Dutch Apple Pie with Cinnamon Roll Crust (and Cheese)

Sweet mother this is good pie.  This is like "last meal" good.  It actually impresses me that a pie can be this good and not made at a restaurant that specializes in pie.  If you have any plans in the near future to make an apple pie, please give this a try.  It may be a little labor intensive, but you won't regret it; nor will your unsuspecting guests.  The only thing that can make this pie any better is some DQ, homemade ice cream/custard, or homemade whipped cream.  Have I mentioned this pie is amazing?  It absolutely is.

You may be asking yourself, "With cheese?"  Yes, my friends, with cheese.  This was a special "bonus" that my grandmother always added to her pie.  Still a skeptic?  Well, you don't have to be as bold with the cheese as I was.  I knew my mom loved cheese on her apple pie, and since this was her birthday pie, I made it the way she loves it.  You can always add a slice or two to the top of the pie after it's baked, and sample it that way.  It really isn't a flavor that sticks out.  It just adds a subtle tang to the pie's natural goodness. 

I started with a homemade pie crust, but you can use store bought if you'd like.  I used the recipe from my previous Banana Cream Pie post.  The best way to make the cinnamon roll portion of the crust is to try to get the dough rolled into a nice rectangle.  The fewer the cracks and the more even the edges, the better.

For the cinnamon roll topping, I mix 1 cup of brown sugar to 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon.  You can change the proportions and measurements to please your taste buds.  This is what I found works best, but I won't be insulted if you change it. 

Guess what?  Remember how much butter was in the crust?  We're going to add more.  Well, technically, I use margarine for this part.  I melt about 2 tablespoons of margarine in the microwave and spread it with my fingers onto the crust.  Then, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.  Make sure it covers the crust evenly and goes all the way to the edges.  Now, ever so carefully, start on one end, and roll the dough as tightly as you can.  If you come to a tear, just tuck it in, and keep on truckin'.

After you're done rolling the dough, cut it into very thin slices.  These mini cinnamon rolls tend to be a little finicky.  I prefer to cut a few slices, mold to the pie pan, cut a few more, and continue on in this way.  Sometimes, there's a chunk that falls off or isn't connected to the rest of the little roll.  This little mistake is a beautiful thing is disguise.  If you have no moral oppositions to eating raw dough, then you need to put that shit in your mouth stat.  Mmmm delicious goodness.  

After you have a few little slices, start molding them to the inside of your pie pan.  I always start with the sides, work my way up to the edges, and do the bottom of the pan last.  You're just going to smoosh those tiny rolls in there with your fingers.  Make sure you fill in all the holes and cracks.  Feel free to overlap the rolls a little bit if necessary.  This was the first time I used the crust around the edge of the pan, and I liked having the extra bit of crust.  It's totally fine if you want to stop at the top of the sides and leave the edges bare.  

Apple peelin' time, apple peelin' time, hi ho the dairy-o it's apple peelin' time.  When I made the pie this time I used Cortland apples.  I liked the sweet flavor the apples gave the pie, but they didn't really stand up to the test of baking.  They seemed to make the pie a little too soft.  I would recommend Granny Smith apples since they tend to cook down a lot less.  I used 8 Cortlands, but only 5 Granny Smith (though I'm sure I could have squeezed another one in there).  Plus, Brad was slicing the Granny Smith so they were a bit, ah, less OCD-sized.  The number of apples will tend to vary based on their size, just make sure that the pie is filled to the brim with apples, and there is a slight hillock of apples in the center.  

 

Yum yum yum, it's caramel time!  This may just be what makes this pie so damned good.  As far as making caramels go, this is pretty painless.  You won't have to worry about ruining your best pan, and it's not too complicated.  First, melt the butter in a saucepan, and stir in the flour to form a paste-like substance.  Then add the water, white and brown sugar, and bring to a boil.  Lower the temp on your burner, and let the caramel simmer for a few minutes. 

The color and consistency of the caramel will change slightly after you've simmered it for a few minutes.  If you simmer it for too long, the oil from the butter will start to collect around the edges of the caramel.  Just stir this back into the caramel as best you can, and pour over your apple mound.  Now you have a delicious, caramel covered hill of apples.

