Chef Johns Apple Dumplings Recipes

~ THE BEST APPLE DUMPLINGS ~

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350. Have apples peeled & cored. In food processor add flour, baking powder, salt. Pulse a few times then add the butter and milk, pulse until incorporating and soft dough forms. Cut dough into 6 even pieces. Roll each piece into a circular shape on lightly floured surface. Mix sugar and cinnamon, just eyeball it..I didn't measure. Forgot pic of dough!
• 2. Place a peeled and cored apple in the center of the dough. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of cinnamon sugar in the hole. Using hands mold the dough around the apple, bringing sides of dough towards the top of apple, making sure entire apple is covered. The dough is so easy to work with. Place Apples in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
• 3. Make sauce...in medium sauce pan, place water, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Whisk to combine and heat until lightly boiling. Remove from stove and cool slightly.
• 4. Pour sauce around the dumplings and just a little over dumplings. Halfway through baking time baste the apples with the sauce. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until apple is tender. I slide a slender knife inside to test.
• 5. Serve with Ice cream, whipped cream or milk. That yummy sauce is out of this world good! Enjoy!

OLD-FASHIONED APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 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.

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place chicken in a Dutch oven. Add water, carrot, celery, onion, 3 sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken from dutch oven and transfer to a bowl; set aside to cool.
• Increase heat and bring the stock to a simmer. Skim off any chicken fat that appears on top of the stock and reserve in a bowl. Combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved fat with flour in a small bowl; stir to make a paste, adding more flour if needed. Add the chicken fat and flour mixture to the stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove chicken meat from the carcass and add to the stock. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk creme fraiche, milk, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in self-rising flour until almost entirely incorporated; do not overmix.
• Scoop large dollops of dumpling mixture on top of the chicken stock. Increase heat slightly to medium-high. Cover and simmer until dumplings appear light and fluffy, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve garnish with thyme sprigs.

EASY APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. For syrup, place 1 cup sugar, water, 3 tablespoons butter and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes; remove from heat., Mix the remaining ½ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 21x14-in. rectangle; cut into 6 squares. Place an apple on each square. Fill center of each with 4 teaspoons sugar mixture and ½ teaspoon butter. Moisten edges of crust with water; bring up corners over apples, pinching edges to seal. Place in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish., Pour syrup around apples. Bake until golden brown and apples are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

CHEF JOHN'S APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a baking dish.
• Combine brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and water in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil until all sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and swirl pot gently to combine. Reserve sauce until needed.
• Stir sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Core the unpeeled apples.
• Divide pie dough into 4 portions. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into 4 circles about 1/8-inch thick and 7 inches in diameter, or large enough to fully wrap an apple.
• Place apples in the center of each round of dough. Spoon about 3 teaspoons of cinnamon sugar into the apple cores; fill each hole with a teaspoon of butter.
• Wrap each apple up in pie dough, sealing the dough together at the top. Be careful not to pull and stretch it too tightly around the apple as you wrap, or it might break apart when it bakes; brush lightly with water if dough won't stick together. Even out the top and trim off any excess; shape into decorative leaves if desired.
• Place wrapped apples seam-side up into the buttered baking dish. Ladle some sauce over each to cover completely.
• Bake in the preheated oven, basting with sauce occasionally, until pastry is browned and cooked through and apples are tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and baste with more sauce. Serve warm.