History

English settlers brought the cheese-and-apple-pie tradition over in the 17th and 18th centuries; the practice caught on across northern New England because both the apples (Champlain Valley McIntosh, Cortland, Empire) and the cheddar were Vermont-made and turned up on the same farmhouse table. The pie shows up on autumn menus across Burlington-area farm-to-table rooms September through November; Frankie's and Hen of the Wood have both run versions, and the canonical home pairing is Cabot Clothbound or a sharp Shelburne Farms two-year aged cheddar laid over a still-warm slice.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 8 (one 9-inch pie)Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • Pastry: 320g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 225g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 120ml ice water (more as needed)
  • Filling: 1.2kg firm baking apples (mix of McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, peeled and sliced 5mm thick)
  • 150g light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced (for dotting)
  • To finish: 200g sharp Vermont cheddar (Cabot Clothbound or Shelburne Farms two-year aged), sliced 5mm thick
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Method

  1. Make the pastry: combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl; rub in the cold butter until you have pea-sized lumps. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough just holds. Divide in two discs, wrap, and chill 1 hour.
  2. Heat oven to 220C / 425F with a rack in the lower third and a baking sheet on it.
  3. Toss apple slices with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice; rest 15 minutes.
  4. Roll one pastry disc to a 30cm round and line a 23cm pie plate, leaving overhang. Pile in the apples, doming the centre, and dot with the diced butter.
  5. Roll the second disc and lay over; trim, crimp, and cut 4 steam vents. Brush with egg wash.
  6. Bake on the hot sheet 20 minutes at 220C, then reduce to 190C / 375F and bake 35-45 minutes until juices bubble through the vents and the crust is deep gold. Cool 1 hour minimum to set.
  7. To serve, warm individual slices 8 minutes in a 160C oven, lay a slice of sharp cheddar over each piece, and return 2 minutes until the cheese just softens.

Tip from the editors. Do not skip the rest after baking; cutting a hot pie pours juice everywhere and the filling will not set into clean slices.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat vermont cheddar apple pie

Vermont cheddar apple pie in Burlington

Frankie's ★ 4.7

Chef Jordan Ware$60-90 per head a la carteBook 60 days advance ahead

Jordan Ware (formerly Hen of the Wood) opened Frankie's in April 2024 in the former Penny Cluse Cafe; named to Eater's Best New Restaurants the same year.

169 Cherry St, Burlington, VT 05401 Book →

August First Bakery ★ 4.5

Bakery counter brunch$8-16downtownDaily 07:30-15:00Walk-in only

The downtown bakery counter where everyone goes Saturday morning. Maple biscuits, hot sandwiches, locally roasted coffee; laptop-free dining room since 2014.

Order: Maple biscuit with sausage gravy plus a Vermonter sandwich for the table

149 S Champlain St, Burlington, VT 05401

More cities are in research. Want vermont cheddar apple pie covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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