Buying fruit every time I enter a grocery store is a weakness of mine. Sometime I don’t really think it through – will I actually eat what I’ve purchased before the fruit starts to get too soft or turn. Apples are a particular weakness. They look so scrumptious while in the store. While I do eat them, there always seems to be a few extra that just sit on my counter for longer than they should. The apples aren’t necessarily bad at this point but they’re definitely not crisp and juicy. Never wanting to throw out food, I look for ways to use them in other dishes rather than eating them raw.
One way I’ve found to use up a few extra ripe apples is to make homemade turnovers. These are actually very simple to make. They taste great. And an added bonus, those I give them to seem to be very impressed that I made a pastry. Everyone seems to think making pastry is s very time consuming and difficult skill. They’re definitely wrong. To me they’re one of the easiest things to make.
I start with puff pastry. While some like to spend the time making their own, it’s actually very easy to purchase this in a regular grocery. And no one is the wiser. I use Pepperidge Farm’s frozen puff pastry – found in most grocery stores in the frozen food section. The key to using this pre-made pastry is to let it thaw just enough so you can unfold it without it breaking into smaller pieces. But if it thaws too much, you’ll lose some of the puff once it bakes. I find that 15-30 minutes is generally the sweet spot.
Once you’re able to unfold the sheet, use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle. Then cut the rectangle into 6 to 8 individual squares. I’ve found a pizza wheel cutter is excellent for cutting the pastry. Try to keep the squares all the same size. Having them the same size makes baking them a little easier.
On each square, place several slices of a peeled, cut apple. The apple slices should be thin and uniform. Again making them uniform helps when you get ready to bake them. You get to determine how full each turnover will be. I avoid all added sugar so I do not add any to the apples. The apples will juice when they bake and have their own sweetness to them. Once the apples on the pastry, fold the pastry over and seal it with either your fingers or a fork.
Next place your sealed turnovers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the turnovers with an egg white wash. (To make an egg-white wash, separate the yolk from the egg white of one egg. Set the yolk aside. Whisk the egg white until it is foamy.) The egg white wash will give the turnovers a nice brown, sparkly finish once baked. At this point, some like to add a little sugar to the top of the turnovers. This is a personal choice. I don’t usually do this though.
After the turnovers are assembled, I like to put them back into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour to make sure the dough is good a cold. You’ll get a more puffy pastry if the dough is baked from a cold state rather than at room temperature.
Finally, bake them in an oven preheated to 415 degrees for 15 minutes. Once finished baking, let them cool for about 15-30 minutes before serving.
