Blueberry Apple Turnovers

Valentine's Day can be a miserable 24 hours. Couples buy chocolates and flowers; single people watch movies they've already seen, drink crappy wine and listen to Celine Dion. But this February 14th I resolve to banish such misery, and if i have to, be my own damn Valentine, after all I know better than anyone what makes me melt. And this year, the thing that makes me go weak at the knees is this flaky turnover- a mix of sweet blueberries and warm apples, wrapped up in a golden pie crust. I spent the past summer watching my friends Mandy and Michael bake up some of the most incredible treats, and so in honor of their being the loveliest couple I know I've created the loveliest Valentine's Day dessert to go with flowers... or crappy wine.

Blueberry Apple Turnovers

Turn-over Crust

3 c. All-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. Salt

3 Tb. Granulated Sugar

1 c. Earth Balance (or butter)

1 Egg

5 Tb. Water

Fruit Filling

2 ½ c. Blueberries (frozen are fine)

1 Red apple, finely chopped

½ c. Granulated sugar

3 Tb. All-purpose flour

3 tsp. Lemon juice

Egg Wash

1 Egg

1 Tb. Water

Raw Cane sugar (Turbinado), for garnish

Additional flour for rolling out dough

To make the crust

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425˚F.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar (from list of crust ingredients). Using an electric mixer, or large fork, mix in the butter until the mixture has only small bits of butter clumps, and is well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg with 5 Tb. water and whisk together.
4. Slowly add this egg mixture to the flour mixture while stirring, and continue until the dough forms a ball. The less you handle the dough the lighter and crispier it will be.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
   

To make the Filling (while the dough is chilling)

1. If you're using frozen berries, place the berries in a strainer and run them under warm water until they have thawed completely. Drain away any excess water and transfer the berries to a medium size bowl.
2. Stir in the chopped apple, sugar, flour and lemon juice until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
3. Prepare the egg wash in a small bowl: whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tb. water.

Creating the Turnover

1. Remove the ball of dough from the refrigerator and divide it in half. Place on half on a floured surface and return the remaining half to the refrigerator.
2. Roll out the dough to between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch thickness. Using a circular cookie cutter or small bowl, cut out circles, (returning the dough to the refrigerator when you're not working with it).
3. Place the circles on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper, and spoon the filling into the center of each circle, being careful not to over fill each turnover to the point at which it cannot close.
4. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush 1/2 the circle's edge with egg wash (which will act like glue) and fold the circle in half, pressing down on the edges to seal the filling inside.
5. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling.
6. Lightly brush the top of each turnover with egg wash, and cut two small slits on top to allow the steam to escape.
7. Sprinkle the turnovers with raw cane sugar and bake until golden brown, approximately 15-20 minutes.
8. Allow them to cool on cooling racks and eat while they are still warm, or store in an air-tight container.
9. Enjoy!
   (Printable Recipe)
   

Makes approximately 20 turnovers.

This recipe can be easily adjusted for other combinations of fruits, but regardless of the fruit you select, try to keep the moisture to a minimum, and do not exceed 3 ½ cups. I recommend playing around with raspberries, peaches, cranberries or blackberries. And for an extra twist, drizzle them with melted chocolate after baking instead of using cane sugar.