Ingredients

The following ingredients have 8 Servings
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces; well chilled (or frozen)
  • 4 tablespoons lard, well chilled (we found lard at Walmart)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, well chilled
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water, divided
  • 2 ½ pound baking apples such as Courtland, Granny Smith or Jonathan
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch or two of ground cloves
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup real maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons finely minced salt pork
  • Heavy cream, for serving
  • Maple syrup, for serving

Instruction

  • Make the crust by adding the flour and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine.
  • Add the cold butter cubes and pulse just to coat them in the flour.
  • Add lard and again, pulse just a few times.
  • Add shortening and again pulse a few times.
  • Add two tablespoons of the ice water and pulse to make a dry dough until it just starts to hold together.
  • Pour out onto a lightly floured work surface and add remaining water a little bit at a time and mix with your hands. As soon as it stays together, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes or longer. (I made this a day in advance).
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Butter a 9X9 baking pan and set aside.
  • Peel and core apples and slice into thick slices. Place in a bowl add lemon juice as you go so they do not brown.
  • Add cinnamon, black pepper, cloves and flour and toss to combine.
  • Pour apples into prepared baking pan and drizzle the maple syrup.
  • Finally sprinkle the raw minced salt pork over the top.
  • Take the dough from the refrigerator and open the plastic but leave the dough sitting on the plastic.
  • Flour your hands or a rolling pin and flatten dough to 10X10 square.
  • Lift the plastic and invert it over the apples and press the edges down into the pan. Don’t worry about it looking neat.
  • Bake for 45 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and with a spoon, break the crust up and push some of it down into the filling and bake for 15 more minutes.
  • While the pandowdy is baking, drizzle a little maple syrup into some heavy cream to sweeten it and to serve, spoon the warm pandowdy into a bowl or plate and drizzle the top with the sweetened cream.