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Once fall rolls around, it seems like everyone starts losing their minds over all things pumpkin. And we include ourselves in that group — after all, who can resist Costco’s freakily affordable pumpkin pies, or all the pumpkin-flavored foods available Trader Joe’s? But let us not overlook the apple. Crunchy, sweet, tart, soft, spiced, anyway you have an apple, they just burst with fall flavor. But if the thought of a basic apple pie isn’t really doing it for you, you’ll want to check out this rustic apple tart recipe from Martha Stewart, author of Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts. She adds white cheddar cheese to her pie dough, and not only does it add a salty, savory tang that perfectly balances the sweet apples, but it also helps make the crust super flaky.
If rolling out a double crust for pie using homemade dough is your personal nightmare, this recipe might offer you some comfort. That’s because you only need to roll out one disc of dough, and even that doesn’t have to be perfect — this is a “rustic” tart, after all. Stewart also includes instructions for making the dough in a food processor, so it comes together in literally seconds. The secret ingredient? Shredded sharp white cheddar cheese. Apples and cheddar are a classic pairing (some people even melt cheddar cheese onto their slices of apple pie), and the salty, savory edge that it brings to the dough in this recipe turns a simple dessert into something special. “This is one of the flakiest pie crust[s] I have ever made,” shared one reviewer. “The apple crostini was fabulous!”
The apple filling is very simple to make, too. You’ll need two tart apples and two McIntosh apples (but feel free to use a variety). Those are peeled, cored, sliced, and mixed with the usual suspects, like cinnamon and sugar. The apple filling is spread over the cheddar pie dough, and the edges are folded up and over the filling, classic galette style, before going into the oven.
When the apple cheddar crostata comes out of the oven, Stewart glazes the tart with apricot preserves (get some at Target or Amazon). This gives it a lovely, bakery-style sheen. One bite of the sweet, tart, cinnamon-spiced, buttery, and cheesy galette, and you won’t go back to plain Jane apple pie again.
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