apple turnovers.

Following an event about a year ago, I invited friends and family over to our house for appetizers and dessert. Since the invitation was spur-of-the-moment and I only had an hour or so until they would be arriving, I had to quickly come up with a menu and throw it all together. The snacks were quite easy to put together (strawberries with balsalmic vinegar, cheese and crackers, fresh veggies, etc.), but the dessert was proving to be rather difficult to arrange. I had no butter, no eggs, a very tiny amount of granulated sugar, no chocolate, and no regular milk. I felt scattered and frustrated, not one idea popping up in my stressed-out mind.

And then there it was. The perfect recipe beaming at me from a source I had never thought to approach in the past: a can of Crisco. It contained all the right ingredients and really, who doesn't like a flaky pastry with sweet warm apple filling?

I know what you are probably thinking... come on, Crisco? Believe me, this is one of those never-fail, delicious recipes that you will end up making over and over again. And believe the fact that me, Alice, and my husband all managed to devour three each within a very small amount of time.







Apple Turnovers: Adapted from a Crisco recipe

Ingredients:

2 medium tart apples (I prefer Granny Smith), chopped into 1/2" cubes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening (I much prefer organic)
5 tablespoons ice water

For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk or soy milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Combine apples and water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Combine 1 tablespoon flour and 1 teaspoon sugar and stir this into the apple mixture. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter or margarine.
For the pastry, combine the 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or 2 knives until all the flour is blended to form pea-sized chunks. Sprinkle the ice water in one tablespoon at a time, tossing lightly with a fork until dough forms.
Flour a surface. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into about a 1/8" thickness. Use a butter tub-sized lid as a pattern. Cut about 6 circles from each half with a sharp knife. Place 1 tablespoon of apple filling on each dough circle. Moisten edges with water and fold in half over filling. Press with a fork all around to seal.
Place turnovers on baking sheet. Prick the tops a few times with the prongs of a fork. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Cool 10 minutes.

For glaze: Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Stir well. Spread over the warm turnovers.

Serve warm or cool.