Baked Apple Turnovers

These are nice little hand pies, the perfect size for tiny hands.  Big hands too; they pair nicely with Lovey's coffee in the morning.  They are simply apple pie filling inside puff pastry and baked.  You can also make with a regular pie dough crust and also fry them.



Lovey likes flaky and baked and that's how this recipe is made; adapted from Biltmore Estate Specialties of the House cookbook.  I bought this while living in North Carolina during the year of Biltmore's 100th Anniversary.

This particular recipe was used when the Vanderbilt's lived in the estate and was taken from The Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery which is a Victorian cookbook from the Biltmore Estate collection.

This is my favorite kitchen gadget when there are lots of apples to core, peel and slice.

To make the filling combine the 1st seven ingredients in a saucepan.


 

They'll cook, covered until the apples are almost tender.  With a slotted spoon remove the apples to a bowl. 





This is the liquid that the apples produced.  Different apples will produce different amounts of liquid.  Add the preserves to the liquid and mix well.  Bring the mixture to a boil and cook down until it is thickened.  You don't want it too runny.  

If your liquid is not thickening up you can thicken it with a corn starch slurry.  Just measure your liquid.  A good rule of thumb is 1 Tbsp. of corn starch to 1 cup liquid.  Dissolve the corn starch in a small bowl or jar with a little water (or some of the liquid).  Bring the liquid to a boil and whisk in the slurry.  Keep whisking until the sauce thickens.

Set aside and allow to cool.  You do not want to put warm or hot filling onto the puff pastry.

I used these.  If you are industrious enough to make your own,  have at it.  Not me.

Roll out the puff pastry to 1/8" thickness.

Cut into rounds with a 4-1/2 inch round cutter.
 
 

Place 2 Tbsp. of the apples in the center of each pastry round.  Top with a little of the preserves sauce.

Moisten the edges of the round with water; fold pastry over and crimp edges with a fork to seal.  Place the hand pies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush each pie with the egg and sprinkle each with sugar.

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to insure the puff pastry is very cold.

Bake for 12 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Apple Turnovers
Adapted from Biltmore Estate Specialties of the House
Yields 1 dozen

Ingredients:
4 small cooking apples (I used Honeycrisp)
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. bourbon (or water)
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
a few gratings of fresh nutmeg
Puff Pastry
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 large egg
granulated sugar

Mise en place

• If your puff pastry is frozen, thaw out according to package (you may need to do this the night before)
• peel apples, core and thinly slice
• sift powdered sugar and measure
• measure out butter, water & cinnamon & preserves
• grate lemon rind
• lightly beat the egg in a small bowl
• have some granulated sugar on the side for sprinkling on top of the turnovers

Method:
Combine the first seven ingredients in a medium saucepan; cover and cook over medium heat until the apples are almost tender, stirring often.  Remove the apples to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Add the preserves to the liquid that remains in the pan and mix well.  Bring the mixture to a boil and cook down until it is thickened.  You don't want it too runny.  Set aside to cool.  see note below

Roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into rounds with a 4-1/2 -inch round cutter.  Place 2 Tbsp. apple mixture in center of each pastry round; top each with 1 tsp. preserves mixture.  Moisten edges of pastry rounds with water; fold pastry over apple mixture and crimp the edges.  Place turnovers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush with the egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to insure the puff pastry is very cold.  Otherwise, it may not puff very well.  Preheat oven to 425°F

Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE:  If your liquid is not thickening up you can thicken it with a corn starch slurry.  Just measure your liquid.  A good rule of thumb is 1 Tbsp. of corn starch to 1 cup liquid.  Dissolve the corn starch in a small bowl or jar with a little water (or some of the liquid).  Bring the liquid to a boil and whisk in the slurry.  Keep whisking until the sauce thickens.

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Apples and Fennel

Tonight's dinner was inspired by a recipe from Betty Fussell's book Food in Good Season.  She is a good read on eating seasonally and on the history of foods.

Fennel is a vegetable I don't use often enough.  I don't know why.  It's crunchy raw and slightly sweet cooked.  As a bonus it's high in vitamin C and it's a really good source of fiber, folate and potassium.


 

The breast halves are rubbed with the softened butter then seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides.  You'll begin baking the breast halves skin-side down for 15 minutes

 

Then turn them over for another 15 minutes


 

Pile the fennel, apple and green onion mixture around the chicken


 

Pour the cream over the chicken then you'll cover the chicken with foil to roast for the remainder of the time.

