Artisan Puff Pastry
Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #25: Puff Pastry
I spent the first half hour after I woke up staring at this post from Ugly Green Chair. If only I could have reached right into my computer and taken a bite! While the husband was sleeping, I decided to wake him up with the perfumey smells of apple turnovers being baked in our kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration Whitney!
I chopped up three apples into little bits:
I sauteed them in a tablespoon of butter, a few dashes of cinnamon, a bit fresh squeezed orange juice and a little bit of sugar:
I took the puff pastry sheets out of the freezer, and let them sit on the counter for about 10 minutes so I could pull apart 1 sheet to make 4 turnovers. After the chill was gone, I cut one sheet into 4 little squares and spread some egg wash (just 1 egg beaten) on top of each little square.
I put a little dollop of the apples in the center:
I folded over the sides and scrunched it over with my fingers.
I added some more egg wash on top & cut a little hole at the top so it wouldn’t explode in the oven.
I put them in the oven on a cookie sheet line with parchment and baked them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Here they are after those 15 minutes. I was so anxious to try one- it felt like half a lifetime.
There’s nothing better than the promise of some delicious pastry. Don’t you agree?
Look at that filling seep out!
Notice the buttery layers? I added a little sprinkling of sugar on top:
And here we have my breakfast this morning:
I’m so glad that Trader Joe’s sells Puff Pastry! It was so easy to make a wonderful breakfast this morning out of things that I already had in the kitchen!
November 26th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Ooh, lovely! I made cinnamon-brown sugar apple slices this morning, not quite as fancy!
November 26th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Thank you! It’s so easy to make those apples- I wondered why I don’t make them more often!
November 26th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
how exciting. I have the same pack of puff pastry from TJ waiting to be transform into something gorgeous. Your apple turnover looks absolutely delicious.
November 26th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
These look truly devine!
I totally need to get me some puff pastry. I keep forgetting it while I’m at the store. I want hot and fresh apple turnovers too!
November 26th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Ooooo, these look so tasty! I love Trader Joe’s puff pastry. It’s such a treat that they sell puff pastry and pie crusts that are not only incredibly easy, AND tasty, but also made with good stuff. No hydrogenated, unpronouncable junk. Yum, thanks for the inspiration!
November 26th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Mandy- Thank you! They were pretty darn good!
Muffin: But a few- they last for a few months! They are good to have in your freezer!
Bri: You’re welcome! I was pretty amazed how simple/delicious they were. What do you use the puff pastry with?
November 27th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Tracy, these photos are so tempting - too bad I can’t grab one of these!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
These look so good! And I’m sure they were much quicker to make than a pie! :)
November 27th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
thanks for the inspiration whitney!!!
patricia- working on a teleport machine…..will beam you one -one day!
November 28th, 2007 at 5:48 am
These are beautiful! I can’t believe the crust came out of the freezer! Great photos, too.
November 28th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Tracy, I haven’t experimented too much with it, but I did fill some with fresh peach and soft cheese over the summer. YUM! Plus, just baking up little squares and topping them with lemon curd is awesome. A dear friend of mine mixes horseradish with cream cheese and fills the puff pastry with a dollop of that, and a little piece of steamed asparagus. There are just so many sweet and savory choices. But, I love your little hand held apple pie idea. I need to try that. Maybe with a tiny square of cheddar cheese too?
November 29th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Great pictures of a very yummy looking breakfast. I may have to go out for some puff pastry sheets today!
November 29th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Bri- What good ideas! Especially the horseradish & asparagus. I’m gonna have to try that! You are totally right about the cheddar cheese. Maybe if I do an extra workout this week, I’ll make that for breakfast this weekend! ha
Sheila- Thank you! You should go out and buy some now!
Lauren- Thank you! It was so easy to work with- just make sure it warms up a little so you can separate the layers.
December 1st, 2007 at 1:38 pm
How exactly did you saute the apples?
December 1st, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Joelle- Melt about a tablespoon of butter. Add the apples, and stir them in the butter to coat. The heat should be medium. Add the cinnamon and cook until they turn soft. When you bite into one it should be still be intact- but very soft to bite through. Does that help?
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Made these yesterday; sub’d Splenda for the sugar (DH is diabetic) - turned out wonderful! Must do again soon. Thanks!
January 16th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Tried your Artisan Puff Pastry step by step and it was a favorite..thanks now i make sure i always have apples…
Adriana
January 17th, 2008 at 9:07 am
G.- I’ll have to try Splenda sometime! My dad would love it then!
Adriana- So glad you tried! It’s pretty simple huh? I don’t know why I didn’t experiment sooner!
April 15th, 2008 at 6:00 am
I made these for my in-laws yesterday. My husband said they were awesome! I thought that my pastry did not puff enough, though. I had it in the freezer for a few months-is that Why?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:37 am
i found this online for you–
If your puff pastry does not rise enough during baking, it may be because your oven is not hot enough. Since steam is what puffs up the pastry, the oven needs to be very hot; it should be about 425 degrees, and certainly not below 375 degrees.
Inadequate rising may also be caused by layers squishing together and forming seals that are too compressed to allow for puffing up. The layers need to be unstuck from one another, so use caution when cutting them into shapes before baking. For the same reason, keep any egg or milk wash you may use from the pastry’s sides, or else it will stick them together.
hope that helps!
April 18th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Yes! I did use the egg wash ALL OVER them-so that was probably it. Anyway, my daughter is coming in from Boston this weekend and I am going to make them again! This time I will know better….Thank you so much!
April 18th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
oooh! enjoy!