The Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville is this weekend. To get ready for the event, we are joined in the DelmarvaLife Kitchen by “Toss Boss” Rita Hovermale to learn how to make the famous apple dumplings.
Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Serves: 6
Prep Time: PREP 30 mins COOK 1 hr READY IN 1 hr 30 mins
Ingredients
1 recipe pastry for vodka pie crust**
6 large granny smith apples, peeled and cored
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups water
3 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 9×13 inch pan.
On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, about 24 by 16 inches. Cut into 6 square pieces. Place an apple on each pastry square with the cored opening facing upward. Cut butter into 8 pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in the opening of each apple; reserve remaining butter for sauce. Divide brown sugar between apples, poking some inside each cored opening and the rest around the base of each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples.
With slightly wet fingertips, bring one corner of pastry square up to the top of the apple, then bring the opposite corner to the top and press together. Bring up the two remaining corners, and seal. Slightly pinch the dough at the sides to completely seal in the apple. Repeat with the remaining apples. Place in prepared baking dish.
In a saucepan, combine water, white sugar, vanilla extract and reserved butter. Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour over dumplings.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Place each apple dumpling in a dessert bowl, and spoon some sauce over the top.
Vodka Pie Crust
best pie crust ever
Serves: 1
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups + more for surfaces flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons butter cut in 1/4″ slices; frozen for 15 minutes
1/2 cup vegetable shortening cut in 1/4″ slices; frozen for 15 minutes
3 tablespoons vodka
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cold water
Directions
Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in the food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds. Scrape bowl. Add remaining flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl. In small bowl whisk eggs until smooth. (if making a double crust, reserve a small amount of egg for an egg wash) Add vodka and water. Add 3 ice cubes. Stir to chill mixture. With a rubber spatula, using a folding motion to mix, add enough liquid until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk, Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator; allow to sit on counter for 10 minutes. Roll.
