Apple Pandowdy

Pandowdy, pandwody, pandowdy. Just saying this word brings a smile to my face. But what exactly is it? Think cobbler meets pie; fruit on the bottom with a pastry on top. It's a traditional dish found mostly in New England. A pandowdy is like having the deliciousness of pie, but with only half the work (you only have to roll ONE pie crust that doesn't even have to be circular. Plus you get to cut it to fit the pan). And this pandowdy has a sour cream sauce mixed with in with the apples. Yum.


Here's an interesting tidbit about pandowdy: Nancy Baggett, author of The All-American Dessert Book says "despite the rather plain look of the [pan]dowdy, many culinary historians...believe that the odd name does not refer to the appearance of the dish, but to the fact that it is covered with a 'dow,' a varation on the word 'dough.'" Though if you prefer, you can continue to extol its dowdy virtues.

Apple Pandowdy
Recipe from The All-American Dessert Book
Pictures by Caroline

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, divided
5 tablespoons all purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
9 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced tart apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Single crust pastry dough

1. *Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. In a small bowl, stir together the 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of the flour, the cinnamon, and cloves.
   
2. In a large bowl, stir together the apples and lemon juice. Add the sugar mixture to the apples and stir until the are coated. Spread the aple mixture evenly in the baking dish.
   
3. In the bowl used for the apples, thoroughly stir together the sour cream, remaining two tablespoons sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons flour, and baking soda. Spread the mixture evenly over the apples.
4. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, big enough to cover the 9 x 13 pan (this is much easier if you roll onto a piece of wax paper, then flip the dough over onto the apple mixture and peel the paper off). Trim the edges of the dough to make it even. Place the dough over the top of the apples. With a sharp knife, cut several steam vents in the top.
   
5. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until the pastry is browned all over and the filling is bubbly. Let cool about 30 minutes.
   

*Directions paraphrased from original