Collards and $ense

Last week it was pancakes; this week, turnovers are greeting me and Dima each morning. In case you missed my last post, we are trying to make it from Monday through most of Sunday on $60 of groceries. My breakfast choice for the week was apple and cheese turnovers with walnuts and cranberries.
 

I adapted a recipe from epicurious.com and used a lowfat pastry dough recipe I found online a few months back. I ended up with 25 pastries, but I’ve halved the recipe for those of you who are not living with Him of the Incredible Metabolism.
 

The turnovers are quite tasty. That said, CAVEAT: lowfat pastry dough is very difficult to roll out due to the lack of luscious, lubricating butter. If you want an easy baking experience, go with a full fat pastry dough. If you want to build your biceps, try this one!
 

Apple and Cheese Turnovers with Walnuts and Cranberries
 

Makes: 12 medium-sized turnovers
 

What you’ll need
 

for the dough
 

2 1/4 C whole wheat flour

3/4 C all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp table salt

3/4 to 1 C cottage cheese

3 tsp mild-tasting oil (canola or coconut)
 

for the filling:
 

3 medium apples, cored and chopped into small pieces (I used golden delicious)

2 3/4 C shredded cheese (I used 2 1/4 but I would have liked a little more)

1/4 C maple syrup (I used agave nectar because I had it handy)

1/4 C or more chopped walnuts

1/4 C or more dried cranberries (sweetened or unsweetened)

1 egg white beaten with 1 tsp water for glaze – optional
 

What to do:
 

You are supposed to make the dough in a food processor. Since I don’t have one, I mixed it by hand; it turned out fine. Combine the dry dough ingredients well, then add the oil and cottage cheese. Mix well. Add the water and stir until just combined.
 

The dough will be crumbly but moist and you should be able to pat it into a disk. Do that, and then bundle it in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until well chilled. (Tip: when the time comes to roll out chunks of dough, keep the part you are not working with in the frig so it stays cold.)
 

The filling is simple: just combine everything and mix it until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
 

On a floured surface, roll the dough out until it is thin but strong enough to fold. Use a 5 to 6-inch plate or bowl as a guideline to cut circles from the dough. (You may want to roll the circles a little thinner after cutting them out: more room for filling, but stronger since you’re not rolling the whole big sheet of dough that thin.)
 
Place a couple large spoonfuls of filling in the center of each circle and then fold it in half, making a half moon. Press down the edges with a fork and gently cut a small slit in the center. Transfer to greased baking sheets and brush with the egg white glaze (you’ll need a pastry brush for this part).
 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until just browned. Cool on a wire rack (or if you’re like me and lack one, a couple big plates will do fine).
 

 

Two days later, I can confirm the turnovers are a success. They reheat very nicely. Dima is enjoying them, as am I, and I have gotten more than one curious glance on the subway from (probably hungry) fellow riders. The sweetness is nice, but I am currently dreaming up a savory variation, like a calzone: salami, anyone?
 

Tania

3 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

1. 

   wwkrissiewear
   October 15th, 2009 at 10:06 am #

   Those look amazing! Do you think they could be frozen and re-heated?

2. 

   admin
   October 15th, 2009 at 10:39 am #

   Thank you! You know, I am not sure. I have a feeling they would have to be packed just right so as not to get soggy. What might be better is to freeze them unbaked or parbaked and then stick a batch in the oven to feed you for the week.

3. 

   admin
   October 18th, 2009 at 6:25 am #

   Follow up: Tonight I baked two un-baked turnovers that I had frozen: delicious! Much better than the ones that sat in the frig all week. They were a little juicy from the ice crystals they collected (messy cling wrap job by me), but frozen is the way to go.