Apple cheese pie recipe

Apple cheese pie is an unusual dish and is sure to become a firm family favourite as the flavours make a great combo – the sweet apple and the creamy, rich cheese flavour. Everyone loves an ordinary apple pie but why not try something just a bit different? The pie has soft or cream cheese, raisins and walnuts in the filling to make it extra special with a delicious, buttery pastry bringing the whole pie together nicely.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 275g plain flour
• Pinch salt
• 65g lard
• 65g butter or margarine
• Cold water to mix

For the filling:

• 450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 100g soft or cream cheese
• 1 tbsp milk
• 50g Demerara sugar
• 50g raisins
• 25g walnuts, chopped
• Beaten egg and milk or milk to glaze
• 25g caster sugar

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the lard and butter or margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sufficient water to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C/400⁰F/Fan 180⁰C/Gas Mark 6.
3. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out 2/3rds of the pastry on a lightly floured board and use to line a 22.5cm pie dish.
4. Arrange the apples in the pastry case.
5. In a small bowl beat together the soft or cream cheese, milk and demerara sugar until smooth. Stir in the raisins and chopped nuts and spread the mixture over the apples. Roll out the remaining pastry to make a lid.
6. Dampen the edges of the pastry on the dish with water and cover with the lid. Seal the edges of the pie by pressing with a fork or fluting the pastry with your fingers. Brush the pie with egg and milk or milk.
7. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with caster sugar and serve hot or cold.