I forgot they were in my freezer. Door County cherries, tucked underneath bags and bags of raspberries the kids and I had gathered every summer afternoon from our backyard bushes. I had to dig through those berries and move them around and curse slightly to get to the bottom of that freezer drawer. But there they were, still glittering and ruby red and perfect.
It seemed the cherries were calling me. They were a memory, a lovely one, and it had been a week filled with bad news from the outside; articles and TV anchors whispering deadly affairs again and again: 92 people who died of thirst and Man kills family and then himself and Funeral workers steals gold teeth from bodies and 5 stabbed to death by relative and You are not safe. You are not safe. You are not safe.
I tend to turn to puff pastry when I’m anxious. The rolling, the turns, the soft dough on my hands helps me focus for a moment. And this batch would be filled with those memorable cherries. They were picked this summer, one short weekend when [A] and I got to steal away by ourselves. We made an impromptu stop at a cherry orchard, grabbed an old tin bucket and filled it high.
And now they are here, still, in my hands. Their juices stain my fingertips and my white sweater I shouldn’t be wearing in the kitchen. My thoughts turn to blood: dark red blood running, now, over the earth, and the endless sea of people weeping over that river. But I spent a summer day picking cherries; laughing and stealing kisses under tree branches.
Maybe taking up a whole morning to make puff pastry is a waste of time. But when my daughter walks through our backdoor, her hands clapping at the smell of turnovers, I don’t regret the minutes spent. When she bites into the flaky layers and sour cherries, letting the red juice freely trickle down the side of her mouth, I am thankful for the quiet minutes spent turning and rolling.
‘I’m all over the place, up and down, scattered, withdrawing, trying to find some elusive sense of serenity.’
‘The world can’t give that serenity. The world can’t give us peace. We can only find it in our hearts.’
‘I hate that.’
‘I know. But the good news is that by the same token, the world can’t take it away.’
–Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Flaky Sour Cherry Turnovers
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups [200 g] sweet cherries, pitted and chopped, fresh or frozen,
- 1/2 cup [67 g] sour cherries, pitted and chopped, fresh or frozen
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Assembly
- all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 pound puff pastry, store bought or homemade, see notes
- water, for brushing
- granulated sugar, for sprinkling
- ice cream, for serving, optional
Instructions
For the cherry filling
- Place the butter in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon and heat until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cherries and cook until the cherries are broken down and the mixture has turned glossy, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
For the cream cheese filling
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice until fully combined.
To assemble
- Line a sheet with parchment paper.
- Generously flour your work surface. Roll one piece of the pastry dough into a 10 in [12 cm] square, see notes. Cut into four 5 in [12 cm] squares. Repeat with the second piece of dough, for a total of eight squares. Place a scant tablespoon of both the cooled cherry filling and the cream cheese filling on each square. Brush the edges of each square lightly with water, fold the dough to make a triangle, and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
- Transfer the triangles to the prepared sheet pan and place in the freezer while the oven preheats.
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F [200C].
- Brush the tops of the hand pies lightly with water and and generously sprinkle with granulated sugar. Slide another sheet pan underneath so the pans are double stacked (this helps keep the bottoms from over-browning). Bake the turnovers until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm, and with ice cream, if desired.
26 Comments
Cheryl_vT
Saturday, January 4, 2014 at 7:16 amYour writing is beautiful…. Thanks for sharing.
Ashlae
Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 2:26 pmI turn to rolling dough when I’m anxious, too. But puff pastry makes me nervous so I stick to pie crust. But maybe I should change that because these little turnovers look so pretty and delicious and just like the sort of thing I would be proud to shove into Thom’s face as soon as he wakes up each morning.
Martine
Wednesday, November 13, 2013 at 2:05 pmJust after I posted I realized I had typed my email address incorrectly. It is correct here.
Martine
Wednesday, November 13, 2013 at 2:04 pmI just came across your blog and read your “About” section. I so understand your desire to create family memories by documenting foods, traditions, etc. I have none such of those memories/traditions from growing up and now that I have a little one, I’m exploring ways to create them for him. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Your blog is lovely. I look forward to following it and reading more!
Izy
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 5:46 pmI love that you made the puff pastry, it always makes the food even more gratifying to eat when you put so much effort into it.