 I wondered what in the world that little dab of cream would contribute.  Once the chicken, apples and fennel are removed from the pan you're left with a sauce that is both flavorful and light; and the cream was that ingredient that transformed the bland, ho-hum drippings to a smooth sauce that had been nicely flavored by the apples and fennel.

 
 

I initially considered the fennel and apples primarily as flavoring for this dish.  It turned out to be a really good side dish.  The recipe suggests that you can add lemon juice if you think the apples and fennel are too sweet.  I did not find that to be the case this time.


 

Chicken was moist and flavored nicely by the apples and fennel.  I put the sauce in individual small bowls to dip the chicken in.


Roast Chicken Breasts with Apples and Fennel
 Adapted from Food in Good Season by Betty Fussell
Serves 4


Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp. salted butter, softened
salt and pepper
2 tart apples - 4 if they are small
2 green onions

1 large head fennel
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 small lemon (optional)


Mise en place:

• rinse chicken breasts and pat dry
• core, pare and thickly slice apples
• chop green onions
• trim fennel of outer layers, cut in half from root to top then slice crosswise thinly

 Method:

Preheat oven to 450°.

Rub chicken breast halves with the softened butter.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts.  Place chicken breasts skin side down in a baking dish.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Turn the breast side up and roast for another 15 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss the apples, green onions and fennel.  Pile this mixture around and over the chicken breasts.  Pour the cream over the chicken.  Cover with foil and bake 35 to 40 minutes until interior temperature of chicken is at least 185°F.

If the apples seem too sweet, add a squeeze of the lemon.

Party Like a Mad Man With Betty Draper's Swedish Meatballs

I have been anxiously waiting for the new and final season of Mad Men; and it's here at last.  Tomorrow is the beginning of the end of, what has been for me, a trip back into my childhood.  The clothes, the hairdos, the furniture, the cocktails, the kitchens that were decked out in harvest gold and avocado green appliances.  Oh, and the food we grew up on in the 60's.

In celebration of all things Mad Men I'm gonna #PartyLikeAMadMan !!!!

Without a doubt these Swedish Meatballs would have made an appearance at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Christmas Party.  They would have been eaten as an appetizer with cocktail toothpicks.


Betty Draper offered these to Don in Season 3 as a dinner option, although he elected to go with the chicken salad.  When I was a youngster in the 60's they were prepared for dinner and served over egg noodles.

 They are easy and as yummy as they were when I ate them as a child.

Moisten fresh white bread crumbs in a little milk

 

 Mix your ground beef, grated onions, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a mixing bowl, then mix in your moistened bread crumbs.

Form into 1-inch balls

 

Brown in a little butter

Remove browned meatballs to a holding dish and begin your sauce by adding the flour to make a roux.  Add the beef bouillon and whisk until smooth.


 

Add the cream and mix thoroughly.

 

 Return the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

If you are going to serve the meatballs as an appetizer, transfer sauce and meatballs to a chafing dish and pierce each meatball with a cocktail toothpick.

If you are going to serve as a main course, cook egg noodles while meatballs are simmering in the sauce.  You can also serve this over rice.

If serving as a main course, I would suggest doubling the sauce recipe given below.  The sauce is good and you'll want a lot of it for your noodles or rice.

Swedish Meatballs
Adapted from The Boston Globe Cookbook for Brides, 1963
Yields 24 to 36 meatballs

Ingredients:
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup finely grated onion
1 egg, beaten
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 beef bouillon cube, dissolved in 1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup light cream or half and half (I use cream)

Mise en place:

• tear up bread crumbs in small bowl and add milk
• grate onion
• beat egg
• measure out salt, pepper and nutmeg
• place butter in large skillet
• measure out flour
• boil 1 cup water and dissolve bee bouillon cube
• measure out cream

Method:
Place ground beef in medium mixing bowl.  Drain excess milk from bread crumbs and add bread crumbs to ground beef.  Add onion, egg, salt, pepper & nutmeg to the ground beef.  Mix up thoroughly with your hands.

Form into one-inch balls.  Melt butter in large skillet over medium low heat.  When butter stops foaming add meatballs and brown on all sides.  Remove meatballs to a holding dish.

Add flour to drippings in skillet and whisk until smooth.  Slowly add the beef bouillon and whisk until smooth.  Add cream and whisk until smooth.  Continue cooking for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Return meatballs to the sauce, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally until sauce is of desired consistency.  Serve warm or over noodles or rice.