Over 50 years ago I was given a cookbook called The Encyclopedic Cookbook, put out by the Culinary Arts Institute. The copyright date is 1948.

It’s a big green book, nearly 4 inches thick with 966 pages, not counting the index. It has everything you can imagine in it. It includes all the cuts of beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish and veal, and how to cook them.

Found within its pages are menus for everything from bridal luncheons to outdoor cookouts. There are instructions on how to make cottage cheese, cook a goose or bake over 150 different kinds of bread. Everything is made from scratch.

There are no short-cuts like those found in today’s cookbooks. It has been my standard guide over the years and is much used. Pages are turned down, paper-clipped, highlighted and comments are written in the margins. It’s a real treasure. My son, Roger, has claimed it upon my demise.

This recipe for Apple Dumplings is a hearty dessert. There are two variations given. One uses pastry dough to cover the apple. This is tasty, almost like an individual apple pie, but I found it a little difficult to work with. The other is made from regular biscuit dough (although I add 2 Tblsp. sugar). This seemed to be easier to handle.

Apple Dumplings
6 medium apples (I think 8 small works better)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Baking powder
biscuit dough with 2 Tablespoons of sugar added

Pare and core apples. Melt butter on low heat, add lemon juice, then brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Bring to boil to dissolve sugar. Roll biscuit dough thin - to 1/8" thickness. I put plenty of flour on the counter, so dough becomes a little stiffer than regular biscuit dough. Cut into squares large enough to cover apple. Place apple on each square, fill cavity with sugar mixture. Bring corner s together at the top, moisten the edges and pinch together, sealing the apple inside. Put on a greased baking sheet and bake @ 350° F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon sugar.