Apple Bacon Pie with Cheddar Crust
There’s apple pie, and then there’s homemade apple pie with apple and bacon… and a cheddar cheese crust. Enough said!
As the weather cools, we crave apples with increasing intensity, until at last we’ve loaded apple flavor in nearly everything from: apple turnovers, to apple pretzels, to apple bread, to apple meatballs.
…Or at least I do.
Classic Homemade Apple Pie is the heavy hitter.
Really, what’s not to like?
It’s comforting and offers incredible contrast, with tart apples, sweet sticky filing, crisp buttery crust and ice cream on top, if you’re lucky.
Well I’m feeling pretty lucky today, for several reasons.
- Remember my trip to the Harry & David Orchards? Well, I’m now part of their Fruit of the Month Club, so I get to reminisce over a box of flawless Harry & David fruit every month.
- Harry & David shared one of their chef-inspired recipes with me, that features Honey Crisp Apples.
- This homemade apple pie recipe has BACON in it.
That’s right. Harry & David collaborated with several chefs this fall, to see what glorious creations they would cook up with Royal Riviera Pears and Honey Crisp Apples.
This Apple and Bacon Pie is the brainchild of executive chef Eric Greenspan and was designed to complement the crisp clean sweetness of Harry & David Honey Crisp Apples.
Sweet and savory with tender morsels of smokey bacon, a rich cheddar cheese crust, and cheddar “lace” over the top.
It’s both a savory dessert and a sweet side dish. You could serve this apple and bacon pie with a big scoop of ice cream, or next to a braised pork chop.
Either way, it’s pretty special.
To make: Prepare the cheddar cheese pie crust dough. Wrap and chill. Then roll out a large circle, 1/4 inch thick. Carefully place in a large pie tin, then line the crust with parchment paper and fill with bean (or lentils) and bake. This will keep the crust from bubbling up in the center.
Render the bacon, then add the liquids, and render down to a thick syrup, over low heat. Once thick, add the apples and cook until tender. Cool.
Place the apple filling in the pie. Then place the remaining cheeses on a lined baking sheet in the shape of a circle. bake to melt and carefully drape over the top of the pie.
Trim the edges of the cheese lid and tuck it into the crust. Bake another 5 minutes to warm.
Thanks Harry & David!
Yield: 8 slices
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Apple and Bacon Pie
Homemade Apple Pie with smokey bacon and cheddar cheese crust.
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour
4 Tbs. sugar
1⁄2 cup ice water
Pinch of salt
10 oz. butter
5 Tbs. warm rendered bacon fat
1⁄2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
For the Filling:
1 lb. cubed applewood smoked bacon
1⁄2 cup honey
1 cup apple juice
1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
8 Harry & David Honey Crisp Apples, cut in eighths
2 oz. butter
For the Cheddar Cheese Lid:
1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1⁄4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
For the Dough: Combine flour, sugar, water and salt and mix slowly in a stand mixer. While mixing, slowly add butter, bacon fat and cheese until one cohesive mixture is formed. Let cool. Using a rolling pin, roll pie crust about 1⁄4 inch thick and place in a greased 11” pie tin. Fill with butcher paper and beans and par-bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until cooked. Approximately 20 minutes.
For the Filling: Briefly sauté cubed bacon in a hot skillet. Add honey, apple juice and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Cook bacon until tender, 45 minutes low and slow. When tender, remove bacon from liquid and reduce until syrup consistency. Add Harry & David Honey Crisp Apples and butter and cook until golden and tender. Return bacon. Mix and let cool. Place in pre-baked pie shell.
For the Lid: Mix cheddar and parmesan cheese and sprinkle a light layer on a silicon baking mat. Bake in the oven until melted and partially caramelized. Remove from oven. While cooling, cut a 14” diameter circle from the baked cheese. Once slightly cooled, remove from baking mat and gently drape over the top of the filling. Crimp sides to close.
To Serve: Place pie back in oven for 5 minutes to warm through. Slice and serve.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Harry & David. All opinions are my own.
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35 Responses to “Apple Bacon Pie with Cheddar Crust”
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That is a stunning pie!!!
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Your apple photos are so pretty! Love the lacey cheddar top crust. So creative.
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Oh yes… I knew this would be brilliant, and it is! I bet your house smelled wonderful!
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This is amazing! SO many flavors that work so well together all in one place!
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BACON in APPLE PIE?! Of course it’s better with bacon and cheddar. This means I can eat it for dinner, right?
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Gorgeous photos, and such a unique recipe! Sounds fabulous!
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I’m so intrigued by the idea of this pie!!
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My husband might try to remarry me if I make this for him – yum!
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Holy moly, what a combination! That top crust is outrageous!
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What a gorgeous pie, I want a slice right now!
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Oh my god. I’ve never seen anything like this. That top crust of cheese is glorious. My father-in-law is not a dessert guy but likes a post-dinner cheese course. I’m thinking that for Christmas I might do this pie for dessert alongside some cheeses and port. It will be PERFECT! Thank you!!!
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Holy mackerel that pie is a dream come true! Why didn’t I think of combining those ingredients?? Your bacon looks amazing and with cheddar on top, I can see this being a huge hit in my house! We’re big on bacon and pie (particularly the apple kind) so this is a total home run!
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OH MY GOSH THAT CRUST!
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WHAT THE WHAT??!!! I love this!!
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My bacon-loving brother might just inhale this pie in one sitting!
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Just pinned and tweeted. I want some now. It looks fabulous, Sommer. LOVE the combination!
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This looks FABULOUS! I would have never dreamed of this pie, and now I can’t get it out of my mind!
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I can’t speak!
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Okay, I have to send this to a friend of mine who I just picked on the other day because she put cheddar cheese on her apple pie. I had never heard of such and she acted like it was customary. I guess I had a sheltered childhood, ha ha.
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Wow that is one impressive pie, I really like the lacy cheddar top.
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This is AMAZING!!!!!
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looks WONDERFUL, I was just thinking how good a cheese crust on an apple pie would be so delicious and WHAMO!!!! you did it
LOVE IT!!!
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what a fabulous combination!!
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This is so creative and those are some gorgeous apples!!
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Holy moly – this is my kind of pie! And those apples are just stunning! So when you have some leftover, give me a call and I’ll be right over
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I adore honeycrisps and Harry & David’s are exceptional. This pie looks scrumptious, Sommer!
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Wow, interesting flavor combination. I’d try this for sure!
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Wow! What a pie!
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There is cheese. On top. Of this pie. Holy heck. This is absolutely amazing!
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Apples, bacon AND cheese?!? Evil has a new name – it’s name is PIE!! Looks utterly irresistible – love the lacy cheese lid!
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Wow!
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whaaa? Bacon and apples? It almost makes sense because ham is sometimes cooked with apples. But this is something! Very pretty lace-like topping.
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This is so pretty!! I want a slice!
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I’ve never seen anything like this! I always like eating the fried pieces of cheese that hit the pan when I make grilled cheese, so this topping is exactly like that. It’s beautiful.
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