October is a wonderful month. When I lived in Boston, it was typically the last month before winter set in. And when I lived in San Antonio, it was the first month that was consistently not hot. Either way, it tends to bring back memories of kitchens I have been in, as it’s the the best time of the year for baking. My inspiration for this recipe truly was a bag of Macintosh apples that we were not getting through quickly enough, and also I needed to bring something to our bookclub. For us, this recipe hit all of those notes and is best shared with friends.

–Leah and Jeff

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 stick of butter (8 Tablespoons), cold and cut into small pieces
• 1 1/4 cup of flour (I used 1 cup AP, 1/4 cup white whole wheat)
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon of sugar
• 3-4 Tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

• 6 small or 4 medium macintosh apples
• 1 Tablespoon of AP flour
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 4 oz of good sharp cheddar, sliced
• Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 2 teaspoons of water)
• Sugar and cinnamon, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. To make the crust: whisk flour, salt, and sugar together. Cut in the butter until it just comes together and looks like wet sand. Add the ice water until it just forms comes together. Pat dough into a disk, wrap, and place in fridge.
2. In the meantime, peel the apples and slice. Toss with 1/2 of the lemon juice and place in a bowl of cold water to minimize browning.
3. Once the apples are peeled and sliced, drain, and toss with the remaining lemon juice, sugar, flour and cinnamon.
4. Roll out the crust to about 1/4″ thickness. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Arrange the apples and cheddar cheese in the middle, leaving a 2″ border. Fold the border around the filling. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
5. Bake at 400’F until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!