Turnovers! Make Your Own Cafe Experience.

I live in rural America. I smell the alfalfa at night, and enjoy the fresh food growing all around me. I even enjoy the busy little cluck of my chickens. But, I gotta tell you, I could kill for a good cafe right about now!

I love my coffee, but even more I love those cafe pastries! Turnovers, scones, tarts... yeah, I don't need them ... but, I sure do love them. So where is a girl in rural Oregon to get her pastry fix? Well, no farther than my own kitchen. (Otherwise the drive would involve hours!)
Okay, this is super easy... I make the cherry filling up ahead of time (no canned filling here!) and the flakiest dough ever? Make it the night before and pop it out in the morning. Here is what you need for the dough:

You Will Need:
2 1/2 c. flour
1 c. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. sour cream.
1 egg white + 1 tsp water for egg wash
turbinado sugar (optional)

In a standing mixer sift together your dry ingredients. Then cut up your butter and add it to your mixer. Mix until you still see big chunks of butter. This makes things flaky! Add the sour cream and stir till the dough comes together. Now put your dough onto a floured surface. Roll it out into envelope shape and size. Now the fun part! Fold your letter. Yup, that simple. Just fold. Now roll it back out into a letter size and fold again. Done! Just wrap up in wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

When you are ready assemble all your stuff. Take out the dough first. You want it cool, but not too cold to work with. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I whip up an egg white with a tsp. of water for the tops, and get out my tubinado sugar (less expensive than fancy colored sanding sugar!), filling, pizza cutter & rolling pin.


On a floured surface roll our your dough. In a perfect world it would be at least 16 inches by 16. You want 4 inch squares. Ultimately do your best and then will be devoured before anyone inspects too closely.


Put a tsp. or two of filling in the middle, wet 2 sides of your square and fold over to make a triangle. I always overfill... oh, well! Use a fork to push the sides together. Now place this on your silpat. I like to fill all of mine before I brush the tops with the egg wash and top with sugar. Now bake these bad boys for 20-25 minutes. Going for golden brown on top.



Oh, be still my heart!