"An apple pie with the cheese, is like a kiss without the squeeze." This disturbing 19th century saying has been the subject of many discussions of late. A few weeks back I made an apple pie, and came across this frightful quote. Asking around I found a few people had heard of the notion but none that had actually tried it. Wanting to see if I could make a "traditional" pie I did not add the cheese. But still puzzled by the idea of adding cheese to apple pie, this Thursday past I decided to make another one. Turns out I had extra apples and crust so instead of potentially ruining a whole pie I decided to make a small apple fritter type dish and add the cheese. Also I made sure to cut the apples into smaller widths this time around. See, the last time I made my pie, while the crust came out absolutely amazing, I didn't know how to cut the apples into proper sizes. I thought they should be nice and varied in size and shape, and at least a good bite. So they were rather thick, and did not cook through very well. Fortunately, I have a good group of friends who promptly informed me of this terrible blunder and how I can make sure to not let this surprising lack of common sense mistake ever happen again.
While I'm on a bit of a tangent, now might be a good time for another tangent. I asked a friend of mine who like to cook what her impressions are of adding cheese to apple pie. She said that the cheese has many similar properties to meat, and that adding it to the pie should make it more savory.
Savory:
1. Appetizing to the taste or smell: a savory stew.
2. Piquant, pungent, or salty to the taste; not sweet.
3. Morally respectable; inoffensive.
As for how the pie turned out, I don’t know. Since I had the apple fritter type dish I didn’t really need the pie so I gave it to a friend who was having his wife come in this past weekend on military leave. The apple fritter wasn’t something to present to others. This time around I used Granny Smiths and Pink Ladies. Unlike the Granny Smiths the Pink Ladies are very juicy. So juicy that I thought I could just pour some flour on top of them and it would get absorbed during the baking. This did not happen and instead I just got warmer flour out of the oven. I also added the sharp cheddar. I felt I added quite a bit of the cheddar but I couldn’t taste it when I tried the fritter. I added a lot more for one of my serving and it was too much. Or maybe it was the appropriate amount but I didn’t like it.
But because I didn’t really know what I was doing I felt my apple fritter could only be classified as inconclusive. In town there is a restaurant that makes a grilled cheese sandwich that has Granny Smith apples in it. So yesterday I decided to go there and get one to go.
While I was there I got to talking to the head clerk who happens to be French. After placing my order I asked him if he had ever heard of apple pie being served with cheese. He was so distraught by the notion that he almost seemed offended by the question. “Absolutely not! Never! No, there are many varieties of apple pie, I know, I’ve had them. No!” “Sir, (please spare my life), I have only heard of this recipe I’m not actually promoting it.” “If anyone tells you that apple pie has cheese then you bring him here and I will set them right.” “Well, the reason I’m here is because you serve grilled cheese with apples. So if you make grilled cheese with apples, doesn’t it make sense to make apple pie with cheese?” “No. Absolutely not. We make it that way because we think after many tries that it tastes the best. But you don’t put cheese in apple pie. There are many types of apple pie. . .” He then proceeded to tell me all about them. And I learned that the French stereotype about their attitudes on food is correct. He walked me out the door continuing to talk without taking a breath (much like this sentence) that you do not add cheese to apple pie, and that it must be a Great Britain invention, but their food is so awful that it doesn’t mean anything, and I should bring anyone who says otherwise to him. This Frenchmen was so passionate about this that I think he found adding cheese to apple pie to be the exact opposite of the 3rd definition.
I took the grilled cheese home, and was ready to eat but it was a big event. My parents, who happened to have called me while I ordering it, decided they wanted to hear my live impressions. And my impressions were that it was fantastic. It was delicious. My only problem was that it was a little sweet, which made it more like a tasty large snack to me rather than a meal. I think it’s because in addition to the apple slices they also add a fig spread which added a good bit of sugar. But yes, overall the grilled cheese was amazing, and I don't even like figs. And the apples only made it better. So maybe an apple pie with cheese could be very good, if only I knew how to make it better.
Finally, in case you are curious, here are the ingredients used to make the grilled cheese that I had: Danish Fontina and Fiscalini cheddar cheese, Granny Smith apples and fig jam on grilled Challah.
While I'm on a bit of a tangent, now might be a good time for another tangent. I asked a friend of mine who like to cook what her impressions are of adding cheese to apple pie. She said that the cheese has many similar properties to meat, and that adding it to the pie should make it more savory.
Savory:
1. Appetizing to the taste or smell: a savory stew.
2. Piquant, pungent, or salty to the taste; not sweet.
3. Morally respectable; inoffensive.
As for how the pie turned out, I don’t know. Since I had the apple fritter type dish I didn’t really need the pie so I gave it to a friend who was having his wife come in this past weekend on military leave. The apple fritter wasn’t something to present to others. This time around I used Granny Smiths and Pink Ladies. Unlike the Granny Smiths the Pink Ladies are very juicy. So juicy that I thought I could just pour some flour on top of them and it would get absorbed during the baking. This did not happen and instead I just got warmer flour out of the oven. I also added the sharp cheddar. I felt I added quite a bit of the cheddar but I couldn’t taste it when I tried the fritter. I added a lot more for one of my serving and it was too much. Or maybe it was the appropriate amount but I didn’t like it.
But because I didn’t really know what I was doing I felt my apple fritter could only be classified as inconclusive. In town there is a restaurant that makes a grilled cheese sandwich that has Granny Smith apples in it. So yesterday I decided to go there and get one to go.
While I was there I got to talking to the head clerk who happens to be French. After placing my order I asked him if he had ever heard of apple pie being served with cheese. He was so distraught by the notion that he almost seemed offended by the question. “Absolutely not! Never! No, there are many varieties of apple pie, I know, I’ve had them. No!” “Sir, (please spare my life), I have only heard of this recipe I’m not actually promoting it.” “If anyone tells you that apple pie has cheese then you bring him here and I will set them right.” “Well, the reason I’m here is because you serve grilled cheese with apples. So if you make grilled cheese with apples, doesn’t it make sense to make apple pie with cheese?” “No. Absolutely not. We make it that way because we think after many tries that it tastes the best. But you don’t put cheese in apple pie. There are many types of apple pie. . .” He then proceeded to tell me all about them. And I learned that the French stereotype about their attitudes on food is correct. He walked me out the door continuing to talk without taking a breath (much like this sentence) that you do not add cheese to apple pie, and that it must be a Great Britain invention, but their food is so awful that it doesn’t mean anything, and I should bring anyone who says otherwise to him. This Frenchmen was so passionate about this that I think he found adding cheese to apple pie to be the exact opposite of the 3rd definition.
I took the grilled cheese home, and was ready to eat but it was a big event. My parents, who happened to have called me while I ordering it, decided they wanted to hear my live impressions. And my impressions were that it was fantastic. It was delicious. My only problem was that it was a little sweet, which made it more like a tasty large snack to me rather than a meal. I think it’s because in addition to the apple slices they also add a fig spread which added a good bit of sugar. But yes, overall the grilled cheese was amazing, and I don't even like figs. And the apples only made it better. So maybe an apple pie with cheese could be very good, if only I knew how to make it better.
Finally, in case you are curious, here are the ingredients used to make the grilled cheese that I had: Danish Fontina and Fiscalini cheddar cheese, Granny Smith apples and fig jam on grilled Challah.
0 comments:
Post a Comment