What is the story of the moral, brilliant Dr. Jekyll without the remorseless, evil Mr. Hyde?
Hothead Sonny without his contemplative brother Michael in The Godfather?
Straight-laced Monica without space cadet (er lieutenant) Phoebe in Friends?
Though I'll leave the philosophical translation of story-telling from literature to food to the Iron Chefs of the world, I do believe that this combination of opposites? Can make for amazing textures and tastes when preparing a dish.
Think salted caramels, sweet and sour chicken, chocolate pretzels (my vice), aaanddd...
Cue my Apple Cranberry Turnovers
Also cue stomach growling
The flaky crust of these turnovers is attributed to their phyllo dough casing, wrapping an ooey, gooey apple cranberry filling into a neat triangle pastry.
Bonus: Have the entire 2nd floor of my apartment building wafting the aroma from the stairwell door. A pretty good marker of success I'd venture.
Try them yourself! You'll fall in love.
Apple Cranberry Turnovers
Makes 8
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 tsp. confectioner's sugar (for dusting)
Cooking spray
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large nonstick pan cook the apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg over medium heat stirring occasionally until the fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the juices in the pan thicken. Set aside to cool.
3. Lay a sheet of phyllo onto a large cutting board and brush the dough with oil. Top with a second sheet and brush with oil. Add another sheet of phyllo and brush with oil. Cut the phyllo into 4 long pieces. Put a small mound of the apple mixture about 1-inch from the bottom of 1 section and fold the phyllo over the mixture into a triangle-shaped pocket. Continue to fold to maintain the triangle shape so a turnover is formed. Repeat with the other 3 sections.
3. Lay a sheet of phyllo onto a large cutting board and brush the dough with oil. Top with a second sheet and brush with oil. Add another sheet of phyllo and brush with oil. Cut the phyllo into 4 long pieces. Put a small mound of the apple mixture about 1-inch from the bottom of 1 section and fold the phyllo over the mixture into a triangle-shaped pocket. Continue to fold to maintain the triangle shape so a turnover is formed. Repeat with the other 3 sections.
4. Repeat the whole process again with 3 more sheets of phyllo so that you wind up with 8 turnovers. Be sure to reserve a little oil to brush the top of each turnover.
5. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, place the turnovers on the sheet, brush the tops with the remaining oil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve warm.
Affinity for the yin-yang combination may also have roots in my dad's favorite TV show (besides Jeopardy) and it's stuck-in-your-head-forever theme song...
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