A wedge of apple pie with a slice of cheese

[Apicio]

Let us know if you were raised in this tradition and tell us what kind of cheese and where you’re from. I learned this in Toronto and its Northern Spy apple pie and Canadian medium aged cheddar here.

[jackal10]

Wenslydale.

However the apple pie has no bottom crust, otherwise its an apple tart.

"Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze."

Mustard optional

[jvictor930]

I know it is tradition in the midwest. I used to have a guest who demanded his apple pie this way and he was from Wisconsin. Also, I know it is standard fare in Michigan as well.

[ludja]

Also a tradition in New England. A nice double crust pie with lard or lard/butter crust, tart apples like granny smith and a wedge of sharp cheddar cheese; perhaps from Vermont.

I'd guess that this tradition started in England and then made its way here--first in New England and (it sounds like) Canada and then spreading to various parts of the country from there.

Edited September 14, 2005 by ludja (log)

[naguere]

Wenslydale. 

However the apple pie has no bottom crust, otherwise its an apple tart.

"Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze."

Mustard optional

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What he said.

[budrichard]

I was born in Boston and lived in Norwood Mass until I was 13 spending vacations in Maine and New Hampshire. I never heard of apple pie and chedder cheese. At 13 we moved to Wisconsin and I was dumbfounded when I was asked if I wanted chedder cheese with my apple pie. Now its seems quite natural. Of course in Wisconsin they put LARGE pats of butter on your burger or steak sandwich! -Dick

[FabulousFoodBabe]

I'm a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, where they top the slice with a big hunk of yellow cheddar cheese. It's not cool to do cheese and ice cream at the same time.

[Jaymes]

I've lived all over the US, so don't know where many of the things I was accustomed to as a child came from.

But in our house, when apple pie was served, you were always asked if you wanted it "hot or not." "Not" was served with ice cream. "Hot" was served with a generous slice of cheddar cheese melting over the top.

[hjshorter]

Also a tradition in New England.  A nice double crust pie with lard or lard/butter crust, tart apples like granny smith and a wedge of sharp cheddar cheese; perhaps from Vermont.

This is what I was raised on - mom's from the Boston area. The cheese was served with, not melted on top.

To add to Jack's post - mom's apple pies are always single crust. Any other kind of fruit has two.

[LynDel]

Ditto budrichard. And most of my life apple pie comes with a nice serving of vanilla ice cream.

[BarbaraY]

Lifelong Californian here. Mom used to do apple pie with cheddar. A few people used to ask for it in the restaurants but I haven't ever seen it offered here. I haven't heard anyone ask for it in a long while but I remember some of the younger wait staff thinking it was weird.

Since most people that now live here came from somewhere else, it's no surprise to see different traditions.

[ludja]

We ususally chose between ice cream, heavy cream or cheddar cheese. Cheese is always served as a wedge, on the side. (This was in Connecticut).

From "The Mystic Seaport Cookbook: 350 Years of New England Cooking by Lillian Langseth-Christensen (1970):

In England the housewives decorated and garnished their pies as elaborately as a curry in India.  The hot pies stood on the table surrounded by garnishes to suit everyone's taste.  The American settlers in New England simplified the pies, and of the garnishes only the cheese and ice cream remain.  They served a good strong yellow cheese.

Here are some of the 'older' (from England) garnishes she mentions:

heavy cream

fine sugar to dredge over the pie

good Port wine in a dcanter to pour over the pie

Cheddar or Cheshire cheese

toasted hazelnuts

blanched almonds

melted quincy jelly

diced candied orange peel

sweetened whipped cream

plum conserve (damson plum jelly in Mystic)

dried currants

raisins

cinnamon sugar

Another New England custom was to have pie for breakfast (a custom that I gladly keep up):

Breakfasts were hearty; it took a full day's labor to work them off.... The breakfast ended with a nice hot pie and a heartedning wedge of cheese.  Nothing measures up to the fortifying qualities of hot pie and cheese early in the day.

Edited September 14, 2005 by ludja (log)

[judiu]

I remember my Canadian born Grampa eating apple pie with cheese when we lived on Long Island. I on the other hand, preferred the heavy cream.

[bushey]

I was born in Boston and lived in Norwood Mass until I was 13 spending vacations in Maine and New Hampshire. I never heard of apple pie and chedder cheese. At 13 we moved to Wisconsin and I was dumbfounded when I was asked if I wanted chedder cheese with my apple pie. Now its seems quite natural. Of course in Wisconsin they put LARGE pats of butter on your burger or steak sandwich! -Dick

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Milton girl here, checking in........we always had apple pie a la mode, and the mode of choice was always vanilla ice cream (Brigham's or Howard Johnson's). I still cringe when my husband puts chocolate ice cream on his pie.

It wasn't until I moved to western Mass, and had lunch in the executive dining room at Mass Mutual, that I tried apple pie with cheddar cheese. Man, that was really good! Now I eat apple slices with melted cheddar as a snack.

[rooftop1000]

Has anyone tried making their pie crust with the cheese right in it? Every time this comes up it sounds like a good idea to me but I have never bothered.

I really like cold sliced apple with good chedder...its so nice the way the apple starts to beak down the cheese right in your mouth.

t

[jsolomon]

I'm a 3rd generation Nebraskan who never heard of it until I saw it in Rosies All Butter Fresh Cream Sugar Packed Dessert Baking Book.

But, now I am a convert!

However, I have never seen it on a menu in Nebraska. Plenty of apple pie, and plenty of a la mode (but the mode always seems to be vanilla ice cream)

You would think that by definition a la mode would follow the hip and mod of the food world.

[Jaymes]

We ususally chose between ice cream, heavy cream or cheddar cheese.  Cheese is always served as a wedge, on the side.  (This was in Connecticut).

