Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you’re all ready for the little ghosts and goblins coming your way this evening. This post has nothing to do with Halloween except for the fact that Halloween usually marks the spot where the weather turns colder and will stay that way until Spring for most places in the United States. With that in mind let’s get to it!
Recently, I was in line at the supermarket and overheard two women talking. Yes, I do, on occasion, eavesdrop. The two in front of me were getting very excited for “The Baking Season.” Like you, I’ve heard it before but never thought about its actual meaning. Upon further listening it became clear to me that it was, to some, akin to Baseball or Football season. As the weather turns cooler it’s time to break out the Fall spices and get busy! A smile came over my face as I pictured my Grandma doing deep knee bends and hamstring stretches as she prepared for the start of the season.
Something occurred to me that had happened when I was back in Tennessee for my uncle’s funeral. After the graveside service we went into the church for lunch served by a women’s group of the church. The lunch was an amazing southern feast. Then it was time for dessert. As I approached the desert table one member of the group picked up her tray of brownies and offered me some. Before I left, another women offered me her lemon bars so I took one. They each glanced at one another with a little smile.
With my new insight into “The Baking Season,” I believe I had just witnessed a tie game. I will admit that the lemon bars were my favorite by far, but here’s where it gets interesting. As the lunch was ending people were asked to take food home so the church wouldn’t have leftovers. One of my cousins immediately took the whole tray of banana pudding, which made it’s creator smile. Then two people were going after the remaining lemon bars. I wouldn’t call it an argument but they worked out a mutual agreement. Sadly, no one was taking the brownies home so the brownie lady wrapped them up nicely and tucked them into a box of food I was bringing back to my uncle’s house. I gladly took them knowing they’d be eaten by all the people stopping by over the next few days.
So, did the banana pudding lady win or was it the lemon bar lady? I’m not too clear on the rules of baking season but clearly it is a thing. Maybe it’s just in the hearts and minds of those who put in the effort to create such wonderful dishes. If the goal is to have all your baked goods consumed then they all were winners on that day. To me it’s fun to look at “The Baking Season” as a sporting event. I don’t think I’ll hear those words and think of it any other way from now on.
In the spirit of “The Baking Season” I thought I’d start with a very delicious and super easy apple pie. It has a little twist to it in the form of cheddar cheese. There are so many recipes where you make the crust and combine shredded cheddar into it. That, to me, takes up a lot of time and often, for some reason, the taste of the cheese gets lost. A much simpler version that allows the cheese to actually melt into the apple mixture is buying two pre-made pie shells and putting shredded or sliced cheddar in the bottom of one pan before adding the apple mixture. The most time consuming step is peeling, coring and slicing the apples. If you buy the apple peeler, corer slicer you see in the picture you can do all the apples in under 5 minutes. It is without a doubt one amazing invention. After you’ve fixed the apples you’re going to toss them into a pan with the sugar and butter and cook on a medium heat until all the apples have a nice glaze to them, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and the mixture is done. Then remove from the heat and let it cool a little. Place the cheese into one pre-made pie shell and pour the apple mixture on top of the cheese. Invert the other pie crust and crimp the edges. That’s it! Preparation time is maybe 15 minutes. Cooking time it about 45-60 minutes but it’s worth the wait and your house will smell amazing! Below you will find the recipe for the Lazy Man’s Apple Pie.
- Lazy Man’s Apple Pie
- Preheat oven to 450. You’ll turn it down later
- 2 pre-made pie crusts, thawed
- Cheddar Cheese, enough to cover the bottom of one pie crust, 6 slices or 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- 4-6 apples of your choice, peeled, cored and sliced
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1 lemon juiced, or equivalent in bottled lemon juice
- 1/3 Cup white sugar
- 1/3 Cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons white flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a skillet large enough to hold the sliced apples, add the butter and sugars and cook until a syrup forms 2-3 minutes
- Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and stir well
- Add the apples and cook 5 minutes over medium heat until the apples are coated in the syrup
- Add the flour and stir to mix throughly and thicken the syrup
- Remove from the heat and let cool
- Spread cheddar cheese onto the bottom of one pre-made pie shell, the whole bottom should be covered
- Place apple mixture over the cheese, spread apples evenly in pie pan
- Invert the other pie crust over the apple mixture and crimp the edges of the crusts together, poke a hole in the top with a fork to allow steam to escape
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and put in the preheated oven
- Immediately turn the oven down to 375 degrees and cook for 45-60 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. If crust gets brown to quickly cover it with foil.
- Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream! (Ok, I threw the ice cream in there but you might as well go for it!)
This pie is a great start to “The Baking Season” and I hope you give it a try. I know for some the thought of cheese in your pie doesn’t sound tasty. Let me assure you, that combination coupled with the cinnamon syrup is like an explosion of flavor your taste buds won’t forget. I might go so far as to say this will be your favorite apple pie recipe. If you make this recipe, please let us know how it came out. If you have a pie recipe or something you’d like to add for the baking season please post it in the box below. As always, if you have any questions or comments send them in and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Until next time, Boone Appétit!
