National Cherry Turnover Day

I’ll obey them in the winter when the doctors say to me I must give up ham and spinach, and obedient I’ll be. To relieve my indigestion in December they can try, but there’s none of them can stop me when it’s time for cherry pie.

Bob Dole

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? National Cherry Turnover Day reminds us that such a thing has been invented, and celebrates its deliciousness!

Learn about National Cherry Turnover Day

National Cherry Turnover Day has been created in order to honor this sweet and tasty handmade pie. These pastries, which are filled with delicious cherries, are best served hot. It’s not up to us to tell you how to enjoy your cherry turnover, though, so 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 it with a nice scoop of ice cream or a generous serving of whipped cream and it is going to take the dessert to even higher heights of scrumptiousness, if possible!

But what exactly is a cherry turnover? Well, a cherry turnover is basically a pastry that is made by placing a cherry filling inside of a piece of dough. You then fold the dough over and seal it so that the filling does not leak out. Once you have done this, you can either deep fry or bake the turnover, resulting in a deliciously flaky and golden crust, combined with sweet, warm cherries. It really is the perfect combination. Most people would agree that tart cherries are best when making pies. This is because their juices meld best with sugar when baking.

Cherries themselves 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 some 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. They 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. They can also boost exercise recovery.

History of National 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 them was 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 National Cherry Turnover Day

You can either go out and buy Cherry Turnovers for yourself and all your co-workers or try to make them for yourself! Because we are made of awesome and know our patrons, we offer the following recipe to get you started!

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 the 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.

Then place on a greased baking sheet and cook at 375F until they 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 that you will be able to find somewhere local that serves this tasty treat. Plus, you may even find that some bakeries and food places have special recipes and offers going on to pay tribute to National Cherry Turnover Day.

Another fun way to celebrate National 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 ow 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 as well! After all, it is always fun to do something different with the people that we love the most, isn’t it? You can even make some cherry cocktails to go with the desserts you are going to be making.