow steam to release. Mix egg white and 1 teaspoon water together in a small bowl; baste over pie crust using a basting brush.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Continue to bake until golden and set, about 35 minutes more.

APPLE AND CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Position an oven rack on the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch-diameter glass or ceramic pie dish.
• Cut the apple quarters into 3 wedges. Mix the apples, cheese, sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl.
• Unroll one crust and place in the buttered pie dish. Brush the inside of the crust with some of the egg white to coat. Pour the apple filling into the crust. Unroll the second crust and place on top of the filling. Pinch the edge of the top crust and the edge of the bottom crust together to seal. Fold the double edge under and crimp, making a decorative edge. Brush the top of the pie with more of the egg white. Cut several slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake the pie until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the slits, about 1 hour. Cover the edges of the pie with foil if the crust browns too quickly. Cool the pie for about 20 minutes before serving.

CHEDDAR CHEESE APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, and salt and blend for 5 seconds. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the dough looks like fine meal. Add the cheese and pulse 5 times. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and sprinkle with 5 tablespoons of ice water. Use a fork to fluff the mixture until moist clumps form. Add more ice water by the tablespoonful if the mixture is dry. Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the cornstarch and sugar, making sure there are no lumps in the cornstarch. Mix in the apples, lemon juice, zest, and salt.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 of the dough disks into a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch diameter deep-dish glass pie dish and brush the overhang with water. Pour the filling into the dough-lined dish and dot it with the 2 tablespoons butter. On the same lightly floured surface, roll out the second dough disk into a 12-inch round. Place the dough on top of the filling. Press the overhang of the bottom and top dough pieces together to seal. Cut the overhang to 1/2-inch. Fold the overhang under and crimp decoratively, forming a high-standing rim. Cut 3 (2-inch) slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake the pie until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cover the crust edge with foil and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake the pie until the filling bubbles thickly in the center, about 30 minutes. Cool pie on a rack for 1 hour.

PUFF PASTRY APPLE TURNOVERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon; add apples and toss to coat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each pastry sheet into a 12-in. square. Cut each into four squares. , Spoon 1/2 cup apple mixture into the center of each square; fold diagonally in half and press edges to seal. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet., In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon; brush over pastry. Bake at 400° for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.