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November 25, 2007

Apple Turnovers

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #25: Puff Pastry

tj's 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'm gonna use you cutting up the apples to make the filling

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:

apple filling

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.

egg wash on top

I put a little dollop of the apples in the center:

adding the filling

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.

egg washed

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.

4 little maids

There’s nothing better than the promise of some delicious pastry. Don’t you agree?

i'll take the one in front please

Look at that filling seep out!

seepage

Notice the buttery layers? I added a little sprinkling of sugar on top:

from the side

And here we have my breakfast this morning:

sunday morning breakfast

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!

  • Melisser

    Ooh, lovely! I made cinnamon-brown sugar apple slices this morning, not quite as fancy!

  • Tracy

    Thank you! It’s so easy to make those apples- I wondered why I don’t make them more often!

  • Mandy

    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.

  • Muffin

    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!

  • Bri

    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!

  • Tracy

    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?

  • Patricia Scarpin

    Tracy, these photos are so tempting – too bad I can’t grab one of these!

  • whitney

    These look so good! And I’m sure they were much quicker to make than a pie! 🙂

  • Tracy

    thanks for the inspiration whitney!!!

    patricia- working on a teleport machine…..will beam you one -one day!

  • Lauren

    These are beautiful! I can’t believe the crust came out of the freezer! Great photos, too.

  • Bri

    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?

  • Sheila

    Great pictures of a very yummy looking breakfast. I may have to go out for some puff pastry sheets today!

  • Tracy

    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.

  • Noelle

    How exactly did you saute the apples?

  • Tracy

    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?

  • G. Magidson

    Made these yesterday; sub’d Splenda for the sugar (DH is diabetic) – turned out wonderful! Must do again soon. Thanks!

  • adriana

    Tried your Artisan Puff Pastry step by step and it was a favorite..thanks now i make sure i always have apples…

    Adriana

  • Tracy

    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!

  • Daisyinfebruary

    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?

  • Tracy

    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!

  • Daisyinfebruary

    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!

  • Tracy

    oooh! enjoy!

  • Sarah

    Thank you – these are delicious! I appreciate you sharing your beautiful photos and recipes. This is the only blog I return to weekly, so thank you!

  • Tracy

    thank you sarah! that means so much to me xoxoxo

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