5 large apples
1 1/2 cup fennel bulb
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup apple cider
1 1/2 tbsp sambuca (anise liqueur)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
TOPPING
2 tsp sugar
12 hazelnuts
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz cold shortening
3 oz cold unsalted butter
4 tbsp ice water
Directions
Peel and core apples and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Dice fennel. Toast
and peel hazelnuts. Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces.
Combine apples, fennel, lemon juice, honey, cider, sambuca, nutmeg,
allspice and salt in a bowl; toss gently to combine. Cover and set
aside.
Topping: Combine sugar, nuts, flour and salt in a processor. Pulse
until nuts are finely ground. Add shortening and butter and pulse
until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a
time, pulsing briefly after each addition. Continue adding water
until mixture holds together when pinched between your fingers. Do
not overmix or the dough will be tough. Pat into a disc, wrap in
plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spoon the apple mixture into a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Roll
out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 9 x 13-inch
rectangle; gently lay the dough over the fruit, tucking in the edges.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a spoon or
spatula, break crust into 3- or 4-inch irregular squares. Press
pieces into the apples, "dowdying" the appearance of the dish. Return
to oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well browned. Let cool 15
minutes before serving.
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle, November 22, 1995
Servings: 10 servings
Apple & Fennel Pandowdy Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Apple; Fruit
The History of Recipes
We can follow the history of meal recipes far back into ancient history, at least as far back into history as the early Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. In practice though, in the main part, these old cookbooks were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to food historians is a collection of clay tablets in Sumerian describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel exhilarated and blissful. Progressing into The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a collection of scripts describing recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, he tells us how the meals were divided into appetizers, entrees and afters, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Additionally, he describes how the ancient chefs made use of a wide range of herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs for example thyme, mint and asafoetida. Later on, there were two interesting books which appeared in the 1300s ; a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, these two books are nothing to do with the curry that is served today, but rather recipes for the types of food on the menus of the rich. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought back many foods and herbs from the holy lands, including spices such as basil and coriander. The introduction of these new tastes led to an outbreak in manuscripts on cooking, the majority of which still exist in private collections. For the centuries that followed, the rich and powerful families of Europe competed with each other to serve up the most exotic meals, and consequentially chefs and their recipe collections could command a high salary. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 1800s that cooking and cookery books really came of age. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing recipes of the day. By the time we get to the 20th century, cookery publications are in high demand, mostly as a result of better eduction, increased leisure time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Apple & Fennel Pandowdy recipe.
