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Makes 7–8 turnoversDifficulty:
Intermediate
I love making these tasty turnovers, and the smell when they’re baking is so irresistible. This pastry recipe is simply the best; I love it! It’s easy, but a bit time-consuming, and for that reason I like to make a large batch (I usually triple this recipe) and freeze it in blocks. Then all you need to do is defrost, roll, make and bake.
I do make these quite a lot with different fillings such as forced pink rhubarb, cherry, raspberry, apricot and plum. When I make the raspberry and rhubarb ones I do not cook the fruits, all I do is add a teaspoon of raspberry jam in the centre of each piece of pastry, then arrange the prepared fruit and cream cheese on top. The baking time is enough to cook the fruits to perfection and the jam adds a dash of sweetness. Delicious!
These turnovers are perfect for picnics, afternoon teas, packed lunches and even breakfast, or try them served warm as a pudding with plenty of custard or pouring cream.
Ingredients & Method
For the filling
- 25g unsalted butter
- 400g (prepared weight) eating apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out (optional)
- juice of ½ lemon
- 7–8 teaspoons full-fat cream cheese
For the cream cheese pastry
- 175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 175g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
- 175g full-fat cream cheese
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
The filling is best made and chilled before using, so make this before the pastry. For the filling, place the butter and half of the apples in a saucepan, add the caster sugar and vanilla seeds and stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the apples and the lemon juice, then transfer to a container, leave to cool, then chill.
Meanwhile, for the pastry, place the flour, butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs; do not overwork the dough – if the butter is still in large flecks, then that is good. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, push it all together (do not knead), then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle, rolling in one direction away from you. Fold the pastry into three like an envelope, give the pastry a quarter turn clockwise so the folded edges are at the side, then roll again and repeat the process four times, turning and rolling in the same direction each time.
Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, before repeating the rolling and folding process again (you will roll and fold the dough 10 times in total), then chill for a further 20–30 minutes.
Once the dough is chilled and ready to use, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to 4mm thickness, then cut into 7–8 x 12cm squares. Place the pastry squares on non-stick baking paper on a plate or tray and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
To make the turnovers, line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper and set aside. Place the chilled pastry squares on a clean work surface and brush the edges of each square with egg yolk using a pastry brush. Spoon a generous amount of the chilled apple filling in the centre of each square, then place a teaspoon of cream cheese on top of the apple filling.
For each turnover, bring one corner of the pastry square over to the opposite corner to make a triangle. Press and crimp the open sides together, then place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat to make 7–8 turnovers. Lightly slash the top of each turnover several times using a sharp knife, if you like.
Brush the turnovers with the remaining egg yolk and then generously dust with the granulated sugar. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes while the oven is preheating to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Bake the turnovers in the oven for 22–25 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven, transfer the turnovers to a wire rack and leave to cool for 20 minutes before serving.