PASTRY:
⅔ cup lard or shortening
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
FILLING:
6 medium apples, peeled and cored
3 tablespoons raisins
3 tablespoons chopped nuts
½ cup sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whipped cream (optional)
For the pastry, in a large bowl cut the lard into the flour and salt using a pastry cutter until the mixture is the size of coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until all the flour is moistened and the pastry almost leaves the side of the bowl.
Gather the pastry into a ball. Roll two-thirds of the pastry into a 14-inch square. Cut into 4 squares. Roll the remaining pastry into a 14 × 7-inch rectangle. Cut into 2 squares.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. For the filling, place an apple on each square of pastry. In a small bowl mix the raisins and nuts. Fill each apple with the mixture. Moisten the corners of the pastry squares. Bring opposite corners up over each apple and pinch the edges of the pastry to seal.
Place the dumplings in an ungreased 13 × 9-inch baking dish. In a 2-quart saucepan heat the sugar, corn syrup, water, butter, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil 3 minutes. Carefully pour the syrup around the dumplings. Bake 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Spoon the syrup over the dumplings two or three times during baking. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream, if desired.
Makes 6 servings
Karen Wolf, Empress of eBay
Delirious Redhatters,
Mount Gilead, Ohio