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.

coffee, chocolate, fudge and walnut cookies

These cookies combine the great flavours of coffee, walnut, chocolate and fudge into one glorious sweet treat with quite a grown up flavour. I was originally inspired by one of my Christmas gifts, the momofuko milk bar recipe book from Christina Tosi. It’s a fascinating read with some awesome and slightly ‘out-there’ creations. I was particularly intrigued by using glucose in the cookie dough mix. Apparently it helps to give cookies a ‘fudgy centre and crispy edges, and it also increases their shelf life.’ I was also intrigued by their 'compost cookies' that amongst many other items includes ground coffee. This then inspired me to experiment with my own cookie flavours and do something a little unexpected. So here is my coffee, chocolate, fudge and walnut cookies. They need a better name but the recipe works. Try them out and let me know if you can think of a better name. 

Ingredients Makes about 22-24 cookies
225g unsalted butter at rom temperature
200g granulated sugar
150g light brown sugar
50g glucose
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
225g bread flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp salt
100g fudge pieces
100g dark chocolate chunks (I use a bar of dark chocolate and roughly chop it with a knife but use pre-formed chips if you like)
150g walnuts, roughly chopped
2-3 tsp fresh ground coffee

1. Cream the butter, sugars and glucose together using an electric mixer for around 2-3 minutes. The mixture will look like creamy coffee. 
2. Next add the egg and vanilla and beat for a further 7-8 minutes stopping to scrap down the mix from the sides every so often. It will become much lighter in colour and have a fluffy texture. 
3. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and salt and using a wooden spoon or spatula mix the dough until it comes together. 
4. Add the chocolate chunks, fudge pieces, ground coffee and walnuts and stir until just mixed. Try not to break the pieces up too much. 
5. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and place tablespoon sized portions of the mixture on to the tray. Cover the tray with cling film and place in the fridge for at least an hour. 
6. When ready, preheat the oven to 180C then space the cookies out on baking parchment or a silicone mat so that they are at least 16cm apart (they will spread out a lot). Flatten the top of each portion slightly then bake for around 15 minutes or until slightly browned on the edges but still mostly unchanged in the centre. 
7. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the tray before you remove them to an airtight tray for storing. They will last for about a week at room temperature or can be frozen for up to a month.