Imaginary Garden & dVerse - Open Link Night "Homemade Apple Dumpling" & 1796 Apple Dumpling Recipe

Homemade Apple Dumplings

Pudgy and warm
love lies in my hand
rolled, rounded, and
buttery sweet.

Above the serving tray
I loiter and hover,
inhaling an indulgence

as sprinkled cinnamon
teases my tongue. I ponder
the well known etiquette:

Politness dictates
I only take one...

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, December 12, 2011

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Linked to "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads" - "Open Link Night" and to "dVerse's" Open Link Night #22.

My daughters and I returned to Old Salem, NC this past Saturday.  This week I will be sharing photos from that day trip and evening lighting of the Christmas "tree".  I am linking the above photo to "Creative Exchange".

The recipe below is from "The Art of Cooking Made Plain and Easy" Hannah Glasse, 1796

To Make Apple Dumplings:


Make a good puff-paste (*), pare some large apples, cut them in quarters, and take out the cores very nicely; take a piece of crust, and roll it round each apple, and make them round like a ball, with a little flour in your hand; have a pot of water boiling, take a clean cloth (**), dip it in the water and shake flour all over it; tie each dumpling by itself, and put them in the water boiling, which keep boiling all the time; and if your curst is light and good, and the apples be large, they will take an hours's boiling; when they are enough, take them up and lay them in a dish; throw fine sugar all over them, and send them to table, have good fresh butter melted in a cup, and fine beaten sugar in a saucer.

*  Puff-Paste - Old Elizabethan Dessert Recipe:  


Take fine Flour half a Peck, the Yolks of five Eggs and one White, one Pound of Butter, half a pint of Cream and a little fair water, break your Butter in little Bits and do not mould it too much, but roul it aboard so soon as you can, and let the Butter be seen in spots, for that will make it hollow when it comes into the Oven, then put in your Meat or Fruit, and close it over, and wash it over with the Yolk of an Egg and Cream Beaten together, just when you set it into the Oven; let your Oven be quick, but do not let it stand too long, for that will spoil it.


** Instructions for boiling dumplings:


In boiled dumplings, take great care the bag or cloth be very clean, not soapy, but dipped in hot water, and well floured.  Make sure the water is boiling and move the dumplings in the pot now and then.

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Don't you love the measurements (or lack thereof!) and the vague temperature, and that some knowledge of cooking is assumed in these old recipes.

I can't tell you how wonderful these dumplings smelled!  My girls and I are going to try these - but in our oven at home.  Can you even imagine cooking in that fireplace?