Apple Bundles in California Cheddar Pastry

To Prepare Pastry with Apples:

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, mustard and salt. With a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips, cut in butter and shortening until mixture forms small clumps. Add Cheddar cheese and work until mixture resemble coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the water, two tablespoons at a time, over the mixture and toss with a fork until the dough can be gathered into a ball. Knead once or twice in the bowl and refrigerate while preparing the apples. In a separate bowl, toss apples together with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside.

Roll dough on a floured surface and cut to make a rectangle 12 by 24 inches. With a knife, cut pastry into eight 6-inch squares. Place apples in the center of the pastry squares, dividing evenly, and dot with butter. Fold up corners to form square bundles; pinch edges to seal. At this point, pastries can be covered and refrigerated a day ahead of baking, or wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil and frozen (there is no need to thaw pastries before baking). Place on a greased baking sheet and bake in a pre­heated 375° F oven 25 to 35 minutes, until browned.

To Prepare Sauces:

To make spicy syrup, combine brown sugar, water, cinnamon and nutmeg in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter and stir until butter is melted. To make yogurt sauce, stir together yogurt and brown sugar.

To Serve: Place individual pastries on plate and pour several tablespoons of syrup over each warm pastry. Pass the yogurt sauce to spoon on top.

Makes eight pastries.