Gregg Wallace's Baked Bramley Apple Dumplings
Gregg Wallace is an ingredients expert and top food writer, who is best known for co-presenting the popular television show, MasterChef, with John Torode. He is also Managing Director of the renowned fresh produce supplier, Gregg's Veg. Delivering fruit and vegetables to London’s top restaurants, Gregg promotes the value of using traditional British fresh produce, like the Bramley, in the finest cuisine.
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Preparation time: 25-30 minutes |
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Cooking time: 50 minutes |
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Serves: 4 |
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Ingredients |
4 Bramley cooking apples, peeled 55g (2oz) dark brown sugar half a tsp vanilla essence 1 tbsp double cream 1 medium egg white milk, for brushing Pastry 275 g (9 and a half oz) plain flour 1 tbsp caster sugar a pinch of salt 175g (6oz) butter, cold and cubed 2-3 tbsp cold water |
Dig beneath the pastry of these lovely dumplings and get at the gorgeous squishy apple below.
- For the pastry, in a food processor, whiz the flour, sugar, salt and butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Slowly add cold water, a teaspoon at a time, until the mixture forms a dough and is the right texture. Remove from the machine and knead the dough lightly, until smooth. Cover with Clingfilm and chill for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/425 degrees F/Gas 7.
- Using a sharp knife, core the apples from the stem end without cutting through the base. Mix the sugar with the vanilla essence and cream in a small bowl. Fill the cores of the apples with the mixture.
- Roll out half the dough on a floured surface. Cut out two circles with 15cm (6in) saucer and two smaller circles with 10cm (4in) cutter. Brush the larger rounds with egg white. Place an apple on each round. Top the apple with a smaller round. Mould the top bit of pastry around the apple, and brush the edges with water. Now bring up the lower bit and mould around the over the top one. Squeeze gently to seal.
- Place the covered apples on a baking sheet, making sure not to make any holes in them. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the apples.
- If you have any pastry left and you feel like it, make some leaf decorations and stick them on to the apples with water. Brush the pastry with some milk and bake for 30 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F / Gas 4 and bake for another 20 minutes.
