Apple and Mincemeat Turnovers

When I was a kid my Mom used to bake apple turnovers.  I loved them because they had a high crust to apple filling ratio.   When it comes to pie, the pastry is my favourite part. 


Andy loves mincemeat pies.  He likes all the dried fruit and nuts, me - not so much.  So when he asked me to bake mincemeat pies I thought a compromise was in order.  I needed to devise a recipe that gave me the parts of the pie that I liked, the pastry bit, and gave Andy the mincemeat filling he likes.  Apple and mincemeat Turnovers are the perfect solution.


Now,you can make the pastry and mincemeat from scratch but I cheated.  All you need is some store bought pastry, a couple of apples, a jar of good store bought mincemeat, and a couple of store cupboard items .  I think you will agree you can't tell by looking that these turnovers weren't made from scratch.


Here's how to make these rustic turnovers:


Peel, core, and dice one cooking apple and one dessert apple*. 

Place the diced apples into a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Cook over a low heat until the apples begin to soften.  This could take 5-10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the apple mixture cool. 

Stir a big spoonful of mincemeat into the apple mixture and set to the side while you prepare the pastry. 



I used ready rolled pastry so all I needed to do was cut out discs with a large pastry cutter.  You could also use a small plate and cut around them with a knife.  

Place a spoonful of filling onto the centre of each pastry disc.  Moisten one half of the outer edge of the pastry with a tiny bit of water, fold the pastry over the filling, and crimp the edges together with a fork.  

Brush the turnovers with a bit of milk or egg wash if you like. Make a tiny slit in each one to let the steam out as they bake. 


Place the turnovers on a baking sheet lined with paper.  Bake for 20-30 minutes at 200C/400F.  The pastry should be a light golden brown.


Patient people would let the Apple-Mincemeat Turnovers cool, then dust them with icing sugar... but we ate six of the tiny treats warm out of the oven. 


And from the pastry scraps I made this little mincemeat tart, a bonus treat!

*Thank you, Pink Lady Apples UK, for providing the delicious dessert apple used in this recipe.

Comments

  1. I love the pastry bit too! Your little turnovers look yummy.

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  2. It looks very good! And again one of your "easy-to-do recipes" that I love most!
    But now I really have to laugh about myself: I stumbled over the word "mincemeat" and wondered what minced meat had to do with sweet pies. I looked it up in the dictionary... now I understand... :-D

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    1. Once upon a time mincemeat really did mean minced meat, fortunately that is no longer the case. English is such a confusing language! ; )

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  3. I love mincemeat, so I definitely will make these turnovers with apple and mincemeat. Like the easy recipe!

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    1. I prefer these to pure mincemeat pies and no one need know you didn't make it all from scratch!

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  4. Fabulous recipe - I might just do some of those with a bit more fruit mince for Christmas as they are less fiddly than normal ones. I use bought pastry too - it makes life so much easier. Thanks for the inspiration ....

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    1. When it comes to pure mince pies, Prince Charles is my man. ; ) I'll make some of these to serve for Boxing Day tea.

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