turned over

If you've ever longingly eyed a fruit-filled turnover at your local bakery and wished, "Man, I'd love to be able to make those at home!", good news! I'm here to teach you how it's done.

You'll need 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed out and flexible, but not totally limp. You'll also need a rather roomy work space, a rolling pin, a pizza cutter (or a knife), a sheet pan, and an oven.

Filling:
4-½ cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (4 medium)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-½ cups water
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

First, make the filling: In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a pot over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add apples and butter and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes, then roughly chop the apples into small pieces.

Now, to assemble the turnovers, flour your work space and roll the thawed puff pastry into a long rectangle (8 x 16 inches, give or take) and make eight (4 x 4-inch) squares:

Apply an egg wash to the top and right side each square:

Plop about two tablespoons of filling onto each square:

Fold the bottom left corner up to meet the top right corner, forming a triangle. Press the seams to seal them:

Make a slit in each turnover so steam can escape. Arrange on a baking sheet and egg wash the tops. Sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar:

Repeat these actions with the second sheet of pastry. (You'll probably have the filling left for other purposes.) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on a wire rack and top with a powdered sugar glaze if so inclined.

Voila! Now, instead of saying "It's as easy as pie!", you can say "It's as easy as a fruit-filled turnover!"