Friday, October 9, 2009

It's like holding autumn in the palm of your hand. And then cramming it in your mouth. While moaning in ecstasy.

Cheddar cheese on apple pie; you either love it or you hate it. The rest of my family thinks it's really weird, but my mom and I just can't get enough of that glorious combination.

Fortunately for me Mama Xanax has a few trees, and she always shares. Golden Delicious apples are ripe right now - perfect for pies topped with thick slices of extra sharp cheddar, which was what I was planning to make last night. Then I saw this recipe over at Bon Appetit and just had to try it. If you're one of those that loves a little cheddar with your apple, you should too. And if you're one of those who's never tried it but thinks it sounds a little weird, these will win you over. These apple turnovers are quick, easy and really delicious. Here we go:


2 medium Golden Delicious apples, peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used three because they were small apples.)
1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Pinch of salt
1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water to blend (for glaze)
Sugar (Oops - I left the sugar out of the picture. Pretend there's a bowl of chunky raw sugar sitting next to the apples.)






Take the first six ingredients and mix them together in a bowl. Isn't that lovely? A perfect marriage of fruits and nuts with some sharpness thrown in for flavor - kinda like the comments section at the Humboldt Herald.



Then take your thawed sheets of puff pastry and use something round, like this small dish, to cut four circles out of each sheet. Place the rounds on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.





Then spoon the filling onto half of the rounds.



Make an egg wash by beating an egg with a little water.



Brush a little bit of the wash around the edges of the rounds and fold over. Then use the tines of a fork to seal it tightly and make it look pretty.



Cut a couple of small slits in the top, brush the tops with more egg wash and sprinkle on the sugar.




Mmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmmm. See how my turnovers are bursting open at the seams and spilling out everywhere? This is because I filled them too full as I'm just a more-is-better kind of girl. I'm sure you'll be completely cautious and frugal with your filling.



Enjoy!

UPDATE: Some sweet jackass who really knows how to grate my cheese noticed that I didn't give any baking info. Sorry! Bake them at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove them with a spatula onto a wire rack as soon as they come out of the oven, otherwise they'll stick.

17 comments:

Heraldo said...

That looks delicious! But what exactly is puff pastry? Does it have high fructose corn syrup?

Anonymous said...

Cheddar? Nah Nacho Cheese? Now, we're talkin'

Anonymous said...

Dang, that was me....

Ekovox

mresquan said...

Do they bake themselves naturally?And those are some nice big hands there shredding that cheese.I'm sure you like licking those fingers clean....MmmmmHmmm....

Kristabel said...

blush

Oops. Thanks for the catch. xo

Kristabel said...

Heraldo...you can buy puff pastry dough in the freezer section. This Pepperidge Farm brand does have it. Ick. I never even thought to check. But I bet there are other brands that don't. Or you can just make your own, but then they won't be nearly as quick and easy. xo

Kristabel said...

And Eko. Ick. Just ick.

Bumblebee said...

They sounded divine when you mentioned them today, now that I have visuals, I can't believe you left them at home and didn't bring me any! Sniff

Addicted to Veggies said...

Way to go! Oh, how I miss apples and cheese. I've seen recipes for apple pies with cheese & bacon in the pie crust, but I like your little turn-over idea. I'm so glad Autumn is here! Nothing beats the beautiful season produce we get in this area.

Addicted to Veggies said...

"seasonal" produce. :)

Lefty said...

Wow,I'm going to the store.

Lefty said...

They turned out great!! Thanx for the excellent recipe. I didn't have cranberries, substituted raisins. Had one warm, the rest cold.Cold is better in my not so humble opinion.

Kristabel said...

Lefty...I'm so excited you tried the recipe (and really glad you liked it.) I liked 'em better cold as well. xo

Lefty said...

I found way to use the extra filling yesterday morning. It made for a great omelette, and, no corn syrup Heraldo!

Joel Mielke said...

Unlike cheddar, nacho cheese is a "food product."
I'm sure that Ekovox already knew that.

Anonymous said...

I made these for my Mom who is terminally ill and she LOVED them! Thanks for the recipe.

Kristabel said...

I'm glad, anonymous. And sorry about your mom. xo