Mushroom Turnovers

A tender cream cheese pastry wraps around a creamy mushroom filling sautéed with onions, lemon juice, and half-and-half. These bite-sized turnovers are the kind of appetizer that looks like it took all day but can be prepped well ahead and frozen unbaked.

The pastry dough (butter, cream cheese, salt, flour) needs an overnight chill. This long rest hydrates the flour fully and firms the butter so the dough rolls thin without tearing. Remove it from the fridge 10 minutes before rolling to take off the hard chill.

The mushroom filling gets thickened with flour and cream into a smooth, concentrated paste that holds together inside the pastry. Adding a tablespoon of sherry or dry vermouth before chilling gives the filling an extra layer of sophistication.

Egg wash brushed on before baking gives each turnover a glossy, golden finish.

Chef Tips

• Roll the dough thin, ⅛ inch, for a delicate, flaky pastry. Thick dough bakes puffy and bread-like.
• Put just 1 teaspoon of filling in each round. Overfilling makes sealing impossible and the turnovers burst during baking.
• Press the edges firmly with a fork to seal. The fork tines create a decorative border and a tight seal.
• These freeze beautifully unbaked. Freeze on a sheet, then bag. Bake from frozen, adding 5 minutes to the time.

Variations

• Spinach mushroom: Add wilted spinach to the mushroom filling for a green, more complex filling.
• Gruyère addition: Stir grated Gruyère into the warm filling for a cheesy, melty center.