Possible Thanksgiving Recipe

Apple Roquefort Bacon Pie
If the idea of Roquefort cheese in a pie makes you think twice, substitute cheddar.

Ingredients
• Pastry for a 12-inch double-crust pie, chilled
• 4 ounces thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, diced
• 2 to 2¼ pounds apples
• 2 tablespoons honey, plus extra for drizzling over the crust
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour  
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces Roquefort or cheddar cheese

Directions
Roll out the pastry and line a 12-inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust, then refrigerate both until needed.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the bacon until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain, leaving about 3 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet.

Peel, core and slice the apples into ¼ -inch-thick slices. Add the apples to the skillet and sauté in the bacon fat over low heat for several minutes, or until the outer layer of apple softens a bit.

Add the honey, flour, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper to the skillet and stir. Stir in the bacon.

Transfer the apple mixture into the prepared pie pan. Crumble the cheese over the apples, then cover it with the second crust. Trim and crimp the crust, then chill the pie in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Cut several small vent slits in the top crust, then drizzle the top with honey.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is just blistered and golden. Reduce the oven to 350 F and bake for at least 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden brown and visible juices are thickened and bubble slowly through the slits in the top crust. This could take up to an hour.

Test the apples for doneness by poking a wooden skewer down through the open vent slits of the top crust. The apples should yield to the skewer with slight resistance, but not be mushy.

Cool the pie completely before cutting, at least several hours.

Store the pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Reheat the pie in a 325 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.