This is the point where I am faced with a moral dilemma.  Do I finish the pie and bake it for all to enjoy?  Or do I shut myself away in a closet somewhere and eat the whole thing uncooked?  I go back and forth, back and forth for about 10 minutes.   I start to pace the hallway of the apartment with the pie dish in my hands.  Brad starts to question my sanity.  I splash some cold water on my face, pull myself together, and take the pie back to the kitchen, reluctantly.

Cheese time!   I don't know if I want to brand drop, but this cheese was the kind my grandma always used to use.  It comes in a yellowish container, and is a "pasteurized prepared cheese product."  Sound appetizing?  Maybe if you're a bit more of a snob you could try an actual cheese like cheddar.  I was staying true to the original preparation of the pie this time around, but I might try real cheese next time.  

You know all the wonderful deliciousness that just went into your pie?  We get to hide it under a pile of crumbly goodness.  It's like the best scavenger hunt, ever.  You're going to cut into this pie, and your unwitting friends and/or family will wonder, "What's this?  Apples?  Caramel?  Cheese?  Cinnamon Rolls?  Crumbliness?  Ahhghghhwwhfghh."  And then they will explode into a million pieces all over each other.  Don't worry, it's a good explosion.  Or maybe that's worse.  Moving on, because I'm grossing myself out.

I used my food processor in order to create the crumble, and it was fairly simple.  The only thing I hate about the food processor is how much of a pain it is to wash off each individual piece.  There's a moment of complete denial as I'm pulling out the food processor and thinking about how quick the whole thing is going to be when I'm using it.  I'm even in denial as I'm using the food processor, but realization hits me as soon as I start to disassemble the stupid thing.  Then, I try to look at every piece of the machine to try to rule out the necessity of washing it, but to no avail.  Of course all 700 pieces need to be cleaned.  What was I thinking?  How could I have been so naive?  You'd think I would have learned after using my food processor 87 times, but I am the Queen of Denial.  

 

Throw that shit in the oven!  Wait impatiently by the oven door for about an hour.  Don't forget to turn the oven heat down after the first 15 minutes.  This will help ensure that the pie bakes up nicely, but the crust doesn't burn.  If the crust looks like it's getting too dark, and the pie is still needing time to cook, put a foil collar around the crust.  That should slow the baking process of the crust, and buy you some more time to make sure your filling gets nice and soft.  Bake it on the lower setting for 35-45 minutes.  Listen to the apples.  They will tell you when they're ready.  Stick a toothpick or a thin knife into the pie, and if the apples feel soft, it's ready.  

Since the Cortland apples baked down so much, my pie didn't have a whole lot of structure.  There is also a slight possibility that we didn't let the pie sit for long enough before really tying into it.  Honestly, the aesthetics are only a very small part of this pie.  It's so delicious that you'll want to eat the whole thing by yourself.  This is not a good "sharing" pie.  Unless your partner doesn't mind having their hand bitten clean off.  Whatever you do, practice safe sharing.  

I love this pie.  It's my baby.  It will always be special because it's my "first."  This is the first recipe that I can truly call my own.  Sure, it's an amalgamation of several different recipes and ideas, but this distinct combination is truly my own.  I hope you try it, enjoy it, and that it inspires you to try something creative of your own.  

Next up: Cinnamon Rolls? 

Dutch Apple Pie with Cinnamon Roll Crust (and Cheese)

Pie Crust

2 T. margarine, softened

1 c. brown sugar

2 T. cinnamon

6-8 apples (Granny Smith or Cortland work nicely), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/4 c. water

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

6-8 thin slices of cheese

2/3 c. plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

6 T. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 16" by 21").  Spread the top of the rectangle with softened margarine.  Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl, and sprinkle evenly over the top of the crust.

Carefully roll the dough into a tight, long tube.  Slice the dough about 1/4" thick.

Line a pie plate using the small cinnamon rolls.  Place rolls closely together, and do not leave any holes or cracks in the crust.  If desired, mold the cinnamon rolls along the lip of the pie plate as well.

Arrange the apple slices tightly in the crust.  Pile the apples so that there is a small hill in the center of the pie.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.  Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the apples.  

Arrange your cheese slices evenly over the top of the apples.  

Combine 2/3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor or large bowl. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl if using the food processor. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of oats.  Carefully pour the crumble mixture over the top of the apples.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes in the 425 degree oven.  Lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake for another 35-45 minutes or until apples are soft.

If desired, serve with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.