All-American Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
pastry dough, (we used frozen puff pastry, defrosted 2 hours)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large apples (about 1-1//2 pounds); peeled, cored and cut in chunks ( 3Cups)
1/2 Cup apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1/4 Cup unsweetened apple butter
2 Tablespoons dried currants (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon zest; finely grated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 pinch ground cloves; (optional)
1 pinch ground allspice; (optional)
Cooking Instructions
1.Melt butter in a large nonreactive skillet over moderately high heat. Add 2 cups of diced apples and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in cider, sugar, lemon juice and salt; reduce 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 skillet from heat and stir in apple butter, currants, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves and allspice, along with remaining 1 cup of raw chopped apple. Transfer apple mixture to a medium bowl and refrigerate, uncovered, till cooled completely.
2.On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry dough to an 18×20″ rectangle, 1/16th inch thick. Using a 6″ plate or bowl as a guide, cut out eight, 6″rounds as close together as possible. Gather and reroll the dough scraps, then cut out 2 additional rounds.
3.Spoon the cooled apple filling on the lower half of each of the rounds.
4.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, then with the tines of a fork. Using back of a small knife, press into sealed edges at 1/2-inch intervals to create a scalloped effect. Transfer turnovers to a heavy baking sheet and refrigerate at least 15 minutes.
5.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush turnovers with egg wash. Using a sharp knife, cut 2 small slits in top of each turnover to vent steam.
6.Bake turnovers in middle of oven for 10 minutes. Move them to the upper rack and bake for 8-10 minutes longer, or until pastry is a deep golden brown and filling begins to bubble. Let cool on rack.
7.Glaze with a thick mixture of powdered sugar and milk, drizzled over the top of each cooled turnover.
10 servings.
My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalms 42:3)