Good evening, welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: August 27th, 2021. Take a look at the Holiday being celebrated today and let me know if you want to celebrate or not.
Can you believe Charlie and I haven’t ever had a Cherry Turnover because we don’t eat Cherries. While David does and he has even asked Charlie in his Homeschool Cooking Class to make him a Cherry Turnover and if Charlie does I hope he will make Apple as well which I haven’t had. But I like Apple Pie and Fried Pies and I would think a Turnover is almost like that isn’t it? Now, my question for you is do you like Cherry Turnovers and why? How about Apple?
Cherry Pie is a wonderful treat, with the only problem being that it’s difficult to transport and messy to boot. Wouldn’t a serving size option be amazing? Cherry Turnover Day reminds us that such a thing was invented and that is the Cherry Turnover.
Learn about Cherry Turnover Day
Cherry Turnover Day was created in order to honor this sweet and tasty handmade Pie. These Pastries, are filled with Cherries, and they are best served hot.
It’s not up to us to tell you how to enjoy your Cherry Turnover, if you simply can’t wait and you want to eat your Cherry Pie at room temperature, go for it! Many people do.
You can serve your Cherry Turnover with a scoop of Ice Cream or a Whipped Cream which is going to take the dessert to heights of yumminess.
What exactly is a Cherry Turnover? A Cherry Turnover is a Pastry that is made by placing Cherry Filling inside of a piece of Dough. You then fold the Dough over and seal it so that the filling doesn’t leak out.
Once you have done this, you can either deep fry or bake the Turnover, resulting in a delicious flaky and golden Crust, combined with warm Cherries.
It really is the perfect combination and most people would agree that Tart Cherries are best when making Pies because their juices meld best with Sugar when baking.
Cherries offer a number of Nutritional benefits. Of course, the deep-frying and the Pastry probably aren’t going to be good for you, but at least you’re going to get Nutrients along the way. Plus, we all deserve a treat don’t we?
Cherries can help to lower the risk of Heart Disease because they pack an Anti-inflammatory punch. Cherries also help to protect Cells from damage because of the Antioxidants that are present.
If that was not enough, Cherries can help to improve sleep quality, as well as improving the symptoms of Gout and Arthritis. Cherries can also boost exercise recovery.
History of Cherry Turnover Day
It’s hard to say when the Turnover first came into existence, but we do know that the first recorded instance of Turnovers were in 1440 in response to an edict preventing bakers from making Cakes, so they resorted to making Pies of all kinds, and this, in turn, led to the creation of the Turnover by incorporating a Filo Pastry-like substance previously invented by the Romans.
From there they’ve never gone out of style, and in fact now are incredibly popular in Roadside Diners and Family Restaurants. Cherry Turnover celebrates the best of these and encourages us all to indulge!
How to celebrate Cherry Turnover Day
You can either go out and buy Cherry Turnovers for yourself and all your co-workers or try to make Cherry Turnovers for yourself!
Crust
2 2/3c Flour
1t Kosher Salt
¾c Lard
6t cold Water
Filling
2c fresh pitted Cherries
½c granulated Sugar
2T + 1 ½t Cornstarch
¼t Ground Cinnamon
Glaze
1c Confectioners’ Sugar
½t Vanilla extract
2T Milk
Mix the Flour and Salt in a bowl, cutting in the Lard until crumbly. Slowly introduce the Water, gently mixing with a fork until the Dough turns into a ball. Refrigerate in plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
While it chills, prepare the Cherries and Sugar in a large saucepan. Crush them slightly, and then let them stand for about 20 minutes. Add in the Cornstarch until it’s blended in well, and then cook over a medium heat until boiling. Stir until it thickens.
Take the chilled Dough and separate it into 8 portions, rolling it out into a 5in circle on a lightly Floured surface. Add 3T of the Cherries to each circle, and fold them over and press closed with a fork.
Place on a greased baking sheet and cook at 375F until the Cherry Popovers turn a golden brown. Mix the confectioners’ Sugar, Milk, and Vanilla to form a glaze to drizzle over the Turnovers.
Of course, if you do not want to go to the trouble of baking your own Cherry Turnover, you don’t have to. We are sure you will be able to find somewhere local that serves Apple Turnovers. Plus, you may even find that Bakeries or Grocery Stores have recipes and offers going on to pay tribute to Cherry Turnover Day.
Another fun way to celebrate Cherry Turnover Day is to get your friends together and have a bit of a bake-off. You can all have a go at creating your own Cherry Turnovers and you can see who is able to make the best creation.
You are bound to have a lot of fun and laughs along the way. You could even do a timed challenge or you could make it so people aren’t allowed to follow recipes. Make sure you have a prize waiting for the winner.
After all, its always fun to do something different with the people that we love the most, isn’t it? You can even make Cherry Cocktails to go with the dessert.
Five facts about Cherries:
- Darker Cherries have a higher Antioxidant and Vitamin levels than lighter ones.
- On average, commercially grown Cherry Trees produce about 7,000 Cherries annually.
- Over 75% of the Cherries sold in the U.S. come from Michigan.
- There are two main species of cultivated Cherries; the sweet Cherry (also called the Wild Cherry), and the Sour Cherry (also called the Tart Cherry).
- Freezing Cherries not only preserves but concentrates and improves their taste.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
