Apple Turnovers

Ever have a fear that was seemingly so overwhelming that you thought you'd never be able to face it down and when you finally do, you have to wonder what all the confounded flap was about?  That was me and frozen puff pastry.  For years I was afraid of trying it. They said that puff pastry was difficult to work with.  Now, I don't recall exactly who they are but they are grossly overstating puff pastry finickiness.  This was no more difficult than working with frozen pie crust.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  I'm going to go out and buy a carton of this stuff. 

Vrinda, my friend on Sankeerthanam, made these the other day and after seeing how golden and flaky they were, I could not resist.  I love turnovers and up until now have only made them at home using pie crust.  After this, it's puff pastry every time!

This is an Ina Garten recipe, and is very very good.  Personally, the next time I make these I'm going to omit the dried cherries (although they do add a nice burst of flavor and color; it's just I'm more of a purist) and add a nice drizzle of glaze.

These work up quickly, if you remember to take the puff pastry out to defrost ~ memo to self ~ before you need it.

Apple Turnovers

(Ina Garten of the Food Network)

1 package (17.3 ounces, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted.  Preheat oven to 400*F. 

1 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/4 pounds tart apples, such as Empire or Granny Smith ( about 3 smallish apples)
3 tablespoons dried cherries
3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour **
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon **
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg **
Pinch kosher salt


1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Follow the directions on the back of the box to defrost the puff pastry, planning on a good 40 to 60 minutes for the pastry to defrost.

Wash and dry the outside of the orange and then zest the orange part of the peel into a medium bowl.  Add the orange juice and then add the dried cherries to rehydrate them.

Peel and core the apples and then cut them in 3/4-inch dice. Immediately toss the apples with the zest and juice to prevent them from turning brown. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Flour a board and lightly roll each sheet of puff pastry to a 12 by 12-inch square. Cut each sheet into 4 smaller squares and keep chilled until ready to use

Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash and neatly place about 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square.

Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple mixture  to make a tricorner and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Trim any uneven edges with a sharp knife. 

Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, make 2 small slits to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

**My apples looked a little juicy and upped the flour to 2 tablespoons.  Worked perfectly.
**C'mon 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon?  I added 1/2 teaspoon!
**I use freshly grated nutmeg, which tends to be stronger and more vibrant in flavor than the the pre-grated spice, but even eyeballing it, I probably had a good 1/4 teaspoon.  Go easy on this one though this is a spice that can easily become overpowering. 

Now to make puff pastry from scratch.  Someday....right now that's a bugaboo...

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