Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Apple Turnover

This morning I saw in the freezer the box of puff pastry that I'd purchased weeks ago intending to make cheese straws. Cheese straws still seem like a good idea. However, it is mid-September and now apples are on my mind. Thus: Apple Turnovers.

I made a deliberate effort to keep the amount of sugar in this recipe low, and thus it is not overwhelmingly sweet. In the end, I concluded that next time I will use more sugar when making the filling; I may trying using 1/4 cup brown sugar and a 1/4 cup white sugar, and see how that works.




Apple Turnovers

3 apples (I used a combination of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith)
2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Pinch salt
1 package frozen puff pastry (17.3 ounces, 2 sheets) defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water
Sugar for sprinkling.

Technique

Preheat over to 400.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Remove puff pastry from packaging and allow to defrost, about 40 minutes. While the dough defrosts, prepare filling.

Make the egg wash: Combine an egg with 1 Tbs. water. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. sugar, 2 Tbs. brown sugar 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg and pinch of salt.

Peel, core and dice apples.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. butter. Add 1 Tbs. flour, and stir to make a paste. Add 1 Tbs. water, the sugar/spice mixture, and the apple dice. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes.

While the mixture cools, prepare dough. On a floured board, working with one sheet of dough at a time, lightly roll the dough into a 12" x 12" square. Cut the sheet into 4 smaller squares. Chill until ready to use. Proceed in the same way with the second sheet.

Working with one small square at a time, set about 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square. Brush the edges with the egg white mixture. Fold the square diagonally over the apples and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Set the triangle on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares.

Brush the top of each triangle with the remainder of the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut one or two small slits into each pastry.

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

These turnovers cry out to be eaten with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, but are good also first thing in the morning or during a coffee break.



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