Hold on to your tastebuds to make way for the pie of the century—Blackberry-Apple with White Cheddar Cheese Crust

I had mentioned that my second birthday goal, besides making yesterday’s veggie casserole, was to bake myself a birthday pie. I’m pleased to report that that was accomplished in fine fashion and that it was a colossal success. I don’t think I’ve ever had such an amazing dessert. The photo of Blackberry-Apple Pie with White Cheddar Cheese Crust drew me in when I first saw it in the Thanksgiving issue of Southern Living. I don’t know how the one SL baked as its “model” could have tasted any better.

This called for six apples (a combination of Granny Smith and Braeburn) and 2 cups of blueberries (the recipe said frozen could be used, but Kroger had some packages of fresh ones, so I went for fresh all the way). The apples were cooked until tender and the blackberries stirred in before they were added to the crust.

Now for the awesome crust! I’ve never blended anything into a piecrust mixture except the traditional water, butter or shortening, and flour. But this called for 1 1/2 cups shredded white Cheddar cheese to be part of the mixture. I know lots of folks love big slices of cheddar atop apples pies (I remember seeing this on pies in cafeteria lines), but I never considered actually making the cheese a part of the pie itself. How would this work?

The cheese is added after the butter is cut into the flour mixture so that it resembles small peas. After the cheese, water is drizzled onto the mixture until the dough can stick together to form a ball. Shaping the mixture into two flat disks, wrapping it in plastic wrap, and allowing it to chill (from 2 to 24 hours) is essential. By that point (I think I waited 6 hours) the dough is firm. It never stuck to the rolling pin or to the pastry board a single time during the rolling-out process. Lattice strips are cut from the second crust and woven over the top of the fruit. Again the pastry strips, cut from the chilled dough, were easy to work with and didn’t fall apart during the weaving process.

After having been brushed with a beaten egg, the crust is prone to brown speedily. The recipe directs that after 45 minutes, you cover it loosely with foil and bake a remaining 25. I had to cover mine before 45 minutes; I actually covered the edges with aluminum strips after about 10 minutes of baking because they were an over-browning disaster waiting to happen. After 75 minutes of baking the pie’s insides were bubbly; the outside, having been protected, was golden.

After Hubby and I returned from our promised birthday run both ways over the Two-Mile Bridge (over Lake Ray Hubbard), our daughter had arrived at our house to bring a balloon and birthday greetings, so we considered that to be our occasion to dig into the waiting pie. It became my birthday lunch. (I don’t suggest having pie for lunch every day, but on one’s birthday, living a little is surely sanctioned!) Absolutely stunning! The fruit combo of apples and blackberries and the from-scratch cheesy crust was a once-in-a-lifetime treat. On a birthday, Thanksgiving, or anytime table, Blackberry-Apple Pie is a memorable winner.

Blackberry-Apple Pie

3 pounds Granny Smith apples

3 pounds Braeburn apples

1 1/2 cups sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

1 (12-ounce) package frozen blackberries (I used 2 cups fresh blackberries)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Peel apples and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges; toss with sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add apple mixture and sauté 15 to 20 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove from heat. Cool completely (about 1 hour). Toss blackberries with 1 tablespoon flour and stir into apple mixture. Use immediately.

White Cheddar-Cheese Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups (6-ounces) shredded white Cheddar cheese

1/2 to 3/4 cup ice water

1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute), lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon sparkling sugar

In a large bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup ice water over flour mixture. Stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened and dough is crumbly but forms a ball when pressed together. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, up to 1/4 cup. Divide dough in half. Place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Shape each dough half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap; chill 2 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Starting at 1 edge of dough, wrap dough around rolling pin. Place rolling pin over a 9-inch pie plate; unroll dough over pie plate. Press dough into pie plate; trim off excess crust along edges. Spoon Blackberry-Apple Pie Filling into crust. Mound filling slightly in center. Roll remaining dough disk to about 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 9 (1-inch-wide) strips. Arrange strips in a lattice design over filing; gently press ends of strips into bottom crust; crimp edge of crust. Brush lattice with egg; sprinkle with sugar. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees on lower-oven rack 45 to 50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil to prevent excess browning. Bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Pears and apples PAIR up for a terrific, spicy fruit pie

I had blogged that I was saving the last of the last of our pears for something special. This is the something special—Spiced Apple-Pear Pie. Our brand-new apple tree this year also managed to produce a few apples. So I merged the remaining pears and these apples into this marvelous dessert after I found a recipe on www.foodnetwork.com. What a great fruit-pie featuring this combo!

