White Cheddar and Apple Mini Pies with Cinnamon-Infused Honey

Cinnamon-Infused Honey

• 1/2 cup honey
• Cinnamon stick
• Place honey and cinnamon stick in a pot and heat on low for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, pour into a bottle with cinnamon stick and let sit overnight.

Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 sticks butter, cubed into 1 cm pieces, cold – prepare this beforehand
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1 cup extra-sharp white cheddar, grated

Filling

• 3 to 4 apples. I used Macintosh, a new England staple for apple pie, and 1 Granny Smith for extra tartness, peeled, cored and sliced.
• Juice from 1/2 lemon + 1 teaspoon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2  cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Egg wash – 1 egg + splash of water, beaten
• Demerara sugar
• Slices of extra-sharp white cheddar

Notes: I used mini tart pans, but you can use any vessel you want – full-size pie pan, cupcake tin, mini cocottes, little tart molds – any will work, just keep an eye on the baking time.

1. Cube butter into 1 centimeter pieces, and place it in a bowl in the freezer. I find that this allows the butter to get very cold before you work with it. Place cold water into the freezer as well. Don’t worry about it freezing — you will use it before it can freeze.
2. Combine flour, salt, sugar, grated cheese.
3. Take cold butter, and using a pastry cutter, fork, or fingers, work quickly and cut butter into dry ingredients. Pea-size chunks will remain, and that’s completely fine.
4. Using tablespoons at a time, scatter cold water into dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over-mix or knead. Add the mixture gradually – you can always add more water, but you can’t take it out. The resulting dough should be damp but not moist.
5. Separate dough into two halves. Shape into disks and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in fridge. Let dough rest for at least 1 hour.
6. Filling: Squeeze lemon juice over apple slices, toss with brown sugar, salt, and flour.
7. On a floured surface, roll one disc of dough to 1/8” thickness. Line tart pans with pie dough. Arrange apple slices over tart. Roll out other half of pie dough and arrange in lattice or full-crust form. Place in fridge for another 10 to 15 minutes. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle Demerara sugar over the top, and for the full-crust pies, slice some venting slits on top.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until top is golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and immediately place a slice of white cheddar right on top of the crust and allow the residual heat to melt cheddar onto the crust. Serve by drizzling cinnamon-infused honey.