Winter Apples

« Omenanyytti or Omenamunkki or Baked Apple Dumpling or Inside Out Apple Pie »

I noticed a recipe for omenamunkit in Kotiliesi [2005, no. 4, pg. 59] and it reminded me of the baked apples my mother used to make every autumn after we would return from picking apples in a nearby orchard. The filling was different as my mother would always include brown sugar, walnuts and butter and the idea of baking it with a dough crust like a dumpling sounded tasty, sort of like an inside out apple pie. I consulted Cook's Illustrated to see their recipe for baked apples and they had the brilliant idea of using a melon baller to core the apple which I can attest does an absolutely perfect job of removing the seeds without punching through the bottom of the apple. They also found the Golden Delicious apple to be the best apple for this recipe.

I found that the skin should be removed from the apple if baking with the dough crust since it remains tough after baking and makes the end result difficult to eat. The skin should be left intact, save for a strip around the stem end of the apple, if baked without the crust. I pre-baked one batch of apples and added the dough crust after 30 minutes of baking since I thought that the dough would bake far more quickly than the apple would, but the apple came out mushy, the skin was tough and the dough was undercooked.

The frozen/ready-made pastry dough [voitaikina] was rubbery, difficult to work with and not very tasty so I cannot recommend using it at all. I made a fresh batch of dough and will note that refrigerating the dough before rolling it out is necessary. A silicone mat to roll the dough on is useful, too, since the dough is difficult to work with and the mat allows you to maneuver the apple and the dough together. The recipe describes applying the dough to the apple 'as if making a snowball' and it is an accurate description. Once you drape the dough over the apple you can then pack it around to enclose the apple and smooth it out by rolling it over the mat or another flat surface.

Select apples carefully as bigger isn't better and the apple should be able to stand erect on a flat surface. If baking without the crust, you should choose apples with unblemished skins as well.

Baked Apple Dumplings/Omenamunkit/Omenanyytit

Serves 6
Time: about 90 minutes
Special tools: mellon baller

• 6 medium Golden Delicious apples (about 2 pounds/1 kg)

Filling:

• 1 dl or 1/2 cup dark raisins 
• 3/4 dl or 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1dl or 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons freshly shredded or powdered ginger

Basting:

• 1 cup pure apple juice/cider (preferably unfiltered) or enough to come up 1/2 inch up side of pan

1. Prepare dough and place in refrigerator to chill. Heat oven to 350F/175C degrees.
2. Core apples using a melon baller taking care not to puncture the bottom of the apple. If you are planning to eat the apples without the dough crust, remove one strip of the peel from the stem end otherwise remove the entire peel.
3. Place apples in 9-inch pie pan or 8-inch-square baking pan. Mix raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger and butter together and divide the mixture among the apples, stuffing their cores. Skip to the dough section if baking apples with the crust.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon over the apples. Pour cider into pan.
5. Bake apples, basting every 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with thin, sharp knife or cake tester, 35 to 45 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or skins will split, causing apples to lose their shape. Serve warm. (Can be cooled to room temperature, covered, and refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat before serving.)

Dough:

• 120g or 1 stick butter
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons freshly shredded ginger (optional)
• 3 dl or 1 1/3 cup wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping:

• confectioners sugar

1. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and mix well.
2. Add ginger.
3. Combine baking powder and wheat flour and mix into dough. Mix until smooth and place into refrigerator to chill while you are preparing the apples.
4. After you have prepared and filled the apples, briefly knead the dough and divide the dough into six parts. Roll each portion out into an oval large enough, wrap around each apple and pat as if making a snowball until the dough encloses the apple.
5. Bake at 175C/350F for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
6. Top with sifted confectioners sugar and serve warm with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.