apple pie with cheddar cheese crust

I love apple pie. Short, rich pastry encasing sweet, soft apples flavoured with cinnamon - what's not to love? I've been hearing a lot about cheese incorporated into the pastry crust of an apple pie quite a lot recently, and whilst it sounds a little weird at first there was something about the combination that seemed to make sense. You can experiment with any kind of cheese but I decided on that for my first attempt I would try a medium mature cheddar.  This pie is delicious with a drizzle of cream, custard or a good dollop of ice cream.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

225g plain (all purpose) flour

100g softened butter

75g grated cheddar

3-4 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling:

5-6 eating apples (such as golden delicious, granny smith, jazz) peeled, cored and finely sliced

6 tbsp soft brown sugar (adjust this to your own taste)

1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp cornflour, regular flour or semolina

1. Start by making the pastry. Combine the butter and flour in a large bowl and rub between your finger tips until everything is combined and is the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively you can pulse the two together in a food processor until you have achieved the same consistency.
2. Add all the cheese and a couple of tablespoons of the water and bring together the breadcrumbs until a rough dough ball is formed. You may need to add some extra water or not as much. Be guided by the consistency you achieve, just remember you want to handle and work the pastry as little as possible to make sure it retains its short, crumbly texture when cooked. Cover the pastry in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
3. Once the pastry has rested, pre-heat your oven to 220C. Next put the sliced apples, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix together until the apple is thoroughly coated in everything.
4. Cut off a third of the pastry and set aside for the lid. With the remaining two thirds roll it out thinly so that it is large enough to line the base of your pie dish. Alternatively you can coarsely grate the pastry into the pie dish and push together the pieces to form the base. 
5. Sprinkle the cornflour over the base (this will help to avoid a soggy bottom on your pie) then spread the apple mixture over the top. 
6. Roll out the pastry for you lid then carefully place it over the filling. Crimp together the edges and cut a hole in the top to allow steam from the filling to escape. You can use beaten egg on the rim of the pastry to help it join together if you like but I didn't find it was needed. 
7. Brush the top with beaten egg or milk if you want a golden, shiny top then place the pie in the oven. Cook at 220C for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 190C and continue to cook for a further 45 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven when it's done and leave it to cool for 20 minutes or so before eating.

awesome macaroni cheese with pancetta & spinach

Just the thought of this dish makes me happy. Soft, cheesy and creamy sauce with salty, crispy bacon bits topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and the 'healthy' addition of the spinach. This is the ultimate comfort food for me and one of the first dishes I learnt to cook for myself, although in a simpler version. If you don't fancy bacon/pancetta or spinach leave it out, it will still be super awesome and delicious. Also feel free to change it up a bit adding roasted peppers, fried mushrooms, sweetcorn or green chillies. This is a great dish and everyone has their own signature version. Here is my current favourite.

Ingredients Serves 4 as a main dish or 6 - 8 as a side.

500g pasta shapes
300g strong cheese, grated (I used equal quantities of mature cheddar, gruyere and emmental)
200g fresh spinach
100g cubed pancetta or streaky bacon
500ml milk
100ml cream (optional)
50g butter
50g plain flour
pepper
nutmeg
approx 70g bread crumbs (I used fresh so had to toast them myself but skip this stage if you have shop bought breadcrumbs such as panko)



1. Preheat your oven to 200C fan.

2. Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packet but drain it a minute or so before the end of the time. You don't want it to be over cooked at this stage. Leave it in the pan to one side.

3. If using fresh breadcrumbs toast them off in the oven, under the grill or in a cast iron skillet or frying pan on the hob.

4. In a wide frying pan crisp up your bacon or pancetta. When this is done set to one side to drain on kitchen paper and pour off the excess fat from the pan into a separate dish. (Please don't pour it down the drain - dispose of it properly).


5. Return the pan to the heat then add the spinach and wilt down. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can then scatter the spinach on the base of the oven proof dish.


6. Put a saucepan over a medium heat then add the butter and flour and stir together until the butter is completely melted and combined with the flour.

7. Now, little by little add in the milk stirring throughly after each addition to ensure it is completely combined and no lumps are forming. You hear about some people heating the milk separately, I never bother because it's just extra mess and my sauces always work out fine this way.

8. Once you have added all the milk grate in a little nutmeg and black pepper to taste and the cream if using then continue to heat the white sauce until it has thicken so that it coats the back of a spoon and the raw flour taste has gone. Turn off the heat then add 2/3 of the cheese and stir until it has melted in. Now stir through your crispy bacon bits.






9. It's now time to build up the final dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir until all the pasta is covered then transfer to the oven proof dish that has the spinach on the bottom.



10. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese followed by the breadcrumbs then place in the oven  for around 20 minutes or until it is golden brown on top and bubbling round the edges.