Featured Recipe
Maple Apple Turnovers
By Kate
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Tangy apples swapped; golden turnovers with maple honey butter. Raspberries enter the game, add tartness. Flaky dough crisps to a perfect crunch, sealed edges firm but flaky. Patch vent slashes to prevent sogginess, steam escapes noisily from the oven. Butter replaced by maple-infused honey blend—extra depth, natural sweetness. Subtle lemon swap for zestier hue, cuts oxidation. Watch dough color; dark golden, not burnt. Timing shifted slightly, watch texture, listen to gentle crackle. A rustic approach with precision—no soggy bottoms or leaky overflows here. Essentials, techniques, and thoughtful shortcuts. Fewer eggs, longer bake, crispy finish.
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Prep:
25 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
55 min
Serves:
4 servings
dessert
fall recipes
French-Canadian
Introduction
Forget the usual apple butter combo—ditch the butter, embrace a maple-infused honey blend that caramelizes beautifully. Raspberries? Yeah, that tart hit cuts through the sweet dense apples, making every bite lively. Puff pastry is your canvas; flaky, buttery, crisp. Overwet apples kill the crunch, so squeezing juice isn’t optional, it’s mandatory. Turnovers need vent slits—steam wants out or pastry gets soggy. No em dashes here, just commas and semicolons; clean, efficient. Timing? Watch not clock. Visual indicators rule—golden edges, crackled tops. Precise? Yes. Practical? Absolutely. Old-school baking sense meets modern twists.
Ingredients
Maple Honey Butter
- 60 ml natural maple honey blend (substitute softened butter 60 ml + 15 ml pure maple syrup)
- 450 ml peeled, grated Gala or Honeycrisp apples (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 5 ml fresh lemon juice
- 60 ml fresh or frozen raspberries, lightly mashed
- 1 abaisse puff pastry 200 g (7 oz), thawed
- 1 egg white
- 15 ml water
- granulated sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Fruit Filling
Dough & Coating
About the ingredients
Replaced standard butter with a maple honey blend—offers natural sweetness without heaviness; adds a sticky, caramelized texture that you can’t get with plain butter. Apples switched to Gala or Honeycrisp—firmer, juicier, less mushy. Raspberries thrown in for an acidic bite; finger-tested for texture contrast. Lemon juice brightens, slows apple darkening. Egg white in place of whole egg wash reduces gloss but enhances crisp crust and prevents overbrowning. Puff pastry needs to be cold but pliable; hot dough tears during rolling. Flour surface sparingly; too much toughens pastry. Sugar on top optional but recommended for subtle crackle and color.
Method
Prepare the egg wash
- Beat the egg white and water together until foamy but not stiff. Egg yolk discarded or reserved for another use. This thinner wash helps crispness without heavy gloss.
- Squeeze out excess moisture from grated apples using clean hands or a fine sieve. Excess juice dilutes pastry crispness. Toss apples immediately with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Carefully fold in mashed raspberries and maple honey butter until thoroughly blended. Watch texture—chunky but spreadable.
- Lightly flour your work surface to prevent sticking but avoid over-flouring which toughens the dough. Roll out puff pastry into a 26 cm (10 1/4 in) square. Cut into four equal squares.
- Spoon filling into the center of each square, leaving 2 cm clear edges to seal.
- Brush two adjacent edges of each square with egg wash. Fold diagonally to form triangles. Seal edges firmly by pressing with a fork, avoiding holes which cause filling leaks.
- Use scissors to snip a tiny vent slit in the center of each turnover to let steam escape during baking. This prevents sogginess and bursting.
- Place turnovers on a parchment-lined baking sheet with enough space to crisp and brown evenly.
- Brush tops with remaining egg wash; sprinkle sugar lightly if you want sparkle and crackle.
- Bake in preheated oven at 190°C (375°F) on middle rack. Listen for the first subtle crackle after 20 minutes; crust should turn a warm golden brown, edges crispy and dry.
- Bake total 28–30 minutes. Don’t rush—undercooked pastry turns doughy and hydrated with filling juice.
- Cool on wire rack at least 15 minutes. Turnovers will firm up, flavors meld.
- Serve warm but not piping hot to avoid burning and runny filling.
- Store tightly covered at room temp. Reheat in low oven to refresh texture.
Fruit filling
Dough prep and assembly
Baking
Finishing
Technique Tips
Egg white wash thins out easily, not wasted yolk—egg white makes a thin, crisp finish avoiding heavy shine or flaking failure. Extracting juice from grated apples critical—too much juice = soggy underside, flaky pastry nightmare. Folding dough precisely with wet edges allows sealing but avoid tearing. Fork pressing seals but don’t perforate holes. Vent slits? Tiny scissors cuts relax dough during baking and prevent accidental explosions. Middle rack positioning critical for even convection heat. Watch for golden, crackling pastry; underbaked turnover = collapsed structure and unchecked filling leak. Cooling phase stabilizes pockets and concentrates filling flavors. These steps save scrambles and soggy throwouts every time.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Keep apples grated and moist. Squeeze them; no excess juice or the pastry will suffer. Rub lemon juice right away to avoid browning. It’s crucial; don’t skip this.
- 💡 Egg wash? Use diluted egg white. This keeps the crust crisp without heavy gloss. Use clear edges to seal tightly. Press with a fork; avoid holes to prevent leaks.
- 💡 Watch the oven closely. Preheat well, 190°C you know. After 20 minutes, look for crackle sounds. That’s a good sign—golden brown is what you want, not burnt.
- 💡 Puff pastry should be cold. Warmth makes it tear easily; roll out smoothly on lightly floured surface. Too much flour toughens it, so be careful.
- 💡 Cool the turnovers before serving. At least 15 minutes. It allows them to firm up and flavors concentrate. Reheat gently in a low oven to refresh crispness.
