

My first official dessert of autumn! I knew it had to be something with apples. Apple and spice and every nice, you know. An absolute must at this time of year.
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These little turnovers, or hand pies as people like to call them now, are made with store bought puff pastry, a perfect example of easy and delicious! With the addition of Farmers’ Cheese, they become a tasty twist on a blintz.
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This was the first time I had baked with Farmers’ Cheese (dry curd). It tastes like a cross between cream cheese and ricotta cheese, flavor and texture-wise so don’t be put off by the itsy-bitsy curds in the filling. It tastes delicious!
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The original recipe calls for 1 lb (or 2 sheets of puff pastry). If you use only one sheet of puff pastry you can make six turnovers, which I did for just my husband and myself. I’m going try and freeze a couple to reheat on Sunday morning. They would make perfect picnic food for a trip to a park or to the country to see the fall colors.

My husband and I recently returned from attending a wedding near Atlanta, Georgia for the daughter of very good friends. While there, we did some sight-seeing in and around Atlanta. One of the most impressive of the places we visited was The Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I am an avid gardener. The living sculptures at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens were just amazing and are so well maintained and beautiful. Here are just a few of the many photos I took.
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Adapted from Food and Wine
SERVINGS: makes 12 hand pies (can be easily halved by using only 1 sheet of puff pastry – roll out to 8 x 12 and cut 6 squares)
These turnovers or hand pies have a filling that combines tart and sweet apples with farmer cheese and cinnamon.
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 pound puff pastry (2 sheets)
2 Honey Crisp apples, or apples of your choise, coarsely grated (I used the large holes on a box grater)
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup farmer cheese (most well-stocked stores carry it in tubs). See Note*
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional – my addition)
1 large egg, beaten
On
a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry into 2 8 x 12 rectangles and cut out twelve (6 per sheet) 4-inch squares. Transfer the squares to a
baking sheet and freeze until firm, 10 minutes. In a bowl, toss the
apples with the sugar, farmer cheese, cinnamon, salt and 1 1/2
tablespoons of flour.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 baking
sheets with parchment paper. Brush the edges of the squares with the egg
and mound 2 tablespoons of the apple filling on each one. Fold to form
triangles and press to seal. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Using a fork, crimp the edges of the triangles. Brush the tops with
egg and sprinkle with sugar. Cut 3 small slits in each to release steam.
Bake until golden and crisp, about 30 minutes, shifting the pans front to back halfway through. Let cool, then serve.
*I’ve read
that you can use small curd cottage cheese in place of Farmers Cheese.
Just drain it very well and then pulse it in a food processor for a
creamier texture.