Lara Jean’s Cherry Turnovers

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You officially arrives on Netflix today, so naturally I’m hosting a viewing party tonight. ICYMI: The series is near and dear to my heart (I even wrote about how much it means to me for The Kit!) and it’s actually the inspiration for this blog. I wanted to make an extra special treat for my friends, and in the movie, Lara Jean makes Peter cherry turnovers for Valentine’s Day. Inspired by Lara Jean’s love letters, I decided to put a twist on her recipe and make them in the shape of sweet love letters.

I used pre-made puff pastry to speed up the process, but made the filling from scratch. The bonus of using puff pastry is that it makes them extra flakey and delicate, perfect for having with your morning coffee (or while watching the movie, obviously!) If the love letter concept isn’t your thing, you can just use a sharp knife to cut 3 slits in the top of the pastry, instead of using a heart cut-out. This will give you a more classic turnover, like the kind Lara Jean makes in the movie. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1 bag (300g) frozen cherries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 sheets puff pastry (10×10 inches each)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon coarse or granulated sugar, to sprinkle on top

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined, and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, lemon juice and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until cherries start to release their juices, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the vanilla and cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring often. 
5. Remove from heat and let your filling cool completely (so you don’t hurt yourself when stuffing your turnovers!)
6. On a lightly floured surface, lay out one pastry sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut sheet into 4 squares. Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut an upside-down heart into the top half of the pastry square. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of cooled cherry mixture onto each of the 4 pastry squares. Fold the top of the pastry down onto the bottom, lining up the edges as best you can, with the cut-out heart being in the centre. Crimp all the edges with a fork to seal shut, lightly drag a knife in a V across the top of the turnover to create your “envelope flap” with the heart cut-out in the centre. Place the leftover cut-out puff pastry heart in the top righthand corner (it will be your stamp!)
7. Repeat this entire step with remaining pastry sheet, so that you have 8 turnovers total.
8. Brush the tops of the turnovers with egg wash, then sprinkle with coarse or granulated sugar. 
9. Bake the pastry pies for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.