Cheddar Crumble Apple Pie

The idea of serving apple pie with cheese appears to have originated in England, where all sorts of fillings were added to pies. At some point, the 17th-century trend of adding dairy-based sauces to pies morphed into a tradition of topping them with cheese. Why cheese? At the time, apple pies were quite bland: prior to the creation of the Red Delicious apple in the late 19th century, few apples tasted sweet. Cheese offered a readily available supplement. After all, in an era before the ubiquity of freezers, the most popular pie topping today—ice cream—was out of the question.

By no means is this pie-and-cheese pairing a modern tradition. It heralds back to the 17th century, when, in England, traditional fruit pies were first paired with dairy-based accoutrements such as custard and—later on—cheese. Cheddar is the most common variety, but there are regional preferences. In parts of Yorkshire, they prefer their regional cheese of Wensleydale. English settlers brought the culinary tradition to North America, and it caught on in places where dairy farming flourished and cheese was most accessible—namely, New England and the American Midwest.

Though fans of apple pie with cheese exist everywhere, they seem to be concentrated in the American Midwest, New England, and parts of Canada and Britain. Proponents of apple pies with cheese defend their choice by pointing to the contrast between “the sweetness of the pie” and “the sharpness and saltiness” of the cheeses, saying it works the same way as chocolate-covered pretzels.

While this combo initially might seem a little strange, it’s not so uncommon if you think about it. Cheese and apples show up in all sorts of fan favorites, like grilled cheese with apples, fruit on charcuterie boards or the classic snack of cheese with a slice of raw apple. The savory cheese is a lovely balance to the sweet pie, pairing much more subtly than you may expect. There are many ways to prepare it: some people bake cheese into the pie crust, some slip it into the apple filling, some melt it on top of the pie, and others leave it on the side of the plate.

Regions that pioneered pie a la mode largely lost the trend: New York City, for instance, has served the dish since the 1890s, and today generally falls into the “pie with ice cream” camp. During the 20th century, ice cream gradually usurped cheese as the most popular pie topping in the United States at large.

9 inch Unbaked Pie Shell

Topping:

1/2 c. unbleached flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar; firmly packed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
5 tbsp. butter

Filling:

1 1/2 lb. cooking apples; *
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
6 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cup)
4 tsp. unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, ground

* Use a cooking apple such as Granny Smith's. Core, peel and thinly sliced

Make a high rim around the pie crust. Combine all the dry ingredients in the topping and cut in the butter until crumbly. Set aside.

Toss the apples and lemon juice together and add the cheese, flour, and nutmeg, tossing and mixing well. Arrange the apples in the crust and sprinkle on the topping.

Bake in a preheated 375° F. oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the topping is lightly browned.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired.