Apple Dumplings! Sort of like apple pie, but better...

Apple dumplings can be a couple of things, one of them is kind of wet and soggy and the other is a whole apple wrapped and baked in pastry. Mine is the pastry kind and is not wet and not soggy. Also, I do not like apple pie.. don't ask my why, but this.... this is good.

I was craving this dessert (thinking it was from my childhood, but realizing it was perhaps not. I do recall however, eating these, in the long-gone Cullen Country Barns restaurant with my Mum). Anyway, they're warm and yummy and were a hit at my house. Had to make them two weekends in a row just to be sure. Success both times!

 
Being of the British persuasion, my first instinct is to serve them hot from the oven with some custard. (Birds, Harry Horne's etc... not the 'real custard' but the good old powdered stuff that you add milk and sugar to, and is bright yellow), also served piping hot. We ended up with whipped cream, because a) the guys all like whipped cream and we have this thing that you charge with CO2 and have whipped cream in a jiffy... and b) by the time we get to dessert, I'm done cooking!

Fall is a lovely time to cook with apples, there are many varieties around and it's cool enough to justify cranking up the oven. I chose Spy apples, they're very large and have the right texture when baked. They hold their shape but become quite fluffy when baked.

Directions

Butter (or spray with Pam) a baking dish that will hold four pastry-wrapped apples. Each will be about the size of grapefruit by the time you are done. 

Prepare the pastry, roll out until you have a square about 14x14. With a knife, carefully section it into four, cover with a clean kitchen towel while you prepare the apples.

Peel and core one apple at a time, you may need to slice a bit of the bottom of the apple to make sure it sits straight.

Place the apple on a square of pastry. (I fold back the kitchen towel just to uncover one of the four squares at a time). Fill the  core space with the sugar/cinnamon/raisin mixture and top with a small cube of butter (about the size of a die).

Fold the pastry up over the apple so that it all meets and smooth with your hands. Place the wrapped apple in the baking dish and put it in the fridge until the rest of the apples are done. 

Once all the apples are prepped, brush them with either an egg wash (lightly beaten egg with a little water or milk) or with some cream, sprinkle with sugar and place in a 375 degree oven.

Bake for 45 mins until they are golden brown.

For fanciness, you can add small cut out leaves and short piece of cinnamon stick to look like the apple stem and leaves. Tastes just as good without.

Pastry - Makes enough for four large apple dumplings (plus trimming)

This is the Crisco pastry (right off the side of the tub) which makes a very light pastry which is very appropriate for this use. You don't want a heavy crust on the apples, that's just wrong.

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 cup Crisco shortening (= 175 gms - I weighed this after the first batch, it's less messy than shoveling Crisco into a measuring cup)
• 2 tbsps cold water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 egg, beaten

Blend the Crisco into the flour using a pastry blender thing like this. ----->
When the mixture is crumbly add the cold water, vinegar and beaten egg.


Form into a ball and wrap in plastic and pop into the fridge for 20 mins or so. Just until it is a little firmer, but not hard.

Core filling

• Approximately 3 -4 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons raisins