Pandowdy

A pandowdy is a rustic, charming dessert that celebrates the juicy, flavorful fruit filling over a polished pastry. Think of it as the scrappy, lovable Tramp of the pie world—bursting with character and irresistible charm.

This pie oozes with fruity goodness, with a golden, cinnamon-sugared crust intentionally “dowdied” during baking to let the filling bubble through. Perfect with apples, peaches, or plums, and best served warm with cream or ice cream, this is comfort baking at its most delightful!

Ingredients (Filling)

• 450g (1lb) ripe fruit (Plums are great for the colour. I used apple and peach for the one in the photo)
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (Different fruits will benefit from a different mix of spices.)
• zest from 1 lemon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (Substitute ½ tablespoon of cider vinegar if necessary. It helps prevent the fruit discolouring.)
• pinch of salt
• ⅛ cup flour

Ingredients (Pie Topping)

• Cream Cheese Pie Crust (or other sweet pastry for the pie topping)
• Melted butter (for brushing on top)
• Cinnamon sugar (3 teaspoons sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon)

Method

1. Chop the fruit into bite-sized chunks, ensuring you don’t lose any juice. Depending on the fruit, you may need to peel it. (I peeled the peaches but left the skin on the apples in the photo.)
2. Mix in the sugar, spices, zest, and juice.
3. Stir in the flour and salt.
4. Taste, adding any additional spices you need.
5. Pour into baking dish. (Works great in a cast-iron skillet. The Pyrex dish I used is too deep to show this off at its best.
6. Roll out the pie crust and settle it over the fruit. Tuck the edges into the pan around the fruit.
7. Bruch top with melted butter and sprinkle it with the cinnamon sugar. Poke a few holes in the pastry to let the steam escape.
8. Start by baking it for 30 minutes, then use a sharp knife to dowdy (cut) the crust into several large pieces. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling through the crust.
9. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before serving

Serve with cream, ice cream, or your favourite fruit pudding condiment.