Yvonne’s Apple Pastries

Yvonne taught me to make these with apple pie filling when I was eight years old. Drizzling the sugar over the baked pastries was my favorite job – next to eating them of course. When you are in a hurry, use a 21-ounce can apple pie filling. The pastries may also be filled, frozen and then baked later without thawing. Thaw the puff pastry in the box for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. These were the first pastries I ever made and I never forgot how to make them. They are delicious for breakfast, afternoon tea or for dessert.

    1 (17.3-ounce) package puff pastry sheets

Apple Filling

    4 cups chopped, peeled and cored Braeburn apples
    ¼ cup dark brown sugar
    ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Pinch ground nutmeg
    ⅛ teaspoon mace
    ¼ cup water

Confectioners’ Icing

    2 cups confectioners’ sugar
    1/3 cup whipping cream

1. Apple Filling: In a large sauté pan, cook the apples, sugar,
    cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and water over medium heat until
    the apples have softened. Cool in the refrigerator.

2. In the meantime, lay out one pastry sheet on a floured
    breadboard. Slice on the two folds to form 3 rectangular
    pieces. Cut each rectangle evenly into 3 squares by cutting
    twice. You will have a pile of 18 squares. Repeat with
    second pastry sheet.

3. Roll the squares out to about 1/2 inch larger than
    the original size.

4. Place spoonfuls of apple mixture in one corner of the pastry
    and fold in half to form a triangle. Seal the edges by
    moistening with water and pressing firmly with a fork.

5. Place pastries on baking sheets and bake in a preheated
    350˚ oven for 10–15 minutes or until golden.

6. Set pastries on a cooling rack that has been set over a
    piece of waxed paper to catch the icing drips.

7. Confectioners’ Icing: Mix the confectioners’ sugar with
    the cream. Drizzle icing over each pastry. Serve pastries
    while still slightly warm.

    Makes 18 pastries