Michaelmas Dumplings

September 29th is a day in the Western Christian Calendar which celebrates the feast of St Michael the Archangel . . . 

You know who he is don't you? Why he is one of the principal angelic warriors, seen as a protector against the dark of night, and the administrator of cosmic intelligence, or so it is said.

He also smells like cookies . . . dances really well, and is umm . . . very attractive. Well . . . at least to me anyways . . . 

I think it's the chin dimple. I have a thing for chin dimples. My father has a chin dimple. Everyone in my family has a chin dimple.  All of my children, bar one, have chin dimples.  We are a family filled with chin dimples.

In many areas it has been traditionally said that September 29th is your last chance to pick blackberries before the Devil can curse them, spit on them, or do something even worse!  You can read all about that here, along with a lot of other folklore about Michaelmas.

The October crop of blackberries is said to be indigestible and is spurned altogether.  These Michaelmas Dumplings make one final glorious feast of those sweet, plump, purple beauties!!

Here you get a lovely tart piece of apple that is wrapped in the heavenly fluff of a buttery dumpling and then simmered on a bed of sweet ripe blackberries . . . what's not to love about that?

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MICHAELMAS DUMPLINGS

No surprise that they are teamed with apple here, as apples and blackberries are a beautiful marriage of choice!

8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups/226g) of blackberries (half a pound)
1 medium sized apple, peeled, quartered and cored
healthy pinch of salt
140g of self raising flour (1 cup)
25g of butter (2 TBS)
granulated sugar
cold milk
300ml of water (1 1/2 cups)

 

I like to use a good cooking apple for this. Something like a Bramley,  Gravensteins, or  Granny Smiths would work well. You want an apple that will go well with the sweetness of everything else. 

I know that some people have a hard time finding self rising flour. You can very easily make your own.  Just measure out 1 cup of flour (140g) and add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. That makes enough for this particular recipe. No more, no less.

 

HOW TO MAKE MICHAELMAS DUMPLINGS

These are really very simple to make as are many of these old traditional recipes.  There is nothing complicated here.

Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles fine bread crumbs. 

Stir in the sugar. Stir in about 4 TBS of milk and mix together to a soft dough. 

Divide the dough into four and press each quarter into a flat circle on a floured board. Mold the circle of dough around a piece of apple, bringing it up the sides and over the top to cover it completely and sealing it totally shut. Repeat four times. 

Place the water in a medium sized pan. Add a heaped dessertspoon of sugar. Stir to dissolve and then bring to the boil. 

Add the blackberries, place the dumplings on top, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the dumplings are nicely risen and fluffy. Serve warm with lashings of cream, custard or ice cream!

 

Served warm, with lashings of cream or custard, or ice cream if you prefer, each spoonful is gorgeously delicious . . . the apple having melted into that fluffy dumpling interior and the blackberries forming a sweet purple sauce . . . 

This really is a most delicious dessert.  I really love these old traditional desserts of the U.K. They really do stand up to the test of time! 

Some other fruity desserts here in the English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:

EASY BLACKBERRY & LEMON DESSERT - All you need for these quick, easy and delicious dessert cups are a few simple things.  Berries, water, sugar, Greek Yogurt, cream, lemon curd and some crisp meringues.  Dare I say it, Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy!

TRADITIONAL EATON MESS - Another delicious doddle composed of fresh strawberries, cream and broken crisp meringues.  Folded together and layered in a dish. Seriously simple. Seriously tasty.  You can't go wrong!  You can also use raspberries if you wish.

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Michaelmas Dumplings

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Fluffy apple filled dumplings floating on a sea of thick purple blackberry goodness!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups/226g) of blackberries (half a pound)
• 1 medium sized apple, peeled, quartered and cored
• healthy pinch of salt
• 140g of self raising flour (1 cup)
• 25g of butter (2 TBS)
• granulated sugar
• cold milk
• 300ml of water (1 1/2 cups)

Instructions

1. Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
2. Stir in the sugar. Stir in about 4 TBS of milk and mix together to a soft dough.
3. Divide the dough into four and press each quarter into a flat circle on a floured board. Mold the circle of dough around a piece of apple, bringing it up the sides and over the top to cover it completely and sealing it totally shut. Repeat four times.
4. Place the water in a medium sized pan. Add a heaped dessertspoon of sugar. Stir to dissolve and then bring to the boil.
5. Add the blackberries, place the dumplings on top, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the dumplings are nicely risen and fluffy. Serve warm with lashings of cream, custard or ice cream!

Did you make this recipe?

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