Apple Turnovers

Makes: 18

Time: About 45 minutes, plus time to chill

These little pockets combine the familiar flavors of apple pie with the shattering, buttery crust of puff pastry. There’s lots of room to tinker: Try a different citrus, change up the spices, or use a different filling entirely—see the variations.

1.Peel and core the apples. Grate them in a food processor or on the coarse side of a box grater or finely chop them. Immediately toss them with the lemon juice, then add the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and spices. Taste and add more lemon zest or cinnamon if you like.

2. Coat a work surface with sugar and roll the dough into a rectangle about 24 × 12 inches (it should be less than ¼ inch thick). Lightly sprinkle sugar over the top of the dough and cut it into 4-inch squares.

3. Put a heaping tablespoon of the apple filling in the center of each square. Beat the egg in a bowl with 1 tablespoon water; brush this along the edges of 2 adjacent sides of each pastry, then fold the unwashed edges diagonally over the filling to form a triangle. Press gently or pinch to seal and, if you like, use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges. Brush the tops with more of the egg wash and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Slash the top of each turnover with a paring knife so that steam can escape. Arrange the turnovers about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

4. Heat the oven to 400°F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store for a day in an airtight container.

BLUEBERRY (OR ANY BERRY) TURNOVERS Use 1½ cups fresh or thawed frozen berries; chop strawberries; leave others whole.

PEACH TURNOVERS Plums and pears are also excellent here: Switch the apples for 1½ cups sliced peaches. Omit the cinnamon and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or, better yet, the seeds from a vanilla bean).

APPLE-CHEDDAR TURNOVERS If you’ve never had this combination, it may seem strange, but apple and sharp cheddar cheese are perfect together: Leave out the lemon, spices, and sugar (don’t coat your work surface with sugar either). Combine the apple and cornstarch with 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese; if you like, add 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves. Lightly flour the pastry as needed when you roll it out.

CARAMEL APPLE TURNOVERS Leave the sugar out of the apple mixture and use just a scant tablespoon to fill each square of dough. Top the filling with 2 teaspoons Caramel Sauce.

CHERRY-CHOCOLATE TURNOVERS Pockets of melted chocolate soften the cherries’ sweet-tartness: Instead of apples, chop 1 pound pitted fresh cherries or use 1½ cups thawed frozen cherries. Chop 4 ounces dark chocolate and add it to the filling along with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; skip the spices if you wish.

PASTELITOS These Cuban pastries have a cream filling similar to that of a Cheese Danish that’s studded with tangy guava paste; look for it in the Latin-American aisle or online: In place of the apple filling, beat 6 ounces softened cream cheese with ¼ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 1 egg yolk. Cut 8 ounces guava paste into small cubes and fold them into the cream cheese mixture.

JÉSUITES Almond pastries named for the triangular hats worn by Jesuit priests: Combine ⅔ cup toasted blanched almonds and ⅓ cup sugar in a food processor and chop until they’re finely ground. Pulse in 1 egg, 5 tablespoons butter, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour until you have a paste. Substitute this for the apple filling, distributing the filling evenly among the puff pastry squares.

Making Palmiers

STEP 1
Roll out a sheet of puff pastry dough on a sugar-dusted surface until it is about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle sugar over the dough.

STEP 2
Roll 1 long side toward the center.

STEP 3
Then roll the other side, so that the 2 spirals meet in the center.

STEP 4
Fold the dough in half along the center fold.

STEP 5
Press to seal.

STEP 6
Cut slices from the roll and bake.