The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, my first cookbook, turns 10 in a few weeks, and it features what I call one of the best summer desserts I’ve ever made, peach dumplings with bourbon hard sauce. This was a whim that struck me one morning before dawn when my then baby (and a bar mitzvah 11 days ago) woke up early and had no interest in going back to sleep and my mind wandered, as it does, to things that I want to cook.
The peach dumplings are modeled after old fashioned apple dumplings and I’m not sure why it took me so long to reverse this process for fall, but now that I’ve done it I don’t want to bake anything else. I am absolutely obsessed with these perfect wrappers of apple pies. Again, everything I loved about the peach dumplings applies here: The crust, unencumbered by a heavy filling, expands and flakes like puff pastry. As you slice into each piece, a trickle of buttery caramel sugar floods your plate. And the best part is actually the mess — chunks of spiced baked fruit, layers of buttery batter, a puddle of juices. And if you like a squirt of whiskey with your apple desserts, you’ll swoon in the sauce and melt over the sides. Please do this soon. You’ll be so glad you did.
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Update
I didn’t want to disappear with you or the newsletter. As you might have guessed, I was thrown off track by the bar mitzvah mentioned above [“what’s a Bar Mitzvah?“] and 13th birthday – which seems impossible since he was just born right? – and a few other exciting things. Smitten Kitchen Keepers, my third cookbook, is out in 48 days, a week ahead of schedule. We’re working on finalizing the final details for the fall 2022 book tour – I’ll have all of that for you next Thursday 10/6. I might even have a new recipe by then since I was behind on the post, not the cooking, hooray. Have I covered everything? I probably forgot something so gone in the comments!
Until now
6 months ago: Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 year ago: Large apple crumble cake
2 years ago: Homemade cream cheese
3 years ago: Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan
4 years ago: flapjacks
5 years ago: Tomato Bread + A little bit about Spain
6 years ago: How to Make Julienne and Plum Squares with Marzipan Crumble
7 years ago: Caponata Zucchini Rice Cheese Gratin
8 years ago: Chocolate and roasted hazelnut milk and herbed tomatoes and roasted garlic tart
9 years ago: Baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage
10 years ago: Baked Orzo with Eggplant and Mozzarella and Fig Olive Oil and Sea Salt Challah
11 years ago: Peach butter, roasted eggplant with tomato and mint, and red wine chocolate cake
12 years ago: Grape focaccia with rosemary and linguine with tomato and almond pesto
13 years ago: Cheesecake Marbled Brownies
14 years ago: Cold brew iced coffee, bourbon peach hand pies and raspberry breakfast bars and braised romano beans
15 years ago: Hoisin Barbecue Sauce and Lemon Layer Cake
16 years ago: Silky Cauliflower Soup and Summer Squash Soup
Apple dumplings
- 2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) fine sea or table salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces or 225 grams) unsalted butter, very cold
- About 1/2 cup cold water
- 3 large apples (about 3″ diameter), any kind you like to bake with
- Half a lemon
- 1/2 cup (110 grams) light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A few grates of fresh nutmeg or a few pinches of ground
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) butter, cut into 6 pieces, kept cold
- 1 large egg for glazing
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce or 30 grams) butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of whiskey, milk or lemon juice
- A dash of vanilla extract (optional)
crust
filling
sauce
- Make the crust:
- By hand : In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and sugar. Using your fingertips or a dough mixer, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse flour and the largest chunks of butter are the size of tiny peas. (Some people like to do this by freezing the stick of butter and coarsely rubbing it into the flour, but I didn’t find the results that flaky.) Add cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible silicone spatula until large lumps form . Knead the dough together with your hands right at the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, you can add another tablespoon of water.
- With a food processor: In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter and pulse the machine until the mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest chunks of butter are the size of tiny peas. Pour mixture into mixing bowl. Add cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible spatula until large clumps form. Knead the dough together with your hands right at the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, you can add the last tablespoon of water.
- Both methods: Wrap the dough in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 48 hours, or you can quickly set it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Longer than 2 days it is best to freeze it until needed.
Heat up the oven: Up to 375°F
Assemble dumplings: Peel and halve your apples. Use the large end of a melon baller if you have one, or a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop out the pit from each half. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the apples. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the hollowed out center of each apple half. Brush the top of each with a stick of cold butter.
On a well-floured countertop, roll out your dough into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle and divide into six 6 inch squares. If the dough gets too soft or warm when rolling, continue with the square stage, but then place the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for a few minutes until semi-solid again.
Place one half of the stuffed apple, cut-side up, in the center of each square of dough. Bring the corners up to meet above the center – if it feels tight or like you’re short on batter, make sure the batter underneath is flush with the apple curve; it keeps plenty of slack – and seals the seams by pinching with your fingertips.
Bake dumplings: Arrange the dumplings in a buttered 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of water to form a glaze. Brush the glaze over the tops and exposed sides of the dumplings. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until pastry is puffed and browned on top.
To finish and serve: While the dumplings are baking, beat in the butter, powdered sugar and whiskey, lemon juice or milk along with the vanilla until smooth. When the dumplings come out of the oven, bast each with a heaping tablespoon of the sauce, melting over the sides. Serve immediately.