One Ingredient Makes This the Best Apple Pie You've Ever Had

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1. For Cheddar Pastry, in a liquid measuring cup combine ice water and vinegar; refrigerate until ready to use. In a large bowl whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cayenne, and 3/4 tsp. kosher salt. Add cold butter cubes to flour mixture; toss to coat. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until pieces are pea size. Add cold cheese; toss until evenly distributed. Add the vinegar mixture, 1 Tbsp. at a time, tossing mixture with a fork to combine. The mixture should be shaggy and hold together when pinched. If it feels dry or doesn't hold together, add 1 to 2 Tbsp. additional ice water, tossing with a fork. Gather dough together and shape it into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.

2. Meanwhile, for Apple Filling, in a medium bowl stir together granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. In an extra-large bowl toss apple chunks, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add sugar-spice mixture to apples; toss to combine. Let apples stand at room temperature fat least 1 hour or up to 24 hours to macerate and release their juices, stirring occasionally. (If holding longer than 1 hour, cover and chill.)

3. Cut two circles of parchment paper to fit into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Place one in the pan; cut slits in the other and set it aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-inch circle. The dough will be quite firm but will soften as you roll it. Rotate the dough as you roll it to assist in achieving a uniform circle. Dust dough with additional flour while rolling to keep it from sticking. This pastry needs to support quite a bit of weight, so it should be between 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick. Err on the side of thicker. Dust dough circle with a little flour; fold the circle in half and then in half again. Carefully transfer dough to the prepared pan with the point of the folded dough in the center of the pan. Unfold circle, gently pressing it over the bottom and smoothing it up the side of the pan until it is even with the top edge. Be careful not to tear the dough. (If you like, to keep the crust from shrinking down the side, build the top edge just over the rim of the pan, crimping slightly to secure it.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm the pastry. Use a fork to prick bottom of the pastry and a few places around the side.

4. Meanwhile, place a large colander or fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Transfer apple filling to the colander to drain. Pour the drained liquid into a small saucepan. (You will have 1 to 1 1/4 cups liquid.) Bring to boiling over medium-high; reduce heat to medium. Boil gently until reduced by hall (about 1/2 cup), 8 minutes. Remove from heat; Stir in the cut-up butter and vanilla; let cool. In the bowl under the apples, combine apples and cornstarch; toss to coat. Pour cooled syrup over apples; toss to combine.

5. To parbake crust, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the pastry-lined pan with a 14-inch square sheet of parchment paper or double-layered heavy foil. Center the parchment over the pastry and gently press it into the pan. Fill the cavity with dried beans (about 2 lb.). Place the pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and beans from pan. Bake until bottom of crust is set, 5 to 10 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

6. Spoon apple filling into the parbaked crust, gently compressing the apples to eliminate any air pockets. Cover edge of crust with strips of foil. Place the parchment circle with the slits in it over the apples. Bake 40 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, for Cheddar Crumble, in a medium bowl combine flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry cutter, cut in cold butter cubes until pea size. Add cold cheese; toss to combine.

8. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Carefully remove baking sheet with pie pie from oven. Remove parchment circle from top of pie. Top with the crumble, pressing down evenly. Return to oven on baking sheet. Bake until apples are tender, edges are bubbly, and top is golden, 45 to 60 minutes more. Tent with foil after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning. (Test the apples using the tip of a small paring knife; they should be tender not mushy.) Transfer baking sheet with pie to a cooling rack. Cool completely before removing side of pan.

   Test Kitchen Tip: At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the cooled pie overnight. Remove sides of pan and bring pie to room

   temperature before serving.

9. To release pie, run a small offset spatula between side of pan and the crust; gently open side of pan and remove. Use a serrated knife to slice pie into wedges. Cover and chill leftovers up to 3 days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.