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This is a fantastic recipe, one I’ve had for a number of years, and it is always my go-to if I want a fall-themed dessert (or breakfast!). The apple filling is the same one I use in apple pies and have been tweaking and perfecting it since before I can remember.
Apple Turnovers
For the filling
- 1 green apple, peeled and largely diced
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and largely diced
- ¼ tsp. orange zest
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 4 Tbsp. corn starch, sifted
- 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
- ½ tsp. fresh ginger, grated (optional)
Combine all the ingredients in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Keep in mind it will thicken as it cools. Completely cool.
For the puff pastry
- 3 ⅔ cups pastry flour
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 ⅓ cups plus 2 Tbsp. cold water
- 4 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 egg
Sift the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Make a well at the center; add 1 ⅓ cups cold water. Water should be surrounded by the flour except for the top. With a fork, gradually mix the water and flour. Add just a little flour at a time by slowly mixing from the middle of the bowl outward. Mix until the dough forms a ball. The dough may be sticky, but that is OK. Wrap in plastic wrap; store in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
While the dough rests, take the butter from the refrigerator; beat it with a rolling pin or sturdy ice cream scooper. If using sticks of butter, beat them together to form one sheet of butter. Beat the butter together until an 8-inch square with clean, straight edges is formed. This could take some time, depending on how soft the butter is. Keep the butter sheet in the refrigerator.
After the pastry has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to form a 15-inch square. Place the butter sheet directly in the middle; fold the left side over the butter, followed by the right, top and bottom. Roll out the pastry dough to ensure it covers all the butter. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough into a 10 ½-inch by 21-inch sheet. Fold ⅓ of the dough over the middle ⅓, and fold the bottom ⅓ onto the previous fold. Rotate the pastry dough 90 degrees, roll it out again until it’s 10 ½ inches by 21 inches, and repeat the previous folds. Refrigerate the pastry dough for 10 minutes. It is essential that the pastry dough maintains clean, straight edges throughout your folding, trimming off the edges if necessary.
Repeat step five two more times, including rolling it out six times and refrigerating it between every two rollouts. When finished, reserve the pastry dough in the refrigerator.
Put Them Together
Preheat the oven to 430 F. Roll out the puff pastry until it’s ⅛ of an inch thick, and cut out 6 5-inch squares. Add 2 Tbsp. of the apple mixture in the middle, and fold one corner to the opposite corner to make a triangle. Press down on the joined edges with a fork to crimp and seal them. Crack an egg in a small bowl, and add 2 Tbsp. of water. Beat with a fork. Place the pastries on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, 5 inches apart, and brush with the egg wash. Place them in the oven, and bake for 8 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F, and bake for 7–12 minutes or until golden brown.
Spencer Olson of Tonka Bay continues to expand his cooking repertoire. Taste more at thewoodenspoonchefs.com.