The pears and apples paired up (pun absolutely intended!) to become indistinguishable in a compote that was cooked on the stovetop until the fruit softened before it was poured into the pie crust. Peeled and diced pears and apples were combined with lemon juice, flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger cooked in a saucepan until the fruit was ready. The top crust was brushed with egg to aid in browning and then dusted with sugar so it was oven-ready.

Even without sugar-free Blue Bell Ice Cream to top it (I forgot to get some at the grocery), this was an unimaginably good dessert.

Goodbye pears and apples until next season! We can hardly wait—and I’ll be saving recipes all winter long to accommodate the likes of you.

Spiced Apple-Pear Pie

1/2 lemon

3 pounds baking apples, such as Golden Delicious (about 6 apples)

1 1/2 pounds baking pears, such as firm Bartletts (about 3 pears)

2/3 cup sugar (or sugar substitute) plus more for sprinkling on the pie

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

pinch of nutmeg

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg, beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

your favorite two-crust pie crust recipe

Finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Peel, core, and slice both the apples and pears into 1/2-inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then toss fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt the butter. Add fruit and cook; stir until the sugar dissolves and juices simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the fruit softens and the juices evaporate some, about 10 minutes. Evenly mix the flour into the fruit; then cook about a minute more to thicken the juices slightly. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest and remove from heat. The filling should resemble a tight compote. Cool completely. When cool pour filling into the bottom crust of the pie. Place top crust over the filling. Cut 6 to 8 steam vents into the top of the top crust. Brush pie with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes to 425 degrees. Then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake until the crust both top and bottom are golden brown, about 30-35 minutes more. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cut a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil and cover the edges.

The end of the pears, but boy, did this Pear Streusel Pie serve as a grand finale!

Like most everything else in our garden (except the stalwart okra plants—bloomin’ their crazy heads off in this punishing heat), our pears have had their last gasp. But boy, did they go out with a flourish! Pear Streusel Pie was the final resting place for the last batch, with just a few left over for maybe one more mini-dish of something. Pear Streusel Pie was possibly our favorite thing to make from our garden the entire summer. We just adored it.

The recipe couldn’t be simpler—that is, after you get all the pears peeled and thinly sliced. The recipe hailed from an old, old standby—my Flavor Favorites! cookbook (circa 1979) from Baylor alumni. When I mentioned this fact to Hubby, he replied, “Well! I haven’t heard that one cited in a long time.” It’s true; I can get in a rut where recipe sources are concerned. My Flavor Favorites! once was like a cooking bible for me. Rarely did I once look anywhere else. So after I found the Pear Streusel Pie recipe, this prompted me to prowl through it again and remember how much I loved some of those old favorites—many of which can be modified with today’s healthier-eating options.

Anyway, the pie was garden-variety fruit-pie assemblage—sugar (substitute), lemon juice, and melted butter tossed with the pear slices and then poured into an unbaked pie shell. Topping consisted of flour, cinnamon, butter, and sugar (substitute), blended until at the coarse-crumb stage and then set atop the pie.

We had a feast when that pie emerged from the oven. We patted ourselves on the back with each bite. Our own pears—thank you, garden; thank You, God. We’ll look forward to some good times next season.

Pear Streusel Pie

1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

5 large pears, peeled and thinly sliced

1 unbaked (9-inch) pie shell

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, juice, and butter; toss with pears. Place in pie crust. To make topping combine flour, cinnamon, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Add butter and blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over pears. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.