apple turnovers

This will be a nostalgic sight to some.

I was feeling a little low today. However, a good rummage through charity shops hunting for photo props followed by a stroll through the marketplace nibbling pretzels, ice cream and prawn tempura later, and my temporarily boyfriendless state (just for the weekend while he paddles about a beach with his family) faded to an insignificant detail. I hate to admit it, but shopping therapy works and it is amazing what a little sugar and fat in the bloodstream can do. The final perk of the day are these apple turnovers, enjoyed while sprawled over the grass, amongst the daises with my kindle. Cheerfulness reigns once more. No matter that in my haste to tuck into my bubbling hot turnover I locked myself out of the flat, and no matter the sticky fingers as I abandoned cutlery, grabbed the turnover and crammed it into my mouth, kindle forgotten.

I am not sure if it is just me, but delicate and dainty cakes just don't seem to illicit this kind of response from me. Yes, they are pretty, tasty, and I will happily admire them while taking my time with the (amateur) photography. But drop an oven-hot pastry in front of me and everything transforms into a hasty blur (sorry for the poor photo, this was me rushing) until I finally get to gulp it down. Then, satiation levels simply pop the ceiling. Look at how puffy it is! In the old days, I used to make and sell them at college using pre-made puff pastry. I thought them good. How young and naive I was. But now, with homemade buttery puff pastry...swoon!

Below is the apple filling recipe I use (for everything: pies, turnovers, crumbles etc.). Really, they are just guidelines and always adjusted according to the sweetness and juiciness of the apples. It all comes down to frying the applies in butter, letting them stew out their juices and adding sugar and cornflour to taste and consistency. In the case of apple turnovers, I don't want the filling to be too watery in fear of soggy leaking pastries so I use a lot of cornflour. If it were for a crumble (with no pie shell), I would use less cornflour and probably throw in a few raisins, which will swell to succulent proportions.

APPLE FILLING RECIPE (enough for 10* 13cm by 13cm turnovers)

6 granny smith apples	120g sugar
60g butter	25g cornflour
ground cinnamon	lemon juice

• Melt the butter in a pan and when hot, drop in the diced apples.
• Fry the apples in the butter, making sure all the apples are coated.
• As the juices of the apples collect, add the sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice (all mostly to taste).
• Mix the cornflour into cold water.
• When the apples are almost cooked through (still want discernible chunks in the filling), with slightly translucent edges, add half the cornflour liquid to the apples and continue to bubble until it thickens and the flour is completely cooked out (add the remaining cornflour liquid depending on how you prefer the filling).