An Ode to the Dutch Apple Dumpling

One of my favorite parts about fall is the apple the creeps up in desserts. Unlike pumpkin, apple desserts don't smack you in the face like the pumpkin flavored everything that literally attacks over night somewhere in September. Apple is classy like that.

I distinctly remember the first time I tried apple butter at an apple orchard. It was a "how have I never discovered this!?" moment. I believe I was around 6 - high expectations from food. I grew up loving apple pie, candy apples, apple strudel, apple muffins, apple donuts, the apple crisp at Applebee's (don't judge, I went to high school in East Brunswick, NJ. Applebee's and the tiny mall are pretty much what there is to do), and one of my all time favorites: apple dumplings.

The traditional dutch apple dumpling is constructed with a simple dough wrapped around a cinnamon and brown sugar buttered apple. What's not to love?

The chain restaurant Cheesecake Factory, (which I find consistently good and if I am going to a chain restaurant, that's the one I want to go to.. I will defend Cheesecake Factory against chain restaurant critics any day!) used to have an apple purse on their menu and it was a must every time I went there (we had a Cheesecake Factory in a surrounding town's mall - NJ loves their malls - that I worked in for a summer. After work, CF apple dumplings became routine). The dough was slightly more puff pastry (but not quite) than the traditional apple dumpling, but it was - as most of their desserts are - awesome sauce. I was heart broken to find in college that the item was taken off their menu.

But as my passion for baking and cooking only grew in college, I was delighted to find how easy it is to make them yourself! There are tons of recipes out there for apple dumplings, so try several and find one that works for you. Mine is an adaptation of different ones I've tried over the years, a mix between super thin dough and a flakier crust, a seasoned buttery apple with an addition of nutmeg to the traditional cinnamon and brown sugar and some pecans for added nuttiness and crunch.

While I've seen them served with caramel sauce, whipped cream, ice cream, etc., I prefer mine stand alone with a glass of ice cold milk. Yes, I put ice in milk.

It's easy to forget, but my home of Philadelphia is fairly close to Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The simplicity of this dessert mirrors the life style of it's origins. There is no pretense, no fuss about fluting your pie crust, no pressure to be anything but delicious. In fact, the non-uniform overlay of the dough creates a beauty in itself, that is easy to dress up with decorative leaf cut outs of dough, sanding sugar, or nothing at all. Let the dessert do all the work for you.

Dutch Apple Dumplings

For the Dough

5 cups flour

2 tsp sea salt

3 sticks butter, cubed and chilled

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 - 2/3 cup ice water

1 egg, beaten lightly

For the Apples

4 apples, peeled, cored, halved

4 Tbsp butter, cubed

1 cup brown sugar

3 tsp cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for spinkling

1/2 cup pecans (halves) or almonds (slivers) - optional

Preheat Oven to 350° F

Blend the butter reserved for dough, salt, salt and baking powder until crumbs form - this can be done in a food processor, or with some motivation and a pastry blender. Use two forks if you don't have one handy. Blend in just enough water to create a soft dough (you may not need to use it all, so sprinkle in a little at a time).

Divide the dough into four pieces and flatten into disks. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, but you can do so overnight.

When firm, unwrap one disk at a time and roll out onto a floured surface to about 8 inches.

In a clean bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roll apples in the mixture to coat. Add butter and nuts to remaining sugar mixture and blend roughly.

Set one apple half on each dough round, cut side up. Layer the sugar/butter mixture on top of the cut side (try to divide evenly among 4 apples), and lay the other half of the apple, cut side down, on top. Wrap dough around filled apple by pulling the ends up and pinching together, or wrapping with kitchen twine. Repeat for each apple, you should have four dumplings. Brush each with egg, and sprinkle with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, if desired.

Place on a baking sheet or pie plate lined with parchment paper, and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and apples are tender.

Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Soup With Bacon and Chanterelles

Butternut squash usually screams fall... but, I was absolutely craving some butternut squash soup the other day. Sometimes I have some odd cravings, no I know what you're thinking, and that's not it. I've always been this way. But we'll get to my odd craving in just a bit! First we need to talk about this soup!

