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Sunday, April 19, 2009

SMS #3 - Caramel Apple Turnovers with Sweet Ricotta Filling

This week's recipe for Sweet Melissa Sundays was chosen by Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures. Her pick for the week was Caramel Apple Turnovers with Sweet Ricotta Filling. These taste great. I loved them. And to think I almost skipped this week's challenge. They were very easy to make and tasted great, even the next day (I like to heat them up in a small toaster oven). Check out the recipe here.


Ever since reading Vera's post on Homemade Ricotta Cheese, I've been wanting to give it a try. This week's SMS recipe could not have given me a better excuse to make it. I cut Vera's recipe in four which yielded 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp of ricotta. Although I used 2% milk, it turned out smooth, creamy and delicious. Would definitely make it again.


Final thoughts/tips:
  • Hubby is not a big fan of cheese but he still liked these apple pasties as the cheese flavor was not overwhelming. I gave one to a friend and she loved them too.
  • Instead of egg wash I used the leftover egg white from the recipe and added 1/8 tsp of espresso powder to it. And I used water (as I’ve done many times before with turnovers) as glue. And instead of cinnamon sugar, I used a light sprinkling of raw sugar as I found the apple filling sweet enough as-is.
  • I put the ricotta filling in a Ziploc bag and easily squeezed it onto each puff pastry square.
  • The orange zest was a bit overpowering so next time I would use a bit less.
  • Braeburn apples is all I had so I used them instead of Granny Smith apples. I would think that pears would work very well too.
  • I baked my turnovers at 425F degrees for 20-25 minutes and skipped the 30-minutes refrigeration step. This allowed me to taste test them a bit sooner :o)
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18 comments:

  1. CristineApril 20, 2009 at 2:07 AM

    Beautiful turnovers!!!

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  2. KatiecakesApril 20, 2009 at 10:11 AM

    wow, your turnovers look huge. And that's certainly not a bad thing. They look so appetizing!

    Katie xox

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  3. ElyseApril 20, 2009 at 3:57 PM

    Your turnovers turned out beautifully! I was so impressed this morning when I found that my turnovers were still crispy--they reheated perfectly! And the filling was just divine. I'm so glad you ended up making these; they look wonderful!

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  4. Fit ChickApril 20, 2009 at 6:56 PM

    Oh, pears sound so good! Your turnovers look delicious!!!

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  5. margotApril 20, 2009 at 8:49 PM

    Your turnovers look fabulous,like a pastry from a fancy shop. I'm so impressed you made ricotta; I've been wanting to try it.

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  6. HanaâApril 20, 2009 at 9:41 PM

    Thank you all so much for stopping by and your nice comments. These pastries are D-licious. And we have Tracey to thank for that.

    @Margot: I would highly recommend Vera's recipe for making homemade ricotta. I've made it before using a recipe from Bon Appetit and although that was tasty, nothing comes close to the endresult from Vera's recipe. Just follow her instructions to the T (really easy and not time consuming at all).

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  7. Deeba PABApril 21, 2009 at 7:42 PM

    Absolutely delicious Hanaa. Vera's ricotta is another thing I HAVE to try, & you are making me want to do it now! Thank you for the notes at the bottom. That is something I really really digg!! Much love...xoxoox

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  8. AnonymousApril 21, 2009 at 11:58 PM

    How cool that you made your own ricotta! It's been on my list to try for a long time.

    I love the shape and look of your turnovers. I'm glad they were a success for you.

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  9. JaimeApril 22, 2009 at 9:25 PM

    how cute - yours remind me of the apple pies sold at mcdonald's ;)

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  10. HanaâApril 22, 2009 at 10:46 PM

    @Deeba: thanks for stopping by. You won't be sorry trying Vera's ricotta recipe. Let me know what you end up doing with the ricotta.

    @pinkstripes: thank you! Last week's recipe challenge was the perfect excuse to try this out. I highly recommend Vera's recipe.

    @Jaime: ha ha. They might look like McDonald's hand pies but they sure taste a whole lot better :o)

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  11. VeraApril 27, 2009 at 11:51 PM

    Hanaa, your pastries look fantastic! Thank you very much for giving my recipe a try; I'm so happy you liked the ricotta :)

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  12. k.a.r.e.nApril 28, 2009 at 9:18 AM

    Your turnovers look FANTABULOUS!!!! Kudos!

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  13. claudiaApril 28, 2009 at 11:22 AM

    such lovely pastries!
    here in Italy you usually find them for breackfast in bars and coffees but with apple often you find egg custard.
    yummy both versions! ^^

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  14. HanaâApril 28, 2009 at 10:51 PM

    @Vera: thank you! Your ricotta recipe was a huge hit. Will definitely make it again.

    @Karen: thank you!! :o)

    @Claudia: thanks for stopping by. I could eat these pastries any time :o)

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  15. Mermaid SewsApril 29, 2009 at 2:01 AM

    Wow, your's look so perfect. Love the step by step photos. Sorry is has taken me so long to comment.

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  16. HanaâApril 30, 2009 at 11:15 PM

    @Mermaid Sweets: thank you, Lorelei. It was fun making them and even more fun eating :o)

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  17. claudiaMay 3, 2009 at 12:12 PM

    I know I've already commented on this post but on my blog there's a little prize for you.
    I hope you'll enjoy it!^^

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  18. Lulu the BakerMay 3, 2009 at 2:23 PM

    Your turnovers are so pretty! Great job!!

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