The $25,000 Dumpling

Striving to persuade housewives to do more home baking, the Pillsbury Co. has given away more than $1,000,000 in baking-contest prizes, many of them for gooey concoctions that would dull even the sweet tooth of a teenager. Last week, in a pleasant change of menu, the grand prize in Pillsbury's annual national baking contest, held in the ballroom of Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria, was awarded for a scarcely disguised variation on one of the simplest of all desserts, apple dumplings. The winner, whose spicy apple twists* triumphed over such dishes as golden empire torte spread with chocolate surprise frosting, double date devil's food cake or Golden Gate dessert bars, was Mrs. Don de Vault, 36, wife of a Delaware, Ohio real estate man. Her prize: $25,000.

*Recipe: Pare and core two baking apples and slice into eight wedges each. Sift 1 1/2 cups of flour with 1 tsp. salt, cut in 1/2 cup shortening. Moisten with 4 or 5 tbs. of cold water. Roll out into 16-in. by 10-in. rectangle and cut into 16 10-in. by 1-in. strips. Wrap one strip around each apple slice. Arrange, without touching sides, in 13-in. by 9-in. by 2-in. baking pan. Brush with 1/3 cup melted butter; sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon. Pour 1/2 cup of water over pastries. Bake (450DEG) 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold, plain or with cream.

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