Apple Green-Chile Pie With Cheddar Crust

Kirsten Swanson, reporter from 5 Eyewitness News, won a pie bake-off that took place the summer of 2022 at the State Fair.  She’s back showing us how she made her winning pie.

Adapted by Julia Moskin
Yield: About 8 servings

Ingredients

For the Crust

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into dice
½ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons ice water, more as needed

For the Filling

5 cups peeled and thickly sliced tart apples, such as Jonagold, Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
½ cup chopped roasted green Hatch chilies, mild or medium hot (see note)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cornstarch

For the Topping

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
¼ cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preparation

Step 1

Make the crust: In a food processor or mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add butter one piece at a time, while pulsing or mixing at low speed, until mixture is fine and crumbly. Transfer to a large bowl and toss well with the cheese. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with fingers just until dough holds together. To test, pinch a small amount of dough. If it is crumbly, add more ice water. Form dough into a ball, wrap loosely in plastic, then roll into a disk. Refrigerate at least one hour, or up to 3 days, before rolling. (Dough can be frozen for up to a month.)

Step 2

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a circle at least 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, preferably glass. Turn edges under to make a thick rim; flute rim by pinching into a zigzag pattern. Refrigerate until ready to bake, at least an hour.

Step 3

Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss apples, green chilies and lemon juice together. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients and add to apples and chilies, tossing until thoroughly coated.

Step 4

Make the topping: In a small bowl, mix flour, walnuts and brown sugar. Add melted butter and toss together until crumbly.

Step 5

Bake the pie: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, scoop filling into chilled crust, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of juice from bottom of bowl. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until filling bubbles at edge and crust is brown. Serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Tip

• Roasted green Hatch chilies from New Mexico can be ordered from newmexicanconnection.com, and are sometimes found frozen in grocery stores. Drained canned green chilies are acceptable.