From: Jesse Cool

Serves 10

This recipe was developed by Christine Guiterrez, a former pastry chef at my Flea St. Café. A twist on the classic Cheddar cheese and apple pie, this combination of apples with salty cheese and pepper may sound a bit unusual, but to me, it’s even better than the traditional.

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ½ cups organic whole grain pastry flour
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup very cold organic unsalted butter
½ cup organic milk.

Topping:

1 cup organic whole grain pastry flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons very cold organic unsalted butter.

Filling:

6 large crisp organic apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

To make the crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour, thyme, and salt. Grate the butter into the mixture. Using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are about the size of peas. Add the milk, ¼ cup at a time, and blend until a soft, moist dough is formed. Add a few more tablespoons milk if the dough seems dry. It should be somewhat sticky.

Form the dough into a ball, then flatten into a round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cheese, and pepper. Grate the butter into the mixture. Using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are about the size of peas. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. When the crust dough is chilled, place it on a well-floured surface and roll to about a ⅛″ thickness, turning and flouring the dough often to keep it well-floured. Fold the dough in half and place in a 9″ or 10″ pie plate. Turn under and crimp the crust.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg. Place in the prepared crust. Crumble the crumb topping over the apples.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the crust is browned and the apples are soft. Place on a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.