Flaky Apple Turnovers

I made these turnovers following Bakers' Banter and they were the best turnovers i ever made. I could not wait to bake this pastry and had to make some turnovers as soon as the pastry was ready. I did not have the ingredients for the raspberry filling but had some apples sitting on the counter,. so Apple Turnovers were baked and were so welcomed by everyone who tasted them , They were the flakiest ever, light and buttery. Please do refer to Bakers' Banter for step to step instructions.













Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup/8 ozs cold butter
1/2 cup/4 ozs sour cream

Filling

3 tablespoons Instant ClearJel® or cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen or apples - peeled and cut into cubes

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, to seal pastries (optional)

*If you use cornstarch, you'll want to dissolve it in cold water, rather than stir it into the sugar.


Method:

1) To make the crust: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.


2) Cut the cold butter into pats, and work it into the flour mixture till it's unevenly crumbly, with larger bits of butter remaining intact.


3) Stir in the sour cream. The dough will be craggy, but cohesive.


4) Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and bring it together, if necessary, with a few quick kneads.


5) Pat the dough into a rough square, then roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle.


6) Dust both sides of the dough with flour. Starting with one of the shorter (8") ends, fold it in thirds like a business letter, flip it over (so the open flap is on the bottom), and turn it 90°.


7) Roll the dough into an 8" x 10" rectangle again. Fold it in thirds, wrap in plastic, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) before using.


8) While the dough is chilling, make the filling. Mix the sugar and ClearJel till well combined. If you're using cornstarch, mix it with enough cold water to dissolve.


9) Add the sugar mixture to the raspberries, tossing to combine. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon (and the cornstarch/water mixture, if you're using cornstarch).


10) Heat the mixture in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring, till the berries soften and fall apart. The mixture will be thick and jam-like, even though it doesn't really warm up much; this will take under 5 minutes. If you use cornstarch, cook and stir till the mixture bubbles and thickens. You can prepare the filling up to several days before; cover and refrigerate till you're ready to use it.


11) You can also do this in a microwave; heat till the berries soften, then stir till they fall apart and the mixture thickens, like jam.


12) When you're ready to assemble the turnovers, preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the chilled dough into a 16" square. Cut sixteen 4" squares, for small, triangular turnovers. For round turnovers, use a turnover press to cut nine 4 1/2" rounds. Re-roll the dough scraps, and cut 4 or 5 additional rounds, as many as you can get out of the scraps.


13) If desired, for a tighter seal, brush two adjoining edges of each square (or half of each circle) with 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water.


14) Place about 2 teaspoons filling slightly off-center in each square. Or about 4 teaspoons slightly off-center of each round; a level tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.


15) Fold the turnovers in half. If you've cut the dough in squares, fold in half diagonally, to create triangular turnovers. Press the edges with a fork to seal.


16) Place the turnovers on a baking sheet, preferably one lined with parchment to catch any spills. Bake in the preheated 400°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're a deep, golden brown; you may see some of the filling beginning to ooze out.


17) Remove the turnovers from the oven, and cool on a rack.



Serve warm, or at room temperature.


Yield: about 16 triangular turnovers

Serves

Cornish Pasties

Making the shortcrust pastry for these pasties bring back fond memories. This is the first pastry that i learned to make when i was in school and i have always treasured the moments of these cookery classes, where we learned the technics of making goodies to eat and the beginning of a long culinary journey for me. My girlfriend, Nancy, who is visiting me at the moment, has been through thick and thin with me in the Convent, inspired me to make these as a remembrance of our friendship which started in 1952, the first day we attended Stantard One in The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, Seremban. We were classmates until we left school in 1962. Nancy is only one of the classmates who are all very dear to me. Christina, Alice, Florie, Lee Lan, Sang Meng, Nyong Nga,Cheng Mei, Maqgie, Joan and many more, if you all happen to read this, i missed you all.

My filling for these pasties is the leftover from the Corned Beef, Onion and Potatoes.

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups lard, chilled (3/4 lb) cut into ¼ inch cubes

8-10 tablespoons ice water

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

FILLING:

Corned Beef, Onions and Potatoes

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

To make pastry

Using the food processor, pulse together flour and salt, then add in the fat to make a coarse meal. Add 8 tablesppons ice water all at once. If dough crumbles, add more water. Refrigerate to rest one hour before rolling out.

Roll dough to a circle ¼ inch thick and cut into 6 inch rounds. Re-roll and scraps and cut into additional circles.

Put ¼ cup of the mixture into the center of a rolled out pastry.

Moisten pasty edges, fold in half, and crimp to seal. Place on a lined baking sheet and brush lightly with egg wash.

Make 2 slits in each pasty to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 400 degrees F 15 minutes, reduce heat and continue at 350 degrees F until golden.

Serve hot or cold.

Serves