Apple and Lemon Turnovers with Spelt shortcrust
These delicious little winter pastries are sweet, crispy and buttery with a unique flavour due to the use of spelt flour. They are derived from a traditional German pastry called 'apfel taschen' which loosely translates as apple pockets - often made with a yeast dough.
This version is quicker to prepare, keeps well and makes a perfect treat on a cold day. I also find that it's a great way to use up any apples you may have. ( I tend to collect them in my fruit drawer!) The lemon adds a lovely tartness and the pistachios add a nice balance of texture and a pretty hint of green.
Ingredients
Spelt sweet shortcrust pastry:
300g white organic spelt flour
150 unsalted butter, chilled
1/4 teaspoon salt
50g raw icing sugar
50g sour cream
1 small egg
Apple filling:
500g organic apples
50g raw sugar
one lemon, zested
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Egg wash:
1 egg
1 heaped tablespoon thickened cream
Lemon icing:
1/2-1 cup golden icing sugar (raw)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup pistachio nuts - chopped coarsely
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C - fan forced
For the pastry
Use a food processor to pulse together the flour, salt and icing sugar.
Add the butter, cut into small cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
This can also be done by hand, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar then use fingers to rub in the cubes of butter.
Whisk together the egg and sour cream.
Pour into the flour mixture and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
Alternatively mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture using a knife until it comes together.
Empty the dough onto a bench and pat it into a flat disc. Wrap in cling film or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
Meanwhile prepare the apples:
Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces (about 1/2cm). Place them in a saucepan with the lemon zest, sugar and butter.
Cook over gentle heat until they have just started to soften. Allow to cool before using.
To assemble:
Roll the spelt dough out on a bench dusted lightly with spelt flour. The dough needs to be about the thickness of a two dollar coin.
Use a large 12 cm round cutter to cut out circles of dough.
Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the circles half the way around.
Place a drained mound of apples in the centre of the circle being careful not to overfill them. Fold one half of pastry over the apples and seal and form a half moon shape. The edges can be hand crimped or pressed with a fork to stick them together firmly.
Place the turnovers onto a greased oven tray.
Bake for 15 minutes until golden.
Cool on a wire rack.
For the icing:
Mix together enough lemon juice into the icing sugar to make a moderately runny icing.
Drizzle of flick this over the cooled turnovers and sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts.
Done
Apple and Lemon Turnovers with Spelt Shortcrust
A quick, buttery and crisp little winter treat
ingredients:
- 300g white organic spelt flour
- 150 unsalted butter, chilled
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 50g raw icing sugar
- 50g sour cream
- 1 small egg
- 500g organic cooking apples (such as granny smiths)
- 50g raw sugar
- one lemon, zested (organic, unwaxed)
- 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 heaped tablespoon thickened cream
- 1/2-1 cup golden icing sugar (this is a raw icing sugar, but can be substituted for white icing sugar)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts - chopped coarsely
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C - fan forced
For the pastry
Use a food processor to pulse together the flour, salt and icing sugar.
Add the butter, cut into small cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
(This can also be done by hand, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar then use fingers to rub in the cubes of butter.)
Whisk together the egg and sour cream.
Pour into the flour mixture and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
(Alternatively mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture using a knife until it just comes together.)
Empty the dough onto a bench and pat it into a flat disc. Wrap in cling film or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
Meanwhile prepare the apples:
Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces (about 1/2cm). Place them in a saucepan with the lemon zest, sugar and butter.
Cook over gentle heat until they have just started to soften. Allow to cool before using.
To assemble:
Prepare the egg wash by mixing together the egg and cream.
Roll the spelt dough out on a bench dusted lightly with spelt flour. The dough needs to be about the thickness of a two dollar coin.
Use a large 12 cm round cutter to cut out circles of dough.
Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the circles half the way around with the egg wash.
Place a drained mound of apples in the centre of the circle being careful not to overfill them. Fold one half of pastry over the apples and seal and form a half moon shape. The edges can be hand crimped or pressed with a fork to stick them together firmly.
Place the turnovers onto a greased oven tray.
Brush the tops with more of the egg wash.
Bake for 15 minutes until golden.
Cool on a wire rack.
For the icing:
Mix together enough lemon juice into the icing sugar to make a moderately runny icing. Drizzle or flick this over the cooled turnovers and sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts.
Done
These are delicious served warm.