Preparation for Puff Pastry

Pulse to combine in food processor:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Scatter over the flour
5 tablespooons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Stir to combine: ice water, lemon juice, and egg yolk

Drizzle the mixture over the contents of the processor.  Pulse just until the dough begins to come together.  Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a 5-inch square.  Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Cut into 1/2 inch slices and freeze for two minutes:
28 tablespoons (3 1/2 sticks) butter

Place in a food processor
1 cup all-purpose flour
Distribute the butter slices over the flour and pulse just until the mixture looks like fine gravel; it should not be processed to a paste.  Scrape the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap, cover and shape into a 6-inch square. Wrap and refrigerate while rolling out the dough.

Remove the 5-inch dough square from the refrigerator. 
Place it on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 13 x 8 inch rectangle, keeping one 8-inch side facing you.  Brush off the excess four.  Remove the butter patty from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and center it on one half of the dough.  Fold the dough over the butter, completely covering it.  Press the dough together on the three open sides.  Turn the dough so that the folded edge is on the left, with one of the sealed sides (where the dough was pressed together) on the right to change the direction of the pastry for the next roll.  The dough is now ready for turns. 

Roll the dough package into a 17 x 7 1/2 inch rectangle, keeping one short side of the rectangle facing you.  Slide a dough scraper or spatula under the bottom third of the dough and fold it up.  Slide the spatula under the top third of the dough and fold it down on top of the first third as though you were folding a business letter.  This rolling and folding is called a single turn.  Rotate the dough so that the folded edge is on the left and the open edge is on the right (like a book about to be opened).  Roll the dough once more into a 17 x 7 1/2 inch rectangle.  This time fold the bottom end up and the top end down to meet in the center (rather than overlapping), then fold the dough in half so that the folded ends meet to make four layers of dough.  This double fold is the second turn.  Mark the dough with two finger imprints to remind yourself that you have given the dough two turns.  Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

With the folded edge on the left and the open edge on the right, roll the dough out again to 17 x 7 1/2 inches.  Repeat the double fold for the third turn.  Mark with three imprints, wrap the dough and refrigerate for 45 minutes.  Roll the dough out and repeat the double fold for the fourth turn.  Mark the dough with four imprints, wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.  The puff pastry is ready to use. 

Prepartion for Apple Turnovers Chaussons Aux Pommes

Have ready two unbuttered baking sheets.Cut the puff pastry in half, and refrigerate one half of the pastry.  Roll out the other half into an 11-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick.  Place the pastry on a baking sheet.  Repeat with the second half of the dough and place on the second baking sheet.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Dice apples into 1/4 inch cubes.

Transfer the pastry squares to a cutting board and trim 1/2 inch from all the sides to make two 10-inch squares.  Cut each into four 5-inch squares; you will have 8 squares.  Turn each piece upside down. 

Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt.  Toss well with the apples.

Spoon the apple mixture, dividing it evenly, onto the center of the pastry squares.  Lightly brush a 1/2-inch border on 2 adjacent edges of each pastry square with egg wash. 

Form a triangular turnover by folding the dry corner of the pastry over the apples to the egg-washed corner; press the corner and edges together with the flat tines of a fork to seal them.  Brush the top of each turnover with egg wash.  Cut three small slits in the top of each one. Arrange the turnovers at least one inch apart on the baking sheets.  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. 

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400?. 

Bake the turnovers until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350? and bake until golden, about 20 minutes more.  Serve warm.