Cheddar cheese complements and contrasts with sweet and tart apples in pies. Cheese and fruit have a long history, and cheddar cheese can be added to the crust or filling. Different variations include smoked or flavored cheddar, maple syrup, and other types of cheese. Cream cheese can also be used for a different flavor and texture.
Cheddar offers a flavor that complements and contrasts with tart and sweet apples. Many people enjoy a slice of cheddar with an apple turnover, an apple omelet, or a piece of apple pie. An apple cheddar pie takes the idea a step further, with cheddar cheese baked into the crust or filling.
Apple pie and cheddar might not seem like an intuitive pairing, but cheese combined with fruit has a long history. Except for fruit, sweets are a relatively recent development. Before modern refrigeration, it wasn’t easy to keep ice cream frozen or whipped cream fresh, and cooking sweet concoctions before the advent of the temperature-controlled oven could produce uneven results. Instead, people who could afford cheese and fruit commonly ate those foods at the end of a meal.
An example of a cheddar cheese crust for an apple pie starts with flour and a little salt, with butter cut into the mixture. The cook then mixes the chopped cheddar into the dry mix before adding liquid ingredients. For the pie with apple and cheese filling, grated or diced cheese is added to the apple mixture. Good spices for apple cheddar pie filling include cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cheddar cheese gets harder and develops a more intense flavor with age. Instead of using larger or smaller amounts of cheese for the flavor variation in apple cheddar pie, choosing the appropriate flavor strength works best. For the strongest taste, you can add extra sharp cheddar or add mild cheddar for a more subtle taste. The flavor of a quality extra sharp cheddar is quite pronounced and might be a bit much for the average apple pie lover.
Many cheese makers add orange coloring to cheddar cheese, which is naturally off-white or yellow. The pastry chef can then control the color of the crust or filling, making the cheddar content more or less noticeable. People who really love cheddar cheese might appreciate a slice along with their apple cheddar pie.
There are many variations that offer different flavors. Smoked cheddar or flavored cheddar, such as that containing bacon or port wine, provides an interesting twist in the crust or filling of cheddar apple pie. Maple syrup, pecans and walnuts also offer flavorful variations on a classic favorite.
For more variation, other types of cheese can be included in a cheddar blend. Cheddar’s flavor pairs particularly well with certain types of cheese. Cheddar and mozzarella are a common combination in pizza, for example. Some gourmet macaroni and cheese recipes combine cheddar with gruyere. The cream cheese lends a different flavor and texture to the pie filling.
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