Cherry Picking Time means Cherry Turnovers

Our cherries are ripe and it looks like a pretty good crop. As always, we have to watch for bug damage and this year we had some early hail. The first few years, I would pick the cherries and then freeze them but I was never happy with the end result. The cherries didn't keep their pretty color and I had a terrible time guessing how much cornstarch to add to the juicy frozen cherries. I was a newbie to processing our produce. Then my son took a Master Canner's class that was offered free to 4-Hers and he brought home a Ball Blue book. That year, he picked the cherries and made a frozen cherry pie filling. I was sold. It looks beautiful from the start and is ready for pies, cobblers and cherry turnovers right after thawing. Cherry turnovers are our favorite so today I'll share the pie filling recipe and turnover recipe.

Frozen Cherry Pie filling

8 cups tart cherries
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 Tablespoons cornstarch

Wash and pit cherries. Drain. combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cherries; let stand until juices begin to flow, about 30 minutes. cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. (It doesn't need to come to a boil since you will be cooking the mixture when you bake your pie or turnovers.) I let the mixture cool at this point, not to exceed 2 hours and ladle it into freezer containers or heavy freeze bags-1 quart for a pie or cobbler ( I fill it pretty full.) Label and freeze. Yields about 4 pints.

Now, since I end up discarding some bad cherries after I've measured my cherries, I try and add a few extra at the start. If you go ahead and measure the cherries after you pit them, plan to use about 3 1/2 cups pitted cherries for each 4 cups in the recipe. Don't pack them in when you measure them.

Easy Cherry Turnovers
You can buy filo dough and make very puffy turnovers but we like a biscuit style turnover. These are best made fresh and served that day. I recommend thawing your filling so you don't have to microwave and add hot filling into the turnovers.

2 cups of your cherry pie filling

Biscuit Dough

2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. milk (approximately)

Mix dry ingredients and then cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the consistency of coarse crumbs. Stir in enough milk for the dough to stick together. If it is too sticky you may need to add a little more flour. Knead the dough about 12 turns on a floured board. I usually divide the dough into four pieces and roll each piece out to about a 8 X 8 square or a little larger. Cut into 4 squares. Place on a large ungreased baking sheet ( I like to line this with parchment paper to ease clean-up.) Place a generous tablespoon of filling on each square. Fold the dough over to form a triangle or a rectangle, press the edges together -I use the tines of a fork- and prick the top of each turnover to release steam-same fork. Repeat with the remaining dough and you should have 16 turnovers. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes until they are just starting to show a little light brown on the top. After they are baked, I like to ice them lightly with almond icing.

Almond Icing-this is approximate- I don't measure

1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 - 2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Cup powdered sugar

I usually start with one Tablespoon of milk or half and half add the flavoring and powdered sugar and then add more milk as needed until the icing is the right consistency. Since I like to make my turnovers right before eating, I keep my icing a little thicker since it melts on the hot turnovers.

Confessions and Tips
I usually don't strive for perfection when making my turnovers so they aren't always uniform in size. I roll my dough out until I know I can cut 4 pieces out so they aren't always square but the taste is what counts, right? I do like to eat these warm but they still taste good later and on the second day warmed up. After that the biscuit part tends to be a little drier. I will make a half-recipe if I have less to serve.

In a hurry-make it in a cake pan
If I am in a big hurry, I don't make individual turnovers. Instead, I roll out 2 pieces of dough and press together into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Spread the pie filling over the dough and then roll out the remaining pieces of dough and carefully place on top of the filling. Prick the top a few times and bake as usual. It might take a little longer. Again drizzle icing on the top. Cut into serving pieces and serve for breakfast, brunch or dessert.

And yes, you could use a can of pie filling since not everyone has a cherry tree. I have made apple turnovers, peach turnovers, as well as my favorite cherry turnovers. Enjoy!