Apple & Wensleydale Pie

There's a saying in Yorkshire that 'apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze'. I couldn't agree more - tangy, salty cheese and sweet apple go beautifully together. I like to use a mixture of cooking and eating apples in this pie, in order to create a varied, interesting texture.

Serves 6 Cook 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry

• 350g plain flour

• 175g cold unsalted butter, cut into roughly 1cm dice, plus extra for greasing

• About 75ml very cold water

For the filling

• 500g cooking apples

• 500g eating apples

• 100g caster sugar

• 125g Wensleydale cheese, crumbled

To finish

• A little milk

• About 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Equipment

• 26 x 20cm baking tin, about 4cm deep

Method

1. To make the pastry, put the flour in a bowl. Add the diced butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, do this in a food processor or a mixer and then transfer to a bowl.

2. Now work in just enough cold water to bring the pastry together, using one hand. When the dough begins to stick together, gently knead it into a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

3. Heat your oven to 200°C/gas6. Lightly butter a baking tin, about 26 x 20cm and about 4cm deep. .

4. For the filling, peel, quarter and core all of the apples. Slice them into a large bowl and toss together.

5. Once the dough has rested, cut it into two pieces, roughly one-third and two-thirds. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Roll out the larger piece of pastry so it’s a good 6cm larger all round than the base of the tin. Line the base and sides of the tin with the pastry, leaving the excess hanging over the sides.

6. Lay a third of the apple slices in the pastry-lined tin and sprinkle with a third of the sugar. Repeat with the remaining apple and sugar. Now scatter the crumbled cheese evenly over the fruit.

7. Roll out the remaining pastry to make a lid. Brush the edges of the pastry in the tin with milk, then put the pastry lid on top. Seal the edges with your fingertips and crimp them; trim off the excess pastry neatly. Brush the pastry with milk and sprinkle with more sugar. Make two slits in the top to allow the steam to escape.

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing. The pie is delicious hot or cold and needs no accompaniement.

Taken from Paul Hollywood’s Pies & Puds, published by Bloomsbury

Photograph © Peter Cassidy