The Ultimate Apple Turnover

*Any puff pastry would do the job. For this recipe though, I used the quick puff pastry method and it works brilliantly. This recipe yields 2 large apple turnover that would serve 4 people.

Lightly flour work surface. Split puff pastry paton in half; keep refrigerated. Roll out into 4 mm thick sheets and refrigerate until ready to use. Cut each sheet into a 9 inch/23 cm round. Save scraps for later use. Leftover puff pastry can be used for pie, flan, mille-feuille etc...

Wash, peel, core and cut apples into halves. Gather apples with cinnamon in a microwave safe container, cover and microwave apples for about 10 minutes on full blast. Check the doneness after 6 min though. Let stand a few minutes and carefully transfer mixture to a frying pan, add sugar and cook for 5 minutes or until most of the moisture has evaporated. Let cool and refrigerate prior to use. Apple sauce can be made a couple of days ahead. Apples can also be cooked in the oven – but it will take much longer in addition to consume more energy.

Wash, peel, quarter and core. Cut each quarter into 4 and cut into chunks. Heat up a large frying pan. Throw in apples along with sugar, vanilla (use vanilla from beans or extract or paste) and cinnamon. Cook on medium heat for about 25 minutes or until tender stirring every so often. Be aware that roasted apples should not end up caramelized. Add lemon juice and transfer apple mixture onto a tray to cool off. Refrigerate prior to use. Roasted apples can be made a day or 2 ahead.

Lightly flour work surface. With the rolling pin, gently flatten the center of the pastry round to create an ovale shape. Keep dough cool – do not hesitate to place pastry in the freezer for 10 min or so if it gets too soft. On one side of the pastry, spread 3.3 ounces/100g chilled green apple sauce and top with 7 ounces/200g chilled roasted apples. Brush out water around the edge of the pastry and enclose it. Chase air out and gently seal the dough. Refrigerate apple turnover and repeat with the second pastry.

For the egg wash, beat an egg with an egg yolk with a pinch of salt. Flip apple turnovers onto a baking tray lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. With a bamboo skewer, prick the pastry here and there. Press edges all around the pastry with the back of a paring knife. Egg wash and refrigerate for 10 min and repeat once. Score using the tip of a paring knife or a carving craft knife – go easy and do not cut through the pastry. Refrigerate apple turnover for at least 30 minutes prior to bake or for up to 48 hours. They can also be kept frozen for a couple of months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC (350ºF/180ºC if using a convection oven). Bake for about 40 min. Remove from the oven and increase temp to 550ºF/290ºC (500ºF/260ºC for convection oven). Immediately, dust powdered sugar return to the oven for 3 min or until most of the sugar melted away and forms a glossy and brown color. Remove from the oven and transfer apple turnovers onto a cooling rack. Enjoy!