Apple and Cheddar Empanadillas

I remember before coming to the UK, my little ignorant mind associated cheddar with those thin bright yellow plastic sheets of cheese, individually wrapped and packed in a stack -- you know, the typical "sandwich cheese" for kids. I'm not going to be snobbish and say those were rubbish -- as a child I did enjoy them in my sandwiches.  I haven't had them in years, though.  The point is, I had never thought of cheddar as good, fine cheese.  And then I had my first whisky-smoked cheddar.  Oh it was good, fine cheese.

One thing that fascinates me is that as you go to the cheese section in your average British supermarket, you'll find that the ratio of types of cheddar to types of all other cheeses is something like 2:1.  They've got more cheddar selections than all the other cheeses that they have to offer from around the world.  It's not even like it's all different smoked cheddars -- you've got 6 different types of mild cheddars alone.

Anyway, I do enjoy cheddar now.  I love the combination of sweet and savory things, and I love cheese and fruits together.    For me, apple and cheddar is the one of those pairings that best represent the humble British food culture.

Ingredients

500g shortcrust pastry

2 apples, shredded

150g cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, for glaze

Method

-Preheat oven to 180C
-Make the filling by mixing the cheddar and apples.
-Roll the shortcrust pastry out to about 2mm thick.  Using a glass or a cookie cutter, cut out 10cm circles.
-Put 1 tbsp of filling in the center of each circle.  Brush the outer edge of the circles with water to help it stick.  Fold to form a half moon and seal.  Brush the surface of each empanadilla with the egg wash.  Place them on greaseproof paper and bake for 20 minutes.