Little puff-pastry dumplings with the time-honoured filling of apples and cheese. The onion pickle adds a pleasingly sharp note. They are almost as good cold (packed lunch, autumn picnic, midnight snack) as they are when eaten hot. It is worth taking care to seal them tightly to stop the filling leaking as they bake. Makes 16!
INGREDIENTS
- Apples 500g (3 medium apples)
- Water 3 tbsp
- Colston Bassett Stilton 150g
- Puff pastry 1 x 320g sheet
- Egg 1, large, beaten
- Poppy seeds 2 tsp
METHOD:
- Peel and core the apples, then roughly chop them. Put them in a stainless-steel saucepan with the water and simmer over a moderate heat until soft. Stir them occasionally to stop them sticking, then crush them with a fork. You are after a filling that is soft, but not runny. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the pastry in half. Then, on a floured board, roll out one half to a square measuring 32cm x 32cm. Cut the pastry into 16 equal squares. (Each will measure roughly 8cm.) Crumble the stilton and stir into the apple, then place 1½ heaped tbsp of the mixture into the centre of 8 of the squares of pastry. Brush the edges of each square, then place the remaining squares of pastry over the filling and seal each one tightly with your fingertips or by pressing around the edges with a fork. Transfer the little dumplings to a baking sheet and keep cool. Repeat with the remaining pastry, again making 8 dumplings. Brush each dumpling with beaten egg and scatter with poppy seeds.
- Bake the pastries in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then serve while they are still warm.