Mini Apple Turnovers

The successful apple turnover only requires one skill, really: stewing apples, which we’ll guide you through in due course. The contrast between the rich puff and the sharp tang of the apples is one that is quite unique to the turnover – the apples have none the buttery burntness that you find in a tarte tatin, for example.

Step 1

First, preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Line a baking tray with baking paper (non-stick greaseproof paper). You don’t need any additional grease.

Step 2

Peel and chop your apples into a small dice – about 1cm cubes (though I know they’ll never be cubes). Place them into a pan with 3 tablespoons of caster sugar and just a squeeze of lemon juice. Turn the heat to medium and begin to stew gently.

Step 3

Soften the apples for approximately 10-15 minutes, until the majority of them have broken down but there are still a few lumps left. Taste your apple mix and add more sugar and lemon juice as required, tasting as you go. Get it how you like it! When it’s done, remove from the heat and set aside until you need it.

Step 4

Unfurl your puff pastry (or roll it out to the thickness of a £1 if you can’t get ready-rolled), and cut into 12 roughly equal squares.

Step 5

In a wee cup, combine your egg and a pinch of salt and whisk this together with a fork to make an ‘egg wash’ – use this as both glue and glaze. Start by going round the edges of all your wee squares so that when you ‘turn them over’, they stick.

Step 6

Dollop a couple of heaped teaspoons into one of your squares, then bring two opposite corners together and pinch them shut. Work your way down, making it like a Cornish pasty shape, pinching the sides tight to seal. Repeat with the other 11 squares.

Step 7

Finally, glaze the tops with the rest of your egg wash, sprinkle some caster sugar on top for a sparkly finish and make two wee cuts in each to let any excess moisture out. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a deep golden brown and the pastry is crisp all the way around. Enjoy hot or cold.

Top Tip:

For a more wintery version of this bake, try adding a half-teaspoon of cinnamon to your stewing apples. Other spices also work well, including nutmeg, star anise, allspice and cloves. Handily, you can find most of these in “mixed spice” – a teaspoon is plenty.

Enjoy!