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Apple Pie with Chiles and Cheese

Servings:
Makes one 9-inch pie Servings
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Ingredients

Chile Pepper Pie Crust
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried anaheim chile peppers
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried new mexico chile peppers
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried árbol chile peppers
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Filling
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried anaheim chile peppers
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried new mexico chile peppers
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried árbol chile peppers
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 lemon
  • 35 ounce apples
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried anaheim chile peppers
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ancho chile peppers
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried new mexico chile peppers
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cane vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 10 ounce smoked gouda cheese
  • 1/2 cup black currants

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Make the crust by processing the butter, sugar, egg, the three chile peppers, the cinnamon, cream of tartar, vanilla, yogurt and flour in an electric mixer with a dough hook until just combined; then refrigerate until very cold, preferably overnight, but at least 8 hours.

Leave in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Add the juice of the lemon to a large bowl of water and place 2 cups of water in a 1-quart saucepan.

Peel and core the apples, placing the peels in the saucepan (to make a stock) and the peeled apples into the lemon water to prevent discoloration.

One at a time, remove the apples from the lemon water, quarter them; then slice the quarters into 4 or 5 slices, depending on size, and place the slices back into the lemon water until ready to use.

You should have about 5 cups of apple slices.

Place the saucepan with the peels and water over a high heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Discard the peels and reserve 1 cup of the stock.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and set it aside.

Melt the butter in a 3-quart pot over high heat until it begins to sizzle.

Add the cinnamon and all the chile peppers, and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.

Slowly and carefully to prevent splashing and possible burning, add the sugar and the reserved 1 cup apple stock.

Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly, then add the vinegar and vanilla.

Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture begins to reduce, about 5 minutes.

Add the cornstarch mixture and whisk constantly and quickly until the mixture is evenly distributed and thickens to the consistency of a very thick gravy.

Don’t worry that the mixture doesn’t have a real sweet fragrance at this time — the natural sweetness of the apples will make the end result delicious and plenty sweet! Add the cheese and whisk thoroughly until melted.

Drain the apples, discarding the lemon water, and add them along with the currants.

Stir until all the fruit is evenly coated with the mixture.

Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium low, cook for 8 more minutes, then remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350.Form the chilled dough into a ball and liberally flour the dough, your work surface and rolling pin.

Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick.

This dough is very tender, so you’ll need to handle it gently and carefully.

Line a 9-inch pie tin with the dough, fill with the apple mixture — the currants will tend to gravitate to the bottom of the pot, so be sure to reach down with your spoon to get them all — and use the scraps of dough to make an attractive lattice or other decorative topping.

Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.