June 27, 2016
10-Second Recipes: Celebrate Cheddar in Apple Pie This July 4th
By Lisa Messinger Even though the tradition is imported, it's been a favorite in New England and the Midwest for centuries. As Fertig notes, it stems from England, which is known for both its apples and its cheddar. Fertig prefers Wisconsin-aged cheese atop her patriotic version. In the very easy dessert that follows, she crumbles it in a topping along with flour, butter and sugar. Another cheesy idea that could cause culinary fireworks if you serve it this Fourth of July: Like the following recipe from the classic "Joy of Cooking", consider adding extra-sharp cheddar cheese to your pie crust. Does that extra excitement mean you should go bland on the filling? Not at all, theirs is full of dark raisins and walnuts or pecans in addition to the apples. DEEP-DISH APPLE PIE WITH CHEDDAR CRUST 3/4 cup lightly packed grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, plus an additional 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 pounds Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji or Newton Pippin apples (about 4 medium-large) peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick 1 cup dark raisins (optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1/2 cup sugar Grated zest of 1 large lemon Strained juice of 1 large lemon 1/4 cup brandy (optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves Vanilla ice cream, for serving Yields 1 (9-inch) pie; 8 servings. Combine cheddar cheese, flour and the cold butter. Chop mixture with a pastry blender to the consistency of coarse crumbs, then press together with your fingers and knead in the bowl until a cohesive dough forms. Flatten the dough into a 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm but malleable, 30 to 60 minutes. Flour the dough lightly, then roll into a 9-inch round between sheets of wax paper. Slip a rimless cookie sheet beneath the dough and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Heat the room temperature butter over high heat in a very wide skillet (not cast iron) until sizzling and fragrant. Add apples. Toss with a wooden spoon until the apples release their juice and are tender, 5 to 7 minutes; reduce heat if the apples begin to color. Stir in raisins, nuts, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, brandy, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the juices thicken to the consistency of maple syrup. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Peel the top sheet of wax paper off the dough, then flip the dough onto the filling and peel off the bottom sheet. Let the dough soften slightly, then tuck the edges inside the rim of the pan and cut two (2-inch) steam vents. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. The pie can be made up to 12 hours ahead and warmed in a 350 F oven to 10 to 15 minutes. Good served with vanilla ice cream. -Joy of Cooking: All About Pies & Tarts. CHEDDAR-TOPPED APPLE PIE Filling: 4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Topping: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup finely grated medium-sharp cheddar cheese, preferably aged Wisconsin cheddar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature Vanilla ice cream, for serving Yields 1 (9-inch) pie; 8 servings. Preheat oven to 400 F. To prepare filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, sugar and cinnamon. Put the filling into a 9-inch pie pan. To prepare topping: Mix flour, sugar, grated cheese and butter together with your fingers in a medium-size bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the apple filling. Bake until browned and bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool, then slice and serve with vanilla ice cream. -All American Desserts: 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts. QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK: Perhaps you might assume if you would be "going back" anywhere having to do with Freddie Prinze, Jr., it might be to a movie theater. After all, the actor was one of the stars of the popular "I Know What You Did Last Summer" films. However, the cookbook author instead wants you Back to the Kitchen, the title of his new book. In it, he promises "75 real recipes (and true stories) from a food-obsessed actor." Since he's also been obsessed with his long-time wife, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar (an equally accomplished cook, who is involved with food-themed companies), she and their two kids are entertainingly featured in a number of the tasty tales. If you follow Prinze's lead, while enjoying the good-natured gossip, you could also be munching treats like biscuits with green chile sausage gravy from his New Mexico upbringing or Puerto Rican fried chicken, also from his background, since his late father was the stand-up comedian and "Chico and the Man" sitcom star Freddie Prinze. Lisa Messinger at Creators Syndicate is a first-place winner in food and nutrition writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the National Council Against Health Fraud and author of seven food books, including the best-selling The Tofu Book: The New American Cuisine with 150 Recipes (Avery/Penguin Putnam) and Turn Your Supermarket into a Health Food Store: The Brand-Name Guide to Shopping for a Better Diet(Pharos/Scripps Howard). She writes two nationally syndicated food and nutrition columns for Creators Syndicate and had been a longtime newspaper food and health section managing editor, as well as managing editor of Gayot/Gault Millau dining review company. Lisa traveled the globe writing about top chefs for Pulitzer Prize-winning Copley News Service and has written about health and nutrition for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Reader's Digest, Woman's World and Prevention Magazine Health Books. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
Posted by Staff at 11:06 PM |