"It was one of the rare 'white people' activities allowed" –Vilina 

... I recently explained to a friend, as I eagerly anticipated my annual apple picking trip. Aside from it being an absolute joy within itself, apple picking brings me back to happy childhood memories. Getting to run through the orchard, climbing the trees (not sure if that was actually allowed...), and trying my hardest to reach for an apple that was just within reach of my very short arm length—it's wholesome, PG-rated, all-American fun, but the thing is that I didn't have a lot of that growing up, so I really cherish the memories I do have. It's not because I had disinterested parents, it's that they weren't aware—really, we were learning about American culture right alongside one another.

To complete the picture of the perfect, classic American family, Mom would bake apple turnovers with the bounty we collected. She used a recipe, ironically, from a Chinese cookbook purchased in Canada, so yay, metric measurements! And recipe aside, most of her baking was still guesstimation, but her turnovers came out perfect every time. So when she gave me the recipe after my successful day on the farm, she recited the book, but also annotated it along the way. Which confused the fuck out of me, to be perfectly honest.

My first attempt turned out terrible because I didn't properly seal the pastry dough (while also overstuffing it) and I didn't properly brush each turnover with a beaten egg like I was directed. Also, I'm pretty sure I low-balled the oven temperature at 350 degrees. It was a disaster.

Attempt two required me to think critically about baking pastries and correcting my mistakes, so that I got the shareable results I wanted—apple turnovers that taste just like Mom's. 

Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS (FOR 8)

*Equal to about 1 large apple or 3 small apples.

PREPARE

1. Peel and core apples. Chop into roughly half-inch cubes. 

2. Remove puff pastry sheet from freezer and let it thaw.

COOK

1. Toss oil into pan on medium heat and swirl it around as it warms up. Toss in the apples, stirring for about two minutes or until apples become fragrant.

2. Mix in sugar and cinnamon and continue to stir until sugar is well incorporated and dissolved, about a minute or two. 

3. Combine cornstarch and water in a bowl, which will create a thickener. Pour that into the apple mixture and incorporate until it becomes gooey and thick. Set aside. 

4. Beat the egg with a fork. Set aside.

5. Preheat oven to 400 F. 

6. Prepare the puff pastry sheet (most boxes will come with two sheets) by unfolding it on a gently floured surface. I used a pizza slicer to cut each sheet of dough into four squares, making eight squares in total.  

7. Spoon about one tablespoon of the mixture into the center of each pastry square. 

8. Fold the square over so that it forms a triangle. Seal the sides together by firmly pressing down. 

9. Use a brush and gently coat both sides of the turnover with the beaten egg. This is crucial! 

10. Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

EAT

Enjoy!