Apple and Raisin Pie in Cheddar Crust

Early this month,I bring my daughter to a "U Pick Apple" orchard at Jamesport,Long Island.It's 45 minutes drive from our home . Mostly the farms in Long Island is family owned and operated for many generations.Actually,I'm more interested in "U Pick" peach or pear or berries or other fruits beside apples but unfortunately all the farms was closed for the season.We picked a peck of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, a peak is 1/4 bushel of apples and cost $14.Until today I till have 1/2 peck of apples sitting on my kitchen table.Well,what to do with all the apples beside eating fresh apple as it's? Baking or making apple jam? At last I decided to bake a Apple and Raisin Pie in Cheddar Crust with Golden Delicious apples !

Ingredients For Crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 stick butter

5-6 tbsp cold ice water

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For Filling:

7 cups sliced peeled apples (10 medium or 2 1/2 lb)

1 cup raisin

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp corn flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp butter

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For Glaze

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp water

Method:

1:Preheat oven to 375 F.

2:For crust,place flour,cheese,butter and salt in food processor bowl.Process 15 second,sprinkle water,I tbsp at a time until dough forms.Shape into ball.Divide dough in half.Press between hands to form two 5-6 inch"pancakes".Roll and press bottom crust into 9 inch pie pan or plate.

3:For filling,combine apples and sugar in large sauce pan.Cook and stir on medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.Reduce heat to low.Simmer for 5 minutes.Combine corn flour,water and ground cinnamon to dissolve.Stir into the cooked apples mixture,let it boil.Remove from heat,stir in butter and raisin.Spoon into unbaked pie crust.Moisten pastry edge with water.

4:Roll out top crust on kitchen counter,sprinkle some flour on it.Cut out the heart shape with cookies cutter and top each shape on top of other around the edge .Leave the middle uncover to allow steam to escape.

5:For glaze,beat egg yolk and mix with water,brush over the crust top.

6:Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes first,then brush with egg glaze and continue to bake for another 15 or 20 minutes or until filling in center is bubbly and crust is golden brown. ( I baked the pie first before brushing egg glaze because I want to prevent the crust from overbrowning) .Cool to room temperature before serving.

Note;

Golden Delicious ,Granny Smith and Jonathan apples are all suitable for pie baking.