Fresh Peach Dumplings Served With Hard Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter flavored shortening using your hands or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the ice water over the dough, and stir until the mixture comes together. Knead the dough briefly, then divide into 6 pieces.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• On a lightly floured surface roll out each piece of dough into a thin circle. Place two peach halves together, and wrap in each circle of dough, sealing at the top. Place the dumplings onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake dumplings for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. While the dumplings are baking, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, egg, nutmeg, vanilla and salt using an electric mixer on low speed. Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar. Spoon over warm dumplings.

Steps:

• Roll out the dough into a rectangle so it is about an 1/8 of an inch thick (no more than a 1/4 inch). Cut the dough into 6 squares. On sheet pan lay out your peach halves. If you'd like, you can peel the peaches, but it is not necessary. Sprinkle the sugar and spices evenly over the peaches. Drizzle a few drops of vanilla onto the peaches then add a bit of the butter to the center of each peach half. Now take 2 halves of the peach and close them with the butter, sugar and spices inside. Hold them closed. Place the held closed peach into the center of a dough square. Pull the sides of the dough up around the peach. pinch the dough closed to seal the peach inside. Once the dough is closed, with your hand gently mold the dough so it hugs the peach and stays in shape. If you have extra dough hanging cut it off (you will gather the extra dough scraps and make leaves later). Repeat this with all of the peaches. Heat your oven to 450 degrees. In a baking dish that will fit comfortably all of your peaches gently place your dough covered peaches. Set the baking dish in the fridge while you make the sauce and leaves. The leaves are just cute, leave them off if you are not in the mood for the fuss. In a small saucepan heat the sugar and the butter. When the sugar begins to color swirl the pan to make the sugar color evenly. Be very careful...the sugar is EXTREMELY HOT. This should not be done by, or with, children!!!! When the sugar has taken on a nice amber color add the heavy cream. With a whisk make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Add the brandy, continue to stir. Once you no longer smell alcohol turn the heat down and reduce the sauce (at a simmer) for a couple of minutes. Take the sauce off the heat once its a slightly thickened and add the vanilla, salt and the final tablespoon of butter . Combine with the whisk. You should have a smooth velvety wonderful flavored caramel sauce. This stuff is delicious even without the dumplings!!!!! Now gather your dough scraps and re-roll them so you can cut out leaf shapes to garnish your dumplings. You can make the leaf veins using the back of your knife. Egg wash the dumplings and attach the leaves (I made two leaves per dumpling). Next, sprinkle sanding sugar over the dumplings.Now you will pour the caramel sauce into the pan with the dumplings without pouring the sauce onto the dumplings themselves. This is very important!!! The sauce should go between and around but NOT over or on the dumplings. Bake the dumplings at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes. If they seem to be getting too dark turn the temperature down to 400 for the last 10 minutes or so. Use your judgement on that. Have a platter ready to move the dumplings to when you take the pan out of the oven. The dumplings will need to be moved after they rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to move them. They will be fragile on the bottom. The sauce will be caramelized and thick. Drizzle a little of it over the dumplings or around the sides. Serve while warm, with ice cream if you like.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the cinnamon, 1/3 cup of sugar, brown sugar and flour. With a pastry blender mix in the butter until it resembles coarse meal.
• Roll out the chilled puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8 inch thickness. Cut the dough into six 7 inch squares. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate.
• Blanch the peaches for 10 seconds in rapidly boiling water. Remove and drain. Peel the peaches, split in half, and remove the pits. Toss the halves in lemon juice and then in the cinnamon mixture. Reassemble the peach halves with the remaining cinnamon mixture in the cavity.
• Remove baking sheet from refrigerator. Place a peach in the center of each square of dough. Paint the edges of the dough with cold water. Bring the points of the square together at the top and pinch the seams together to seal.
• Paint the dumplings with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons of sugar (use crystal sugar for these two tablespoons if you have it available). Prick a few holes around the top to allow steam to escape. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the peaches are tender and the pastry has browned. When dumplings are done, remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
• To serve, spoon some of the sauce onto each serving plate, place dumpling in the center and drizzle some additional sauce over the top. You may serve with vanilla or peach ice cream or peach sorbet (recipe follows).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Onto a flat work surface lightly dusted with flour, unfold one sheet of puffed pastry. Lightly dust the surface of the pastry with flour. With a rolling pin, lightly roll until square spreads to the size of a 12" x 12" square. Slice into four evenly sized squares.
• Remove skins from peaches, slice in half and remove pits. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. The mixture will be crumbly.
• Into one half of each peach, spoon 1 tbs. of the sugar & spices mixture into where the peach pit once was. Sandwich with other half of peach.
• Place peach onto one puffed pastry square. Gently fold each corner to the top-center of each peach. Repeat with each peach.
• In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
• With a pastry brush, brush melted butter over each pastry-covered peach. Then dust each with sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over each peach.
• Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.