Baked Apple Dumplings

Baked apples are an old-fashioned autumn favorite; wrapping them like dumplings transforms each one into an individual pie.

Yield Makes 4

Ingredients
    For Assembly
        All-purpose flour, for rolling out dough
        1 large egg white, lightly beaten
        1 large egg yolk
        1 tablespoon heavy cream

    For the Dough
        2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
        1 teaspoon salt
        2 tablespoons sugar
        1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

    For the Filling
        2 tablespoons Armagnac, or brandy
        2 tablespoons dried cherries, roughly chopped
        2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
        2 tablespoons finely ground blanched almonds
        2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
        1 tablespoon unsalted butter
        1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
        1/8 teaspoon ground mace
        1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
        4 McIntosh apples
        1 lemon, cut into quarters lengthwise
        4 cinnamon sticks

    For the Syrup
        1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
        2 cups clear apple juice
        2 tablespoons honey
        1/2 cup Armagnac, or brandy
        1/4 cup pure maple syrup
        1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
        2 tablespoons unsalted butter
        2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method  
Place flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor; pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water in a steady stream through feed tube; process just until mixture begins to hold together, no more than 30 seconds. Flatten dough into a disc, and wrap in plastic. Chill dough at least 1 hour.
   
Combine all syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until liquid has reduced by half and has slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; set syrup aside.
   
Combine Armagnac and cherries in a small bowl; let sit 20 minutes. Drain cherries, reserving Armagnac; add Armagnac to reserved syrup. In another small bowl, combine cherries, flour, ground almonds, brown sugar, butter, nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon; mix filling well with a wooden spoon.
   
Peel apples; remove stems and top 3/4 of core, leaving 1/4 inch intact at bottom. Rub each apple with a lemon quarter to prevent discoloration. Divide filling among four apples, filling cavities. Insert a cinnamon stick into each cavity. Wrap exposed end of cinnamon stick with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Set filled apples aside.
   
Heat oven to 450°F. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll dough to an 1/8-inch thickness, and trim to a 14-inch square. Cut 4 squares, 7 inches each, from dough. Brush entire surface of one square lightly with beaten egg white; place a filled apple in the center. Bring 2 adjacent corners of dough together at the tops, and press together to create a triangular flap. Repeat, making four flaps. Lightly brush one side of each flap with egg white, and press firmly against the apple. Repeat with remaining dough and apples. Transfer to a plate, and chill 15 minutes.
   
Mix together the egg yolk and heavy cream. Brush dumplings lightly with the egg wash, and transfer dumplings to a roasting pan, spacing dumplings at least 1 inch apart.
   
Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Remove roasting pan from oven, and pour the reserved syrup over dumplings. Return pan to the oven, and bake 10 minutes more, basting twice. Continue baking dumplings until deep-golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve dumplings with the warm syrup.