Recipe Background
Berries & Cream Turnovers: Delightful pastries perfect for impressing guests.
Back when I moved into my first real apartment, a cozy little place with creaky floors and more personality than space, I wanted to break in my new kitchen with something special. I was determined to impress my fellow budding creatives, who lived in the building. Looking around my sparse mini-fridge and pantry, I found a stash of items I couldn't live without: a roll of puff pastry, a jar of strawberry jam, and a block of cream cheese. Perfect, I thought, for making something quick yet splendid.
Just like improvising a piece of music, I didn't precisely follow any rules. I simply rolled out the pastry and let the cream cheese warm on the counter while chatting with the neighbor who always had garden-grown berries. She saved me with some fresh strawberries, which I blended with jam for an added zing. If you want a more refined glaze, make sure to keep whisking the powdered sugar with a dash of vanilla until it's perfectly smooth. The magic of it was that delectable aroma that filled the hallway, drawing in curious faces witnessing my 'turnover reveal party'.
Though I was still learning to trust the little idiosyncrasies of a new oven, those turnovers emerged golden and crisp, the cream cheese and strawberry filling swirling together like an irresistible confectionery tango. It's often about letting yourself have fun and staying patient enough to let the turnovers cool properly before drizzling the icing—prevents sticky fingers and smug looks from friends when they adore your culinary adventure.
Ingredients
- flour to taste, for dusting a work surface
- 1 (13.2-ounce) package pre-rolled refrigerated puff pastry sheet
- 3 teaspoons plus 2 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese softened, divided
- 6 tablespoons strawberry jam
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- milk or water to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dust a work surface with the flour.
- Roll the puff pastry out on the prepared work surface and using a pizza cutter, cut it into 6 equal squares.
- In the middle of each of the pastry squares, add 1/2 teaspoon of the softened cream cheese, spreading it out gently.
- On top of the cream cheese layer on each of the squares, add 1 tablespoon of the strawberry jam, spreading it out gently.
- For each of the squares, gently fold one corner of the pastry over the filling, forming triangles with the edges lined up to create turnovers.
- Crimp the edges of the turnovers with a fork to seal them.
- Using a fork, poke a few holes in the tops of the turnovers for steam to escape.
- Brush the beaten egg evenly over the tops of the turnovers.
- Transfer the turnovers to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until the turnovers are golden-brown and crispy, about 14-16 minutes.
- Transfer the turnovers to a wire rack to cool.
- In a bowl, add the remaining cream cheese, the powdered sugar, the vanilla extract, and the milk and whisk to combine.
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled turnovers.
- Serve.
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