Butternut squash is a beautiful bright orange color, so it can definitely add some POP to your spring plates in an unexpected way, and it hasn't gone out of season quite yet. Plus, it is full of vitamins, so you can feel good about what you are feeding yourself or your guests (soup is a great party multi-tasker).

For this soup, I wanted to combine some more savory, yet simple, flavors to counter the sweetness of the squash. Some people like to really pump up the sweet factor with cinnamon, maple syrup, and brown sugar, but that's where the fall reputation of this squash comes from. In my soup I played with caramelized onions, chicken stock, bacon, and some deliciously nutty yet mild chanterelle mushrooms. Now, you don't HAVE to use chanterelles, use whatever you'd like, but I love these babies if you're lucky enough to get your hands on them. I found dried ones in the grocery store and just had to check them out. I reconstituted them in the chicken stock so that the broth would get the flavor and they would plump up, and they were almost as good as the fresh stuff! And a lot less expensive!

The soup turned out creamy, smooth, slightly sweet, and robust all at once. Enjoy with whatever you'd like. I don't necessarily suggest only one side, this flavor profile would serve well with poultry, but also stands up to red meat. A hearty salad of green leafy lettuce, like a good quality boston butter, avocado, tomato, and mozzarella cheese would make a great lunch addition. As would a crostini with prosciutto some red onion and maybe even some more roasted squash pieces?! Why NOT? I'm loving squash today...

As for me... it's been a long.. interesting day.. so I chose to go with some serious comfort food. Like I said, I have some odd cravings.. and when I want something, I WANT IT!

Which brings me to.....

caramelized onion butternut squash soup served with tater tots smothered in melted fontina cheese, ketchup, and a SMALL (key word small) salad.







I need to be better about eating salads. Sometimes I really just put a few leaves of lettuce on my plate to make myself feel good. It's sad. Hold me to that, I will get better at eating salads!

Whatever you serve with your soup, enjoy it!!

Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Soup With Crispy Bacon and Chanterelle Mushrooms

1 ounce dried chanterelle mushrooms

1 32ounce box of chicken stock (low sodium if you can)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 average sized butternut squash (sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed)

3-4 slices of bacon

Lightly oil the cut side of your squash and roast face up in the oven at 400 degrees until soft and fork tender (about an hour)

Meanwhile reconstitute the mushrooms in chicken stock by bringing stock to a boil, turning off the heat, and then adding the mushrooms. Let sit in hot stock for 45 minutes or so (until the squash has roasted).

While waiting for the squash to become cool enough to handle, toss the onions in a skillet with a tbsp of olive oil. On medium-high heat, saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until they brown and begin to caramelize lightly. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Take your squash out of it's now soft shell, and place in a food processer (or blender). Strain the mushrooms from the chicken stock and add the stock to the processor. Place the onions and half of the mushrooms into the processor as well and blend until pureed. You should have a thick soup. Slice bacon into small squarish pieces and saute in the pan used for the onions until crisped. Chop remaning chanterelles and mix them in with the crisped bacon.

Serve your soup in bowls and top with the mushroom/bacon mixture. Eat up!

Pumpkin Carving

Hello, everyone. The trees are starting to change color and the smell of the cool air makes me want to have a glass of apple cider. This year, with a little inspiration from Martha Stewart, I decided to carve some pretty pumpkins on my roof deck, and a pleasant Saturday afternoon, while my boyfriend was at work and none of my roommates were around. Delightful. See?

Not bad for a first timer, huh? That cat took seriously, like two hours.. even with Martha's help. Okay, fine, so I probably carved pumpkins as a kid with my Mom, but this was the first time on my own. All I remember from childhood pumpkin carving was that we saved the seeds and baked them. Of course my memory lies with the edible stuff.

One flavor I've never really liked growing up, and tend not to work with a lot now is... pumpkin. I know, weird. Who doesn't like pumpkin pie? I feel like every Thanksgiving dinner I go to, I need to defend myself. Seriously, pie lovers get hostile with me. I often change the subject to a more affable indulgence (like chocolate, or cheese, or wine), and dance around the pumpkin question. I just don't like it. I'm sorry. Now, hand over a slice of that apple pie! God, I love apples.

Happy Halloween, everyone!