Cherry Turnovers the Old Fashioned Way

Cherry turnovers are easier to make than you might think. And not just cherry, but any variety. YUM! I love pies and pastries. I prefer them to rich desserts and cakes, hands down. I remember making homemade puff pastry years ago and having great results.

 So I decided to try my hand at it again but had the hardest time finding a cherry turnover recipe that was from SCRATCH. Not using store bought puff pastry, bread stick dough, or crescent rolls. Those are tasty substitutions too, but just aren't the same. I never did find one so I searched for a puff pastry recipe since I no longer have the recipe book that I used last time.

 Thanks to Emeril, I found a recipe very similar and it worked out perfectly!

Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe.
The recipe called for cake flour and all-purpose flour. I just used the all-purpose flour since it is what I had and it worked out perfectly.

Puff pastry is easy to make, but not QUICK. It takes time since it needs to be refrigerated in between rolling it out and folding it.  I made this on a day that I was home and doing laundry etc. I'd take a couple of minutes to roll my dough out, fold it, wrap it up in plastic wrap and stick it back in the refrigerator for an hour or two and then do it again, and again. It really was easy. I promise.

When the dough was done, I rolled it out 1/4" thick and cut it (using a pizza cutter) into 6-7" squares. I put a tablespoon of filling in the center, then folded the square in half to form a triangle. I dipped my finger in water and ran it along the seam and pressed to close. Then I brushed the tops with an egg wash (1 egg white with 2 T. water) and sprinkled with sugar.

I baked them @ 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden.

You have to try making pastries like this from scratch at least once to taste the difference. And believe me, it's there!

One batch of puff pastry dough and 1 can of "No Sugar Added" Cherry pie filling made 20 turnovers.

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Homemade Puff Pastry

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, about 12 ounces
• 2/3 cup cake flour, about 2 ounces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter (3 1/4 sticks)
• 1 cup ice water, plus more as needed

Directions

Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Dice 6 tablespoons of the chilled butter, returning the remaining butter to the refrigerator to keep cold. Place the diced butter into the mixing bowl and using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend until the mixture forms a coarse meal, similar to a piecrust. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the water. Use a rubber spatula to gradually blend the water with the flour mixture, mixing just until a rough, sticky dough is formed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place the remaining butter on a work surface, (a marble surface is ideal). Using a rolling pin or the heal of your hand, smash the butter into the surface until pliable, taking care not to over work the butter as it should stay chilled. Work butter into a 5-inch square.
Remove the rested dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle, being careful not to pull or tear the dough. (The dough mixture may still be very rough and tacky.) Place the butter square into the center of the circle and fold the edges of the dough over the butter, pressing to seal the edges. You should now have a square of butter wrapped in dough.
Using a rolling pin, roll the square into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle. (The dough may need to be pounded with the rolling pin several times to allow the butter to become more pliable.) Be careful not to tear the dough. Fold the rectangle 3 times as you would fold a business letter. Place the rectangle in front of you lengthwise and roll into another 16 by 8-inch rectangle. Fold again 3 times as you would a business letter and make 2 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled twice. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Return the rested dough to a lightly floured surface and repeat the process of rolling the dough into a rectangle, making 3 business-letter folds, 2 times. Make 4 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled a total of 4 times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If desired, dough can rest refrigerated for up to 2 days at this point.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle and fold 3 times, similar to a business letter. Repeat process and make 6 small indentations into the dough. Wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Now the pastry is ready to be rolled and used in the desired puff pastry recipe.