American Havarti Apple Pie

preparation

1) In a chilled food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse until you get some pea sized crumbs. Add the shredded Castello Aged Havarti Cheese and pulse to combine. Slowly add the ice water 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough forms into one cohesive chunk. Then remove the dough and knead on a floured work surface. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a disk. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour before continuing.

2) In the meantime, peel and slice the apples to be ¼ inch thick. Do not slice the apples too thin as your pie will collapse as it bakes. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice, sugars, and spices. Leave the bowl out at room temperature for the apples to macerate for at least an hour, tossing every 15 minutes. This will allow the liquid to drain out of the apples so that your pie does not turn out watery.

3) Preheat the oven to 400F. Meanwhile, roll one disk of the pie dough into a 13 inch round. Place this into the bottom of a greased pie dish. Cut or crimp the edges as desired. Roll out the other disk of dough into another 13 inch round. Using a small star cookie cutter, cut out stars in the top left corner of the round. Using a knife, cut out several horizontal strips to form the red/white stripes of the flag.

4) Thoroughly drain the apples, then add the flour and cornstarch. Toss to combine thoroughly and then add the apples to the pie dish over the bottom crust and gently flatten the top. Then place the stars and stripes in a flag design over the top of the apple filling to make an American Flag.

5) Brush the top of the pie dough with the egg wash mixture and then sprinkle the sanding sugar over the top. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375F and continue to bake for 35-40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Use a pie shield or aluminum foil to prevent the crust from burning as necessary. Remove from the oven and cool completely, at least three hours, before slicing and serving.