From "The Mystic Seaport Cookbook: 350 Years of New England Cooking by Lillian Langseth-Christensen (1970):

In England the housewives decorated and garnished their pies as elaborately as a curry in India.  The hot pies stood on the table surrounded by garnishes to suit everyone's taste.  The American settlers in New England simplified the pies, and of the garnishes only the cheese and ice cream remain.  They served a good strong yellow cheese.

Here are some of the 'older' (from England) garnishes she mentions:

heavy cream

fine sugar to dredge over the pie

good Port wine in a dcanter to pour over the pie

Cheddar or Cheshire cheese

toasted hazelnuts

blanched almonds

melted quincy jelly

diced candied orange peel

sweetened whipped cream

plum conserve (damson plum jelly in Mystic)

dried currants

raisins

cinnamon sugar

Another New England custom was to have pie for breakfast (a custom that I gladly keep up):

Breakfasts were hearty; it took a full day's labor to work them off.... The breakfast ended with a nice hot pie and a heartedning wedge of cheese.  Nothing measures up to the fortifying qualities of hot pie and cheese early in the day.

I think this may be one of my all time most favorite eGullet posts ever.

[zilla369]

Has anyone tried making their pie crust with the cheese right in it? Every time this comes up it sounds like a good idea to me but I have never bothered.

←

Oh, man. That's the ticket. What a great idea!

I gotta try this.

[markk]

Has anyone tried making their pie crust with the cheese right in it? Every time this comes up it sounds like a good idea to me but I have never bothered.

They do this at Artisinal, the ("The") Cheese restaurant in New York City. It never works for me - the cheese in the crust always has a burnt taste, and no matter how many times I give it another chance, it's always the same.

[Toliver]

I was born and raised in San Diego, California, and have never seen it offered nor have I ever consumed it. Of course, it's something you see often in cartoons, TV shows and old films so I was familiar with this alien pairing at an early age.

That being said, I prefer my apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

And don't heat up the pie for me.

Who wants melted ice cream with their pie?

[petite tête de chou]

Born and bred West coast girl here. Never heard of cheese with pie until my godmother introduced me to it. The menu offerings were always pie or pie with ice cream.

And seeing as I have never had much of a sweet tooth, I now prefer to have pie with my cheese. Easy on the pie.

[ludja]

We ususally chose between ice cream, heavy cream or cheddar cheese.  Cheese is always served as a wedge, on the side.  (This was in Connecticut).

From "The Mystic Seaport Cookbook: 350 Years of New England Cooking by Lillian Langseth-Christensen (1970):

In England the housewives decorated and garnished their pies as elaborately as a curry in India.  The hot pies stood on the table surrounded by garnishes to suit everyone's taste.  The American settlers in New England simplified the pies, and of the garnishes only the cheese and ice cream remain.  They served a good strong yellow cheese.

Here are some of the 'older' (from England) garnishes she mentions:

heavy cream

fine sugar to dredge over the pie

good Port wine in a dcanter to pour over the pie

Cheddar or Cheshire cheese

toasted hazelnuts

blanched almonds

melted quincy jelly

diced candied orange peel

sweetened whipped cream

plum conserve (damson plum jelly in Mystic)

dried currants

raisins

cinnamon sugar

Another New England custom was to have pie for breakfast (a custom that I gladly keep up):

Breakfasts were hearty; it took a full day's labor to work them off.... The breakfast ended with a nice hot pie and a heartedning wedge of cheese.  Nothing measures up to the fortifying qualities of hot pie and cheese early in the day.

I think this may be one of my all time most favorite eGullet posts ever.

←

Wow, thanks Jaymes; glad you enjoyed the quotes. I like the rather baroque listing of toppings!

[Country Cook]

Apple pie and Cheese Whiz here . Hey that's what I grew up with!

[Jaymes]

We ususally chose between ice cream, heavy cream or cheddar cheese.  Cheese is always served as a wedge, on the side.  (This was in Connecticut).

From "The Mystic Seaport Cookbook: 350 Years of New England Cooking by Lillian Langseth-Christensen (1970):

In England the housewives decorated and garnished their pies as elaborately as a curry in India.  The hot pies stood on the table surrounded by garnishes to suit everyone's taste.  The American settlers in New England simplified the pies, and of the garnishes only the cheese and ice cream remain.  They served a good strong yellow cheese.

Here are some of the 'older' (from England) garnishes she mentions:

heavy cream

fine sugar to dredge over the pie

good Port wine in a dcanter to pour over the pie

Cheddar or Cheshire cheese

toasted hazelnuts

blanched almonds

melted quincy jelly

diced candied orange peel

sweetened whipped cream

plum conserve (damson plum jelly in Mystic)

dried currants

raisins

cinnamon sugar

Another New England custom was to have pie for breakfast (a custom that I gladly keep up):

Breakfasts were hearty; it took a full day's labor to work them off.... The breakfast ended with a nice hot pie and a heartedning wedge of cheese.  Nothing measures up to the fortifying qualities of hot pie and cheese early in the day.

I think this may be one of my all time most favorite eGullet posts ever.

Wow, thanks Jaymes; glad you enjoyed the quotes. I like the rather baroque listing of toppings!

In fact, I've hardcopied that list of toppings and tucked it in with my recipe for apple pie. Can hardly wait to work my merry way down that list.

[SiseFromm]

White Cheddar cheese is an option at one of the biggest apple pie spots in Julian, California. Julian somehow became known for their apple pie, cider, and juice. The first time I had apple pie served with cheddar was in Julian some 7 to 8 years ago. The combination makes sense to me, but is perceived by many I tell here in Southern California as some sort of weird/gross practice.