I love making these turnovers. It is best to use a combination of apples in your filling to create the best texture and flavor. Try a combo of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious, Rome or Jonathans. Just make sure they are of the firm, cooking apple variety. These are amazing fresh out of the oven so for entertaining, get them all ready and keep them in the refrigerator, ready to bake. They are still good the day after baking but you will find the pasty to be softer and less flaky. The recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine.
First, make the dough and chill:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 ounces cold cream cheese, pinched into small pieces
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
3-4 tablespoons ice water
In a food processor, combine the 2 flours, sugar, and salt and process until blended. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse 10-12 times until the butter is coated with the flour and is the size of small peas.
Combine the egg yolk with 3 tablespoons of the ice water. Pour this mixture through the feed tube and continue pulsing several times, until the dough just begins to clump together, but before it forms a ball on the blade. (Use the remaining 1 tablespoon ice water if the dough seems too dry)
Using floured hands, pat the dough into a ball, then press it into a 4×6 inch rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Dust the dough lightly with flour and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
To make the turnovers:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large apples, peeled, cored and cut in 1/4 inch dice (3 cups)
1/2 cup apple cider, or unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsweetened apple butter
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground allspice
cream cheese dough
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 cups of the diced apples and cook, stirring frequently, until the begin to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cider, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until the liquid is reduced and the apples appear almost dry but still retain their shape, about 5 minutes longer. Remove the skillet from the heat and sir in the apple butter, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves and allspice, along with the remaining cup of raw apples. Transfer the apple mixture to a medium bowl and refrigerate, uncovered, until cooled completely.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the cream cheese dough to an 18-20 inch rectangle, 1/16 inch thick. Using a 6 inch plate or bowl as a guide, cut out eight rounds as close together as possible. Gather and re-roll the dough then cut out 2 additional rounds.
Spoon the cooled apple filling on the lower half of each of the rounds. Lightly moisten the edges of the rounds with water and fold the dough over the filling to form semicircular turnovers. Press down on the edges to seal, first with your fingers and then with the times of a fork. Using the back of a small knife, press into the sealed edges a 1/2 inch intervals to create a scalloped effect. Transfer the turnovers to a heavy, parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Bake the turnovers in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Move them to the upper rack and bake for 8-10 minutes longer, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and he filling begins to bubble. Let cool on a rack.
Drizzle with a confectioner’s sugar glaze if desired:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanille
2 or more teaspoons water
Whisk together until glaze is a nice drizzling consistency Transfer to a zip lock sandwich bag and snip off a tiny piece of one corner and use this to pipe the glaze onto the turnovers.
