Apple, Honey and Thyme Turnovers

Last summer my friends Andy and Sarah were married in rural Illinois and they gave each guest a jar of delicious locally produced honey as a wedding favor.  I tend to use honey primarily as a condiment and after a full year I had barely made a dent in the jar.  A recent dinner at Province hosted by the National Honey Board inspired me to use it in a sweeter dish, tempered with savory herbs.  The flavors in these turnovers work beautifully together.  If you are curious about the flavor combination but don't want to bake, prepare the filling and serve it warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Apple, Honey & Thyme Turnovers

Loosely adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients

2 Granny Smith apples
1/4 C honey
6 thyme branches
2 Tbl butter
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 sheet butter puff pastry, thawed
Flour for dusting
1 egg
1 Tsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 400F

Core and cut each apple into eight slices.  In a large skillet, heat the honey over medium-high heat until simmering.  Add the apple slices, thyme and butter and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning until well caramelized on all sides and just getting soft.  Remove the thyme and add the ginger and salt, turn off the heat, and stir to thoroughly combined.

Divide the puff pastry into sixths and gently roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into five inch squares.  Divide the filling evenly between the six squares, leaving a one-inch border. Beat the egg and milk together and brush the edges of each pastry.  Fold each pastry in half to form a triangle and press the edges with fork tines to seal.  Brush each pastry with the remainder of the egg wash and gently pierce the tops with a sharp knife.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Comments

[Siri]

Sounds so good. Love the idea of making up a batch of the filling to serve with ice cream (lazy man approach), but I think I would want to go all out and make the whole turnover. Such a good flavor combination. Especially for fall!

[Joelen]

What a great combination of flavors for a turnover!

[Morta Di Fame]

Gorgeous photography and I am definitely making this! Thanks!

[Molly]

Ok, you've gotten me in trouble with this one lol. I was sitting here craving something sweet but substantial and now I wish there was a 24 hour grocery store so I could run out and make these. I work with Del Monte, and we have these really great recipes out right now enhanced by our pre-peeled Superfruits and citrus bowls. If you're interested, try our Mango Chicken stir fry, it's really good! I wanted to share with you because you so graciously shared with me :). Visit the link for free coupons for our "undressed" fruits too!

http://bit.ly/qYT4q

[Jessica]

These look delicious!
Have you thought about submitting something to Brighter Planet's Mastering the Art of Sustainable Cooking Contest? They have sections about using local or leftover ingredients, and reading about your use of honey here made me think you might like the contest...
Check it out here: http://blog.brighterplanet.com/sustainable-cooking/

[Hillary]

Very nice recipe! You should submit this to Recipe4Living.com!

[The Food Hunter]

I just found your blog and I love it. The pictures are amazing.

[gemma]

Thanks Siri and Joelen. It is such a great autumn flavor combination.

Thanks for the compliment Morta di Fame. I hope these turned out well for you!

Thanks Molly, Jessica and Hillary. Wow, so many contests. I'll look into both, thanks!

Thanks Food Hunter!

[vitamine A]

Looks so tasty. This is something to try this weekend. It looks mouthwatering recipe. Thanks for sharing.

[Gemma]

Thanks vitamine A. I hope it worked out well for you!