Bon Appetit Desserts (75 page)

Chaussons aux Pommes (French Apple Turnovers)

To make this French version of the apple turnover, look for all-butter frozen puff pastry, available in the freezer section of specialty foods stores and at Trader Joe’s markets.
Makes 8

¾ pound Granny Smith apples

¾ pound Golden Delicious apples

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons sugar

¾ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 14- to 16-ounce package all-butter frozen puff pastry (1 or 2 sheets, depending on brand), thawed

1 large egg, beaten to blend

Superfine sugar (optional)

Peel, core, and cut apples into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups). Place apples in medium saucepan; add ¼ cup water, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until apples are very tender, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently mash apples with fork or potato masher until mixture is very soft but still chunky. Cool completely.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

If using 14-ounce package (1 sheet) of pastry, roll out on lightly floured surface to 15-inch square. If using 16-ounce package (2 sheets), stack sheets together and roll out on lightly floured surface to 15-inch square. Cut pastry into nine 5-inch squares.

Place 1 generous tablespoon filling in center of each of 8 squares (reserve remaining square for another use). Lightly brush edges of 1 pastry with beaten egg. Fold half of pastry square over filling, forming triangle. Press and pinch pastry edges with fingertips to seal tightly. Lightly brush pastry with beaten egg. Sprinkle lightly with superfine sugar, if desired. Repeat with remaining pastry squares. Using thin, sharp knife, make 3 small slits on top of each triangle to allow steam to escape. Place triangles on prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake turnovers until beginning to color, about 15 minutes. Reverse baking sheets from top to bottom. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; continue baking until turnovers are firm and golden, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pear and Amaretti Turnovers

These clever “turnovers” are actually pear-shaped pastries—each with an almond-sliver stem—filled with ripe, brandy-soaked pear slices and crushed almond-flavored amaretti cookies. The cookies are available at some supermarkets and at Italian markets. Serve the turnovers with grapes, apples, and figs alongside.
Makes 6

2 ripe Bartlett pears (about 7 ounces each), peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, cut into ⅛- to ¼-inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brandy

1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

6 tablespoons crushed amaretti cookies (Italian macaroons; from about 10 cookies)

6 blanched almond slivers

1 large egg, beaten to blend

Combine pears, sugar, and brandy in large bowl. Toss to coat.

Draw one 4×4-inch pear shape and one 4 ½×4 ½-inch pear shape on parchment paper. Using scissors, cut out shapes.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Using 4×4-inch parchment template, cut out 6 pear shapes from pastry. Transfer pear-shaped pastries to baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Sprinkle half of crushed cookies over pastries, leaving ½-inch plain border. Arrange pear slices over crushed cookies. Sprinkle remaining cookies over pears.

Roll out second pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 14 ½-inch square. Using 4 ½×4 ½-inch parchment template, cut out 6 pear shapes from pastry. Brush plain edges of crusts on baking sheet with water. Arrange larger pear-shaped pastries atop pears [1], pressing pastry edges together to adhere. Press edges with fork to seal [2]. Using skewer, poke small hole in top of each turnover to allow steam to escape. Press 1 almond sliver in tip of each turnover to represent stem. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush turnovers with egg. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Sweet-and-Sour Cherry Turnovers with Goat Cheese Cream

Fresh sour cherries are not only more fragile than sweet ones, but they also have a very short season, which means they can be hard to find. Frozen sour cherries can be found online at
apples-cherries.com
. If you can’t locate them, just double the amount of sweet cherries and increase the lemon juice to 1½ tablespoons. Raw sugar, also called turbinado or demerara sugar, is available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores.
Makes 6

1½ cups pitted fresh dark sweet cherries or frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed

1½ cups pitted fresh sour cherries or frozen sour cherries, thawed

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream

3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 2-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

1 large egg, beaten to blend

2 tablespoons raw sugar

FILLING
: Combine sweet cherries and sour cherries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla in medium saucepan; toss to coat. Let cherry mixture stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Stir gently over medium-high heat until mixture boils and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Cool cherry filling completely.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

GOAT CHEESE CREAM
: Combine heavy cream, goat cheese, and powdered sugar in medium bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for another use). Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is smooth and peaks form (do not overbeat or mixture may curdle).

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Rewhisk just until thick and smooth before using.

TURNOVERS
: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet on lightly floured work surface to 11½-inch square. Cut into 4 equal squares. Repeat with second puff pastry sheet.

Arrange 6 pastry squares like diamonds on work surface, spacing apart (reserve remaining 2 squares puff pastry for another use). Place ⅙ of cherry filling in center of lower half of each pastry diamond. Brush edges of pastry with beaten egg. Fold top half of pastry over filling on lower half, forming triangle. Press firmly on pastry edges to adhere, then fold edges over, enclosing filling completely and creating double edges; press with fork to seal.

Place turnovers on large rimmed baking sheet, spacing 2 to 3 inches apart. Using tines of fork, pierce top crust of each turnover in 3 places to allow steam to escape during baking. Brush tops and edges of turnovers with beaten egg; sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake turnovers until crust is golden and filling is bubbling thickly through steam holes in crust, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve turnovers warm or at room temperature with goat cheese cream.

Golden Delicious Apple Tart

For this pretty tart, a custardy filling is topped with sautéed apple slices. Golden Delicious apples are a good choice for baking because they retain their shape when cooked. Since this crust gets pressed into the pan instead of being rolled out, its wonderful for the beginning baker.
8 servings