dubliner brandy apple pie

I'm flying out to Paris today and I'm kind of freaking out.  

I have a feeling I won't be blogging while I'm there in lieu of just taking it all in, but I'm pretty sure I'll be 'gramming like a fool.  I won't blather on about how my insides are a ball of excitement, instead: here is a delicious pie recipe.  

Apple pie is a pretty standard pie, but this recipe, is my favorite so far. Mostly because: cheese crust.  I've heard of people serving apple pie with a slice of cheddar, but I prefer this method of baking it into the crust.  I don't know why I haven't done this sooner because the idea sounded amazing when I was watching Pushing Daisies years ago, but I finally got around to it and yum.  I mean, adding cheese to almost anything is a sure-fire way of making it more delicious.  I almost just wanted to eat only the crust, but the brandy apple filling was a nice compliment.

Crust Ingredients:

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups

Kerrygold Dubliner cheese

6 tbsp cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2-2/3 cup ice water

Filling Ingredients:

3 1/4 lbs apples peeled, cored, + sliced (appx 9 whole)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice

1/4 cup boiled cider

1/4 cup Pie Filling Enhancer

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2-3 oz brandy

To Make Crust:

1. Whisk together the flour and salt.  Add the cheese and toss to coat.

2. Cut in the butter and shortening, mixing until well combined.

3. Drizzle just enough water over the mixture to make it cohesive, tossing with a fork until it starts to come together.

4. Fold the dough over on itself until it holds together, then divide it 65/35 into two flat discs with smooth edges.  Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To Make Filling and Pie:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the filling ingredients, mixing until the apples are well coated.  

2. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.  Roll the larger disc of dough out to a 13 1/2 inch round and lay it into your pie dish.  Spoon in the filling.

3. Roll out the second disc either into a flat disc and cover or roll it out and then use a pizza cutter to cut strips to make a lattice top.  Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.  

4. Bake the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a preheated 425ºF oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 375ºF and bake for another 45 minutes, or until the top is brown and the filling is bubbling.  Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely before slicing.