Food ‘n Flix: Butter

I finally got my act together in time to post for Food ‘n Flix, ha!  I really need to work on that!  Anyway, this month’s movie is Butter – hosted by Cheap Ethnic Eats.  This hilarious movie is about wealth, race, privilege, power, family, small town America, and (of course) butter.  I’d seen it before, and enjoyed it so much that I didn’t mind renting it again just to look for food references.  Which, by the way, are few and far between other than the ubiquitous butter.

So what was I going to make that would feature butter?  I came up with a few ideas, but I kept circling back to these apple dumplings (even though I’d posted about them before).  They really are perfect for this movie, though – a little bit redneck, totally unhealthy, and drenched in butter.

The dumplings are actually really easy to make.  I like them best when they are fresh and the sugar on top is still crunchy, so I tend to make half a recipe one day and the other half the next day – which is why you will only see 4 dumplings in the photos.  Start by peeling and coring an apple, then cutting into 8 slices.

Wrap each slice with a store-bought crescent roll (there should be 8 in the tube) and place into a buttered baking dish.  A pie dish is the perfect size for a half recipe.

Combine a stick stick of melted butter with sugar and vanilla and barely stir together.  You don’t want the sugar to dissolve, or it won’t create a crunchy crust.  Spoon the mixture onto the dumplings.  Here is the crazy (and kinda redneck) part – pour in some Mountain Dew.  I’m not kidding – it combines with the butter to make an insane citrusy caramel sauce.

Lastly, sprinkle with some cinnamon, and then into the oven it goes!

40 minutes later, and you have melt-in-your-mouth dumplings with a crunchy sugar coating and a ridiculous caramel syrup.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and make sure to spoon the Mountain Dew sauce over the top.  Don’t plan on eating more than two – they are crazy rich!

Country Apple Dumplings
adapted from Pioneer Woman
Serves 4-8

1 granny smith apple
1 (8oz) can crescent rolls (Pillsbury)
1 stick salted butter (or add 1/4 tsp salt to 1 stick unsalted butter)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon
3/4 cup Mt Dew Soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Peel and core the apple; cut into 8 slices.  Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.  Place each roll in a buttered baking dish.

Melt the butter in a small pan, then add the sugar and barely stir (you want the mixture to by lumpy, that’s what makes the tops crunchy).  Add the vanilla, barely stir, and pour entire mixture over apples.  Pour the Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan, and sprinkle the tops with cinnamon.

Bake for 40 minutes.  Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sauce from the pan over the top.

One Year Ago – French Onion Mac and Cheese
Two Years Ago – Cheesy Brown Butter Grits with Ramps and Fiddleheads
Three Years Ago – Chicken Crescent Rolls and Hashbrown Casseroles
Four Years Ago – CSA Week 3