Do you remember Art Linkletter’s show, “Kids say the funniest things?” It was on in the 40’s and 50’s and continued through to when I was a child (of course much later on). I used to love that show and remember laughing so hard at what the kids would say. At the time, while I would laugh out loud at the antics of other kids, I never realized that having kids of my own would bring this show right into my own living room, except this time, it would be real life.

My younger son was especially amusing.  He is a talker and when he was little, he said some of the funniest things I ever heard. He asked so many questions, and most of the time, I didn’t even know the answers. For example, when my mother died, he asked how my Mom would get to heaven. I hesitated, then he said “is she going to get there in an elevator?” When his older cousins were talking about drinking and getting a hangover, he asked me what an overhang was.  One night, when my extended family were over for dinner, we were talking about what my Mom looked like when she was mad. Right in front of her he said well, “she has the wrinkles all over her face that are there even when she is not mad.”  What am I even supposed to say to that?

I used to take him to the grocery store with me. One day there was a very old lady who was wearing a lot of makeup and dark red lipstick that was unevenly put on her lips, and extended over her lips. When we got to the end of the aisle, he leaned over and whispered to me, “Mommy, there is a witch in this isle.” Another time, my sister-in-law took him to the pharmacy with her. It was my birthday and Shelley asked him how old he thought I was. He replied, “Aunt Shelley, my Mom told me never ever to tell anyone her age, so I can’t tell you.”  I think I taught that kid right. 

There are so many more examples of his hilarious comments. My friends used to tell me to write them down, but I didn’t and oh, how I wish I did. Let that be a lesson to you parents or grandparents out there! Now to the recipe.

A pandowdy is a spiced apple pie baked in a pie dish. This apple dessert will bring a little comfort and warmth to any home. The smell of this sweet treat baking in your home is just delightful. The apples are dressed with savory goodness, like vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger.  The lemon juice and zest add just the right amount of tanginess. It is then topped with puffed pastry that browns beautifully when it is baked. This pandowdy is just delicious, and even better, it makes the whole house smell so festive. Do not forget the ice cream, it perfects this special treat.

This recipe is courtesy of Bon Appetit and makes 8 servings of this classic American dessert.

Ingredients for Apple Pandowdy:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 pounds Pink Lady and/or Granny Smith apples
2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 lemon
1 ½-inch piece ginger
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed by covering pastry sheet with plastic and leaving at room temperature 30 minutes
Granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
2 pints vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 425°.

Cook 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until bubbling and golden, about 5 minutes; set aside.

Prepare your apples: Using a vegetable peeler, remove peel from apples.

Stand them upright and slice down along core, working all the way around to remove big lobes of flesh.

Cut lobes lengthwise into 1″ pieces (irregular shapes are fine).

Discard peel and cores.

Transfer apples to a large bowl.

Add 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to bowl with apples.

Using a microplane or fine rasp grater, grate zest of 1/2 lemon over apples.

Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice from zested half over apples, catching any seeds.

Using peeler, remove peel from ginger, then grate over apples.

Toss apple mixture until combined, then transfer to a shallow 3-qt. baking dish.

Drizzle all but 2 Tbsp. brown butter over apples.

Dust cutting board with a light coating of flour and unfold puff pastry on floured surface.

Dust top with flour.

Cut puff pastry into irregular 1″ pieces (any shape is fine).

Arrange pieces of puff pastry over apples, overlapping but spreading to cover almost completely. Brush pastry with remaining brown butter.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake pandowdy until pastry is puffed and golden around edges, 25–30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake until juices are thick and bubbling and pastry is brown all over, 30–35 minutes longer.

Using a spoon, press pastry down into warm juices (but don’t submerge); let cool slightly.

Serve pandowdy warm with ice cream.

Do Ahead: Pandowdy can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool. Cover loosely with foil and store at room temperature. Reheat uncovered in a 200° oven 20 minutes before serving.

It’s that simple!