Instructions: The Crust*: In the bowl of a food processor equipped with the metal blade, combine the flour and salt. Remove the metal blade, and install the shredding disk. Using the pusher, shred the frozen butter atop the flour/salt mixture. Put the metal blade back on, add the shredded Cheddar, and pulse a couple of times to distribute the butter and cheese. Sprinkle on the water and lemon juice, and pulse five to six times, in 1-second pulses, till the mixture resembles fairly fine crumbs.

Transfer the crumbs to a plastic bag, and squeeze them together; if they dont hold together easily, add a bit more water. Form the dough into a flat ball, and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface.
*Or use your favorite single-crust pie crust recipe, or a prepared pie crust.

Roll the dough into a 13-inch round, and transfer it to a 12-inch flat pizza pan. Crimp the edges to form a rim around the edge of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while youre preparing the topping.

The Topping: In the bowl of a food processor equipped with the metal blade, combine the flour, maple sugar (or granulated sugar, if youre using it; hold the maple syrup aside), butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Process until the mixture forms even crumbs. Add the walnuts and pulse a couple of times to distribute. You may also do this with an electric mixer, or by hand.

Assembly: Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Lay the apple slices, in concentric rings, close together atop the crust. Sprinkle the apples with a dash of salt and the lemon juice. If youre using maple syrup instead of maple sugar, drizzle the syrup atop the apples. Distribute the topping evenly over all.

Bake the pizza on the bottom shelf of a preheated 425F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375F and continue to bake until the crust and topping are golden, about 30 minutes.

Note: You may want to set the pizza pan on a larger pan, as (like all apple pies) this pizza tends to bubble over a bit.

Yield: Eight generous or 12 average servings

This recipe was meant for people who like the taste of apple pie but not the sloppiness of the filling. This pizza is really nothing more than a flat pie without the top crust. The result is apple-pie flavor without as much moisture. Plus, who doesnt like the idea of making a pizza for dessert? The maple and cheddar are only accents, not major parts of the flavor.

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