The Surprising Topping Some People Put On Apple Pie

On Friday, November 9, 1951, a newspaper in North Carolina reported on the invention of an electric brain capable of playing chess. Kirk Douglas's Detective Story was racking in reviews, and Scrooge was about to come out to herald in the holiday season (via CBC). New York Yankee superstar, Yogi Bera, had just collected the first of his three MVP awards (via On This Day). And, for dinner in the White House, Harry Truman feasted on broiled salmon stakes, buttered asparagus, baked stuffed cucumbers, french fried eggplant rolls, and for dessert, Dutch apple pie and (wait for it) cheese.

Truman was big on comfort food. According to NPR, before planning the Korean War, the president ordered a special dinner for his cabinet, complete with fried chicken, buttered asparagus, scalloped tomatoes, and shoestring potatoes. "When you live in the White House, you live pretty high," Truman once reflected, referring specifically to White House food. (In all fairness, Truman had a butler "in tails and necktie" pulling out his chair and pushing him to the table at dinner time.) All of that to say, you could be pretty certain that if president Truman ordered apple pie with cheese, it's safe to assume that the dessert is worth a try.

This is what apple pie with cheese tastes like

"The sweetness of the pie contrasts beautifully with the sharpness and saltiness of many cheeses. It's kind of like chocolate covered pretzels," writes Amanda Doughty for Culture. In fact, on May 10, 1999, the General Assembly of the State of Vermont passed a law declaring apple pie to be Vermont's state pie, and that upon serving it, an "effort shall be made to meet one or more of the following conditions: a. with a glass of cold milk, b. with a slice of cheddar cheese weighing a minimum of 1/2 ounce, or c. with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream."

Don't get us wrong, if we had to choose we'd take the large scoop of vanilla ice cream. But for what it's worth, even former NFL quarterback, Babe Laufenberg, wants you to try apple pie with cheese. Did he convince you? Iron Chef's Michael Symon mixes aged Havarti into the crust of an apple pie (via Cleveland). Celebrity chef, Mario Bartali, who you might have seen on The Chew, bakes in cheddar. "And I definitely add some more cheddar over the top if I serve it still warm," he told Parade. If they all adore the combination, it must be worth trying — just saying.