Brilliant .gif by the way! 😉
Kathryn
Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at 6:40 amSomething about the rhythmic nature of making puff pastry has always appealed – it’s a good way to focus on the present and forget, for a moment at least, all the other distractions. These are beauties Sarah.
Sacha
Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 8:53 pmPastry-making is my medicine too, with puff pastry being the ultimate cure all. The turnovers are beautiful, both the interior and exterior very special.
Brian @ A Thought For Food
Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 9:47 amI remember growing up and being so excited when I’d come home to find my mom baking treats. These are just wonderful… I’m always impressed by people’s ability to create pastries like this. I’m not sure I have the skill to do this… but, you know what, you’ve inspired me to consider giving it a try.
Melody
Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 10:52 amBeautiful, lovely words. I read this yesterday and have been thinking about it since.
xoxo
Natasha
Friday, November 1, 2013 at 6:49 pmA morning of puff pastry is not at all a waste of time! Especially when it leads to these lovely things. So pretty, as always.
Sini?my blue&white kitchen
Friday, November 1, 2013 at 12:30 pmThis looks so good. Puff pastry truly has the ability to offer comfort when we most need it. I guess I have to get into the kitchen and make a batch. And oh how I wish I had some sour cherries in my freezer too! I’m a little jealous right now.
Have a sweet weekend,
Sini
cindy
Friday, November 1, 2013 at 8:26 ampuff pastry is on my list of things “to-make” one day…and sour cherries are one of my favorite things ever. they are so special! I have a bag stashed in the freezer for a rainy-day emergency.
Amy
Friday, November 1, 2013 at 6:33 amI just discovered some frozen blueberries….. hmmmm. You are giving me ideas.
Lindsey (dolly and oatmeal)
Friday, November 1, 2013 at 2:48 amThese turnovers are beautiful, and that much more because of the homemade puff pastry – woot! I love your description of your daughter making the connection between you and your husband’s memory, and the turnover in her hand – a lovely sentiment to be had!
Skye
Friday, November 1, 2013 at 2:02 amThese look delicious. And I love that you have made your own pastry. I have yet to attempt puff,as I am always intimidated by it. But you have inspired me. Cherry turnovers from scratch are my next everest.
Skye
Friday, November 1, 2013 at 2:02 amThese look delicious. And I love that you have made your own pastry. I have yet to attempt puff,as I am always intimidated by it. But you have inspired me. Cherry turnovers from scratch are my next everest.
phi @PrincessTofu
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 9:05 pmSo I am reading this as I am waiting on my brownies to be ready… and I think, wow, I want sour cherries, never could get them at the market, but alas you picked your own! Which, is even better, of course.
Since you’ve been sharing some recipes from Cook’s Illustrated… I was wondering: have you tried their apple pie? It’s apple pie season, we are about to go picking, and I am always searching for more apple pie recipes to test. Someone made me their apple pie recipe, but it was not stellar, which makes me think they were really bad at following directions (highly probable in this case). Thoughts?
Sarah | The Sugar Hit
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 7:14 pmThese look and sound wonderful – my mom used to make a similar treat when I was little. A special memory for me.
Emma Galloway
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 6:50 pmBeautiful! I love those kinda freezer discoveries 🙂
Nora (Buttercream Fanatic)
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 4:00 pmI, too, have a freezer full of Door County cherries that I have been saving for something very special. This beautiful recipe might be it.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 2:56 pmThese look absolutely perfect!
Sophia
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 2:15 pmI love the story behind these turnovers! I had a similar story with blackberries a few weeks ago – blackberries me and my boyfriend picked by the side of the road, me very inappropriately dressed in a short summer dress and sandals, my dress catching on one of the branches every few seconds while collecting our blackberries in old water bottles for want of a better container. And every time I took some of the blackberries out of the freezer I thought of that late summer day.
And no, spending a morning making puff pastry is never a waste of time.
Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 1:13 pmMaking homemade pastry (whether it be puff pastry, danish dough, croissant dough, etc.) is NEVER a waste of time in my mind! Especially when you fill it with delicious things like cherries!
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 12:48 pmCOUNT ME IN! Love the combination of sweet and sour in desserts, and these cherry turnovers look PERFECT!
molly yeh
Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 12:44 pma whole morning making puff pastry? a waste of time? no way no way nooooo wayyy!!!! i used to go to door county… what fun and lovely times! these turnovers are beautiful 🙂