Dan Lepard's apple dumpling recipes

To have any credibility as a hard-core food anarchist, you have to like dumplings. Their lumpen appearance marks them proudly as a dish without grand status, even though today you're more likely to find them in a cool pub than a beans and chips caff. This doughy lump is ideal for soaking up the flavours around it. Add sweet dessert apples and you have an awesome pudding.

Apple dumplings in brandy syrup

Very good with a little creme fraiche. Makes about a dozen.

125g plain flour
75g rye flour
Finely grated zest of a lemon
2 tsp baking powder
25g caster sugar
25g unsalted butter
1 medium dessert apple
50g yoghurt
1 medium egg

For the syrup
250g light soft brown sugar
800ml water
3 tsp vanilla extract
Calvados or brandy, lemon juice

Place the flours, zest, baking powder and sugar in a bowl, and rub in the butter. Peel, quarter, core and finely dice the apple, mix through flour, add yoghurt and egg, and mix to a dough.

In a deep, 23cm frying pan, bring sugar, water and vanilla to a boil. Divide the dough into 40g balls, roll lightly in flour until smooth, then space apart in the pan so the syrup reaches halfway up the dumplings. Cook for about 5 minutes, spooning syrup over the top; remove to a plate and keep warm. Boil remaining syrup until it's reduced by half, add brandy to taste (100ml did it for me), simmer a moment, then squeeze in a little lemon juice to sharpen it. Spoon the syrup over the dumplings to serve.

Apple potsticker dumplings with plum jam

Here I've combined the technique for making Chinese dumplings with a sweet apple and almond filling. It's pretty easy, once you get your fingers used to the shaping. Makes 15-18.

For the dough
250g plain flour
½ tsp salt
175ml boiling water

For the filling
50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 dessert apples
3 tsp ground cinnamon
25ml sunflower oil
Plum jam, to finish

Put the flour and salt in a bowl, pour in the boiling water and mix quickly with a fork to a dough. Cover with a plate to keep it warm, leave for 10 minutes and knead briefly to smooth.

For the filling, melt half the butter and mix with sugar, almonds, egg yolk (save the white) and vanilla. Peel, core and finely dice the apples. Melt remaining butter in a frying pan and over high heat cook apples with cinnamon until starting to brown. Spoon on to a plate and leave to cool.

Pinch off 25g pieces of dough and roll each thinly to 12cm in diameter. Spread a teaspoon of almond mix in the centre, top with a tablespoon of apples, then brush egg white around the edges. Crimp together at the top to make a pasty shape. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Put the dumplings in a nonstick frying pan, add the oil and enough boiling water almost to cover them, then boil on a high heat until the water evaporates – spoon the water over the dumplings to keep them moist – and the dumplings fry a little on the base. Serve hot from the pan with a little warm plum jam.

danlepard.com/guardian