I am particularly fond of the free-form turnover, since one can make it any size and shape, from mini to gargantua. Round is pretty, but either square or rectangular is more practical because it uses less dough and the leftovers are evenly shaped and therefore easily turned into decorations.
For 1 large turnover about 9 by 9 inches (23 x 23 cm), serving 6 to 8
Sweet pie dough (Pate brisée fine, sucrée)
- 1 ½ cups (215 g) all-purpose flour, unbleached preferred
- ½ cup (70 g) plain bleached cake flour
- 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces or 170 g) chilled unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons shortening
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 dL), more or less, iced water
Other ingredients for the turnover
- 4 to 5 apples that will keep their shape in cooking, such as Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Newton, Monroe, Northern Spy
- 3 tablespoon or more sugar
- ½ teaspoon, more or less, powdered cinnamon (optional)
- The grated rind and the juice of ½ lemon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon or more melted butter
- Egg glaze (1 egg beaten in a cup with 1 teaspoon water)
The dough
Of course you can make the dough by hand or in an electric mixer, but the food processor is sensationally fast and foolproof using these proportions. Proceed as follows: With metal blade in place, measure the flours into the bowl of the machine, cut the butter rapidly into pieces the size of your little-finger joint, and drop into the flour, along with the sugar shortening, and salt. Using the on-off flick technique lasting ½ second, press 7 to 8 flicks, just to start breaking up the butter.
Then, with water poised over opening of machine, turn it on and pour in all but 1 tablespoon of the iced water. Process in spurts, on and off, just until dough begins to mass together but is still rough with some unformed bits. Turn it out onto your work surface and mass together rapidly with the heel of one hand into a somewhat rough cake. (Dough should be pliable — neither dry and hard nor, on the other hand, sticky. Pat in sprinkles more of all-purpose flour if sticky; cut into pieces and sprinkle on droplets more water if dry and hard, then re-form into a cake). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour, to congeal the butter in the dough so that it will roll easily, and to allow the flour particles to absorb the water so that it will handle nicely and bake properly.
May be made 2 or 3 days in advance and refrigerated — but if you have used unbleached flour it will gradually turn grayish; it can still be baked at that point if only mildly discolored since it will whiten in the oven. Or freeze the dough, which is the best plan when you want to have ready dough available; defrost at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator — dough should be cold and firm for easy rolling.
The apples
Quarter, core, and peel the apples, then cut into thinnish lengthwise slices. Toss in a mixing bowl with sugar and optional cinnamon and lemon rind and juice. Cover with plastic wrap and let macerate for 20 minutes or longer, so that apples will exude their excess juices.
Forming the turnover
(Always work rapidly from here on to prevent the dough from softening; if it becomes difficult to handle, refrigerate it at once for 20 minutes or so, then continue). Roll the chilled dough into a rectangle 20 inches long, and 10 inches wide (50 x 25 cm) and trim off the edges with a pastry wheel or a knife — refrigerate trimmings for decorations later.
Lightly flour surface of dough, fold in half end to end, and center on the buttered pastry sheet. Place a piece of wax paper at edge of fold, and unfold top of dough onto paper. Paint a border of cold water around the 3 edges of the bottom piece and pile the apples onto it, leaving a ¾-inch (2-centimeter) border free at the 3 edges. Sprinkle on more sugar, and a tablespoon or so of melted butter. Flip top of dough over onto the apples, and press edges firmly together, to seal. Turn up the 3 edges all around, then press a design into them (to seal further) with the tines of a table fork and, if you wish, press a decorative edging all around those sides with the back of a knife.
If you have time, it is a good idea at this point to refrigerate the turnover (covered lightly with plastic wrap) for half an hour (or for several hours); it will bake more evenly when the dough has had time to relax, and you, in turn, will have time to turn your leftover bits of dough into a mock puff pastry which will rise into a splendid design.
Mock puff pastry decorations
(For massed scraps about the size of a half tennis ball)
Knead leftover raw pastry scraps briefly into a cake, roll into a rectangle, and spread 1 teaspoon of butter down two-thirds of its length. Fold into 3 as though folding a business letter; repeat with another roll and fold (but omit butter) 2 more times. For the simple decorations I used on this turnover, roll out again into a rectangle about 10 inches (25 centimeters) wide. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
Decorating and baking the turnover
Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Paint top of turnover lightly with cold water. To simulate wrapping ribbon for your turnover “parcel,” crisscross 2 strips of dough, laying them from corner to corner, lay 1 crosswise from top to bottom, and a final one horizontally. Loop the final strip into a loose knot and place on top. Pierce 2 steam holes 1/16 inch (¼ centimeter) in diameter in top of dough with the point of a knife, going down through the dough to the apples. Paint top of dough and decorations with a coating of egg glaze, wait a moment, and paint on another coat. (Egg glaze goes on just the moment before baking). Make crosshatchings in the glaze with the back of a knife or the tines of a table fork to give it a more interesting texture when baked.
Set turnover in the middle level of preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, then check to see if it is browning too much. It bakes 35 to 40 minutes in all and does best at high heat so the pastry will crisp; if it seems to be cooking too fast, turn oven down a little and/or cover top of turnover loosely with foil. It is done when bottom has browned nicely and when juices begin to bubble out of steam holes.
Remove from oven and slide it out onto a rack. Serve hot, warm, or cold. You may wish to accompany the turnover with vanilla ice cream, fresh cream, lightly whipped and sweetened cream, or custard sauce.
Remarks:
Other sizes, other fillings
You can, of course, make turnovers any size and shape you wish, and you can use all sorts of fillings as long as they are not too juicy. Always macerate fresh fruit first with sugar and lemon to force out their excess juices, and a very juicy fruit should first be cooked. Canned fruits or jams bake well in turnovers, as do all sorts of dried nut and fruit mixtures.
Child, J. (1974). Journal, 1974. [Unpublished journal]. Papers of Julia Child, 1925-1993(MC 644, item 53). Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute.