Apple Turnovers

A heavy bout of nostalgia has come over me, dear reader. I can’t help but reminisce about a beautiful little land that I called home for just a little while.

In the Netherlands, the Winter wind is so ruthless that it cuts through you without mercy. There are aged, red, pudgy cobbled streets winding through every city’s Centrum. Fields of world famous tulips grow in the Spring, and create an alluring array of colors on the otherwise flat emerald green landscape.

Amsterdam Centrum

Countless canals scattered everywhere...

Gennepper Park-Eindhoven

 ...art so legendary, that when in its presence, one thinks it to be counterfeit...

Vermeer's Girl with Pearl Earring-A calendar I purchased this past summer at Mauritshuis gallery in the Hague

...hand made coral colored cheeses so sharp and pungent that I dare say were keenly painful at first bite yet more addicting than anything else I have ever tried

…and gooey, spongy Appleflappen or Apple Turnovers. Tart, acidic Granny Smith apples mixed with full-of-depth cinnamon, and wrapped in a cocoon of feathery light puff pastry, a heavenly union. In Holland, you find this in every bakkerij, as it is a favorite among the masses. However, you should hurry, because they are baked fresh each morning in limited quantities.

In an attempt to echo the delightful dessert, I found Ina Garten’s recipe. I have changed several ingredients to suite my own palate, feel free to do the same for your own pleasure.

3 Granny Smith Apples

2 tblsp lemon juice

3 tblsp raisins

4 tblsp sugar plus more for sprinkling

1 tblsp flour

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 pkg (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg beaten for egg wash

For Sprinkling:

1 tblsp sugar

½ tbslp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Peel and core the apples

Cut them in ½ inch cubes

In a large bowl, add the apples, lemon juice, raisins, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss well

Roll each sheet of puff pastry to 12 by 12 inch square

Cut each sheet into 4 smaller squares

Brush edges with egg wash

Place 1/3 cup of apple mixture on half of square

Fold diagonally and seal by pressing edges with a fork

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper

Place turnovers gently in the sheet pan

Brush their tops with egg wash

Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture

Cut 2 slits on top

Bake for 20-23 minutes until brown and puffed

Serve warm or cold