Apple Turnovers

Thanks goes out to Anne of Anne Strawberry for choosing September’s Bonus Recipe Challenge recipe!! Anne hauled in the most referral hits to the BB blog in the month of August and was awarded by having the opportunity to choose this bonus recipe. This is another late recipe from September that I’m catching up on this week so I can post about my Easy Cheese Danishes tomorrow. 😀

Apples are a big this in my house…crisp, crostata, cheesecake, pie cake and in savory dishes too like ropa viejo. Thank the good Lord that while Kyle is allergic to raw apples, he isn’t allergic to cooked apples. This small blessing makes life in my house lots of fun, especially in the fall. And while we were rained out of our apple pickin’ weekend the first weekend of October, our local grocery store seems to have an unending supply from local orchards.

Essentially, Anne did a wonderful job picking her bonus recipe – this was a perfect early fall kind of treat. Because Pepperidge Farm did all the work for me in preparing the puff pastry dough (who knew they make pre-made apple turnovers?!), I put these turnovers together in a pinch on a Sunday evening after dinner. We loved these little puppies!! I added some extra cinnamon to the apple mixture – always a must – and subbed the dried cherries for dried apples (Kyle has a horrible allergy to cherries in any form). The next time I make these, I plan to leave out the orange zest and juice – the orange flavor came through a tiny bit too much – and will add some extra sugar to the top of the turnovers before baking as I always find that puff pastry dough is too savory when used with sweet dishes.

Apple Turnovers

source, Ina Garten

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 1/4 pounds tart apples, such as Empire or Granny Smith (3 apples)
• 3 tablespoons dried cherries apples
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 package (17.3 ounces, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine the orange zest and orange juice in a bowl. Peel, quarter, 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 cherries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
3. 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.
4. 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 and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, make 2 small slits, and bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.