Apple Picking

I might have had this for breakfast. A slice. Not the whole pie.

And it was gooood. Dang good.

I had such high hopes to whip this pie up last week after we got home from our trip to Raleigh on Tuesday night but it was not in the cards. I was just so zonked after work both Wednesday and Thursday nights from playing catch up and then I was dragging myself out of bed in the morning (as usual) and then it was Friday morning… crap!! So I missed posting a pie recipe last week, which really, really bums me out. But I have to admit that if it means I’ve posted 50 pies instead of 52, I’m still okay with that. 50 pies… wow.

I used the apples from when we went apple picking last weekend with Price’s mom and sister in New Hampshire. It’s a fun activity but it meant more this year as it was Autumn’s first time. She certainly enjoyed herself as she bit right into her apple as it hung on the tree.

If you are going apple picking soon, or just picking up some apples while going grocery shopping, then I strongly suggest that you make a pie. A big deep dish pie. And one with cheddar cheese in the crust definitely doesn’t hurt.

Side note: I used to dread making crusts but now I really enjoy it. I’ve enjoyed all the pies I’ve made this year but my deminished fear related to crusts has been the best part of this whole thing. yay!

We all know that apples and cheddar are a great combination when we are snacking. BUT just because we want dessert we shouldn’t have to miss that combo. So I decided to make a pie using apples and cheddar. I know of some diners that will put a slice of cheddar on top of the slice of pie prior to warming it up when they serve it to you. That’s a fine way to get cheddar to snuggle up to your apple pie, but cheddar IN the crust is so much better than just being on it.

And since we have a rosemary bush on our itty bitty back deck I grabbed some of that to kick up the savory flavors. Kinda like a cheddar rosemary cracker. I think it adds a nice little elements to the crust and pie.

Deep Dish Apple Pie with a Cheddar Rosemary Crust

Makes 1 deep dish pie

Ingredients

For The Crust

• 2 1/2 Cups flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
• 1/3- 1/2 cup ice water

For the Pie

• 4 1/2 pounds of granny smith apples
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 1/3 Cup flour
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Process

1. To make the crust, in the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, sugar, and the rosemary. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. Add the grated cheese and pulse to combine.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; do not process for more than 30 seconds.
3. On a floured surface, gently work the dough together. Divide the dough into two equal balls. Flatten the balls and  wrap them with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
4. While the dough is chilling, combine the sugars, flour, and cinnamon together in a small bowl, set aside.
5. Peel the apples in about 1 pound batches. Cut the apples into 4 pieces around the core, then slice each piece into 1/4″ thick slices. Add the slices to a large bowl and add some of the sugar mixture, mix well to coat all the pieces. Repeat with all of the apples.
6. Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with wax paper.
7. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a floured work surface, roll out one of the disks to be large enough to fit your deep dish pie dish. Place the pie dough in the dish and trim so there is an extra 1/2″ beyond the edge of the dish.
8. Scoop the apple pie filling into the pie plate. Leave any juices behind in the bowl. Top off the apples with a few small pieces of butter.
9. Roll out second pie crust to be large enough to cover the pie. Carefully lay the crust over the apples. Fold the top layer edge under the bottom edge, then pinch together around the pie. Cut 4 small slits around the pie and make a tiny cross slit at the top.
10. Place the pie on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for for 75-90 minutes or until crust is golden and apples are tender.
11. Place the pie on a cooking rack and allow to cool before slicing and serving. Store any remaining pie in an airtight container for up to several days.

Crust is adapted from Martha Stewart, Pie from I am a Honey Bee