Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen.

Kintsugi  5/4/26

 

 

Pear Dumplings

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1to 5 Tbsp. iced water
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup tub-style cream cheese
4 medium Bartlett pears (6 to 7 oz. each)
1 egg white
1 Tbsp. sugar
11/4 cups pear or apricot nectar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup apricot brandy or pear brandy, or additional pear or apricot nectar
Half-and-half,  light cream, or whipped cream (optional)

(I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts instead of making my own, but here is a recipe for the pastry just in case.)

Pastry
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 to 5 Tbsp. iced water

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all-purpose flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. very cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push to the side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 Tbsp. water at a time (up to 5 Tbsp.total), until all of the flour mixture is moistened. Form dough into a ball. Wrap in wax paper or plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, stir together apricots and cream cheese. Leaving pear stems intact, peel pears. Remove cores from the bottoms, using a melon baller to scoop out the seeds. Spoon filling into holes in bottoms.
2. On a lightly floured surface, gently flatten Pastry dough. Roll into a 12-inch square. Using a fluted pastry wheel or a sharp knife, trim edges to make an even square. Cut the square into 3/4-inch-wide strips.
3. Pat pears dry with paper towels. Using a single pastry strip and starting about  1/4 inch above the base of a pear, wind the pastry strip around fruit (don’t cover the bottom yet). Moisten the end of the strip with a bit of water; press it to the end of a second pastry strip to seal together. Finish wrapping the pear, adding strips as needed, until the top is covered; moisten the end of the last strip with water and press to seal. Use another strip to cover the bottom of the pear and enclose the filling, sealing the ends of pastry with water. Trim any excess pastry as needed. Repeat wrapping with remaining pastry strips and pears.
4. Using a knife, cut leaf shapes from any remaining pastry strips; mark veins on leaves. Attach leaves to tops of pears, using water to moisten pastry and secure. Place pears in a shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and 1 Tbsp. water; brush over pastry. Sprinkle with sugar.
5. In a glass measuring cup, stir together the pear nectar, corn syrup, and apricot brandy; pour around the wrapped pears in the dish. Bake, uncovered, until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. If you like, drizzle dumplings with half-and-half or cream or serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

 

 

 

 

German Chocolate Dump Cake

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking or baking spray
• 1 pkg. 2-layer-size German chocolate cake mix
• 1(5.9-oz.) pkg. chocolate instant pudding 
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans, plus more for garnish if you want
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

Directions 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×12 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2: Sprinkle pan with coconut and chopped pecans.

Step 3: Mix cake mix and dry pudding mix. Evenly sprinkle on top of the coconut and pecans.

Step 4: Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk,  melted butter,  and eggs until combined. Pour milk mixture over the cake mix. 

Step 5: Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Enjoy.

 

 

Shaker Lemon Pie

Ingredients

● 2 pie crusts, rolled out  to fit a 9 inch pie pan and refrigerated
● 3 Meyer lemons, cut into very, very thin rounds (using a slicer or mandolin is advised, so if you don’t have one, buy one)
● 2 cups sugar
● 1/2 teaspoon salt
● 2 large eggs
● 2 large egg yolks
● 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
● Egg wash (made from 1 large egg beaten with a pinch of salt)
● Sanding sugar (raw sugar, Demarra sugar, etc.)

Directions

• Toss lemon slices with 2 cups sugar until slices are evenly coated. Macerate (allow them to sit so the sugar can draw the liquid out) for 2 hours at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Beat eggs and yolks with salt. Add flour a little at a time, whisking continuously to avoid flour lumps. Add egg mixture to the lemons and mix well with a big rubber spatula. Pour mixture into chilled bottom crust. Cover with chilled top crust, trim edges, then shape edges as desired, creating a seal. Cut slits in the top to vent the pie, then refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Right before baking, brush top of pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes on the bottom rack, turning halfway through. Turn the oven down to 350°F (180°C) and bake until the filling puffs and the crust puffs up a bit, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

 

Apple Slab Pie

Ingredients for Pie

• 4 refrigerator pie crusts at room temperature
• 9 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples (I like a mixture of these: Honeycrisp, Courtland, Braeburn, and Granny Smith)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour or cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
• tiny pinch salt 

 

Ingredients for Glaze

• 6 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Place two of the pie crusts on top of each other on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to a rough rectangle that is 18—12 inches.
• Prepare a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan by either buttering and flouring the pan, spraying with baking spray (Baker’s Joy), or lining with parchment paper with the excess paper hanging over the pan a couple of inches on both short ends.
• Place the crust in the prepared pan, forming it in the pan with the excess crust overlapping the sides. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the apples, sugar, tapioca flour or cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla or vanilla paste, and a pinch of salt. Stir together until fully combined.
• Spread the apples evenly onto the crust.
• Again, roll out the last two pie crusts into an 18″ rectangle. Place them on top of the pan.
• Tuck the top crust under the bottom and crimp the edges. Cut slits in the top crust so air can escape.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, tenting with foil after the first 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown. If you think it needs more browning after 35 minutes, take the foil off and watch closely until your desired color is reached.
• Place on a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.
• While the pie is cooling, place milk in a small saucepan and heat until warm but not bubbling. Add butter. Let it cool to room temperature and then add powdered sugar.
• After the pie has cooled, brush it all over with the glaze with a pastry brush. Wait 30 minutes, brush another layer of glaze on. Let cool for 30 more minutes, slice, and serve.

Apple Fritters

I use 3-4 good cooking apples of different kinds, i.e. Granny Smith, Gala, Honeycrisp, and Cameo. I also use either apple cider or apple juice that I’ve cooked down by half instead of sparkling apple cider. I like a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg. Twice as much cinnamon as nutmeg is about right. I always keep vanilla paste on hand in case I don’t have a vanilla bean. Substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste for the vanilla bean.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3-4 large apples, peeled and chopped
•  Glaze: 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 2-3 Tablespoons milk, half-and-half or cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and melted butter.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
4. Cook the apples in the butter for about 3-5 minutes until partially cooked. They should be soft but not browned. Let cool and fold in the apples.
5. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F.
6. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop the batter into the hot oil in small batches.
7. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
8. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
9. Make the glaze and drizzle it over the fritters, or dunk them in the glaze and let the excess drip onto a rack set over waxed paper.