These turnovers where our first ever recipe for my new Junior Chef Circle with my two Junior Chefs......ELLIE and ANGELINA!! It was a very exciting day for all of us. Ellie....so eager to learn. Angelina....bouncing off the walls with excitement. And me....in my mind going back to the days when I was in their place. Saying...."Hey Grandma, how will this be if I put this in here?" And my Grandma responding...."It's all good stuff in there....Of course it's gonna be good. Try it!!" Working with these girls brings me right back to those days in her house in the Bronx, NY.  She would always make me my favorite dinners....which was usually lamb chops. But we would also create the craziest dishes because she would let me experiment, Tuna on toast with Virginia Ham Sandwiches....sounds wierd, I know, but that was one of my favorites back then. I am sure because she let me create it so it tasted sooooo good. That is exactly what happened today in my kitchen. Ellie said to me that she wasn't sure if she would like the turnovers, but she would try them. After she created them with her own hands......she loved them!!! If she saw them anywhere else, she may not have ever tried them, but because she made them....she was willing to give it a try and realized.....they were actually delicious and now she has experienced new flavors. That makes me happy!! That is exactly what this is all about.....passing on the love of trying new flavors and the freedom to experiment with them all!!

BLUEBERRY AND APPLE TURNOVERS

4 APPLES
2 PINTS OF BLUEBERRIES
2 BOXES (4 SHEETS) FROZEN PASTRY SHEETS
2 CUPS SUGAR
2 CUPS WATER
1 TSP CINNAMON
1/2 TSP NUTMEG
2 EGGS

ICING

2 CUPS OF POWDERED SUGAR
2 TBLSP MELTED BUTTER
1 TSP VANILLA
****1 TBLSP MILK ( IF MORE LIQUID IS NEEDED)****

Leave your pastry sheets out on the counter to come to room temp so we are able to work with them easily. 

Start by preparing your fruits.....  Peel and chop your apples. Just like these two adorable faces!!!

Get them all into a medium stock pot. Add the sugar and water and bring to a soft simmer. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Let it simmer until reduced by about half, apples are softened and beginning to thicken.

Have you noticed by now my new set of the most beautiful pots I have ever seen??? I just purchased this set of gorgeous pots from ALL CLAD!!! They are a Hammered Copper covered stainless steel........stunning!!!!  As soon as I saw them, I had to have them and have been staring at them for three days now....ok so time to break them in, Yes it was very exciting for me!!! What a day!!

Anyway, back to the recipe, Simply do the same with the Blueberries, Get them into a pot,,,,add the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer and let it reduce and thicken. Easy right???

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Now, very important lesson for all to learn....taste, taste, taste!! Because shouldn't you make it the way you like it? Maybe the apples a bit bitter, you may want more sugar....or cinnamon. If you don't taste, there is no chance to make it better.

Ok...our fillings are ready!!! Let's put them aside to cool off a bit before we work with them. At this point...preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Time to get our ​pastry sheets out!! Lightly dust your work space with flour and gently unfold your pastry sheets one by one.

We will gently roll each one out just a bit so it is slightly thinner that it is originally. I would estimate about 25% larger.

Now we will cut each square in fourths.

Place about 2 Tblsp of the filling of your choice in the center of each square.
 
Next....beat the 2 eggs in a bowl and brush two sides of each square so when you fold it over it will help the dough stick together like glue. Then smoosh the edges together with your fingers to seal. Lay each one on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Brush each one with the egg wash all over. I sprinkled the apple pastry with a cinnamon sugar for a little something extra......yummmm!!!!


Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until a beautiful golden brown.

Are they not gorgeous??? Well, they are about to get more gorgeous!!

Let's prepare our icing...

Simply, in a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until smooth and silky. you can add more or less powdered sugar to make it thicker or thinner but you are just going to drizzle this on top of the pastry so it does not need to be perfect. Fill a plastic bag with the icing and poke a tiny hole into the bottom and drizzle the pastries!!!

Great job girls!!!! We had such a good time in my kitchen today playing with food!!! I think their families are going to love them coming home with these pastries, also!! Cheers to our new adventure of our Junior Chef's Circle!!

And an extra CHEERS to many, many meals made in these crazy beautiful new pots!!!!