Apple Turnover With Puff Pastry

Preheat the oven first — 400°F, rack low. You’ll need that heat ready. Sheet lined with parchment or silicone. The ricotta goes in a bowl. Orange zest mixed in. Salt and pepper. Set it aside. The squash gets its own bowl — olive oil, rosemary, those chili flakes, salt, pepper again. Toss it. Let it sit. Flour your surface. Roll the puff pastry thinner than it came — aim for about a 9-inch square. Transfer it to the sheet. This is the part where you work fast because the squash will start to weep if you leave it sitting too long.

Why You’ll Love This Puff Pastry Tart

Takes 12 minutes to put together. Most of that is slicing. Thirty minutes in the oven after that. Works as a summer starter or a light dinner — something between a tart and not quite a full meal. The ricotta stays creamy. Squash gets soft in a way that matters. Edges of the puff pastry turn the color of old wood — that specific tan that only happens when you actually know what you’re doing. Vegetarian. No excuses, no substitutions needed. Just is. Cold the next day tastes almost better. Flavors settle. Ricotta gets denser somehow.

What You Need for Ricotta and Squash Puff Pastry Tart

Ricotta. Not the stuff from the plastic tub. The kind that’s been strained. Grated. 170 grams. Sounds like too much until you spread it and realize it’s not.

Orange zest. Finely. Not strips. Micro-fine. Changes everything about the taste.

One small yellow squash. Sliced thin on a mandoline. Could use zucchini. Either one works. Mandoline is non-negotiable — you won’t get them thin enough otherwise.

Olive oil. Good kind. Not the cheap stuff that tastes like nothing.

Rosemary. Fresh. About a tablespoon. Dried is wrong here.

Puff pastry sheet. One. Thawed. That’s 180 grams if you’re buying loose sheets. Trust the weight.

Red chili flakes. A pinch. Not enough to burn. Just enough to make you wonder what it is.

Salt. Pepper. All-purpose flour for dusting.

How to Make Apple Puff Pastry Tart

Oven goes to 400°F. Low rack. Parchment on the sheet.

Mix the ricotta with orange zest in one bowl — that’s your base layer. Add salt and pepper. Stir once. The color changes slightly. That means it’s worked.

Other bowl gets the squash. Toss it with olive oil, rosemary leaves, chili flakes, salt, pepper. Don’t let it sit too long or it’ll start sweating liquid onto itself.

Flour your counter. Roll the puff pastry out — roll it thinner than it comes. A 9-inch square is what you’re after. Transfer it to the sheet. This matters more than you think because if you fold it now it won’t puff right.

Spread the ricotta on the pastry. Leave a border. About half an inch all around. That’s your crisp edge. Without the border it stays soft.

How to Get Puff Pastry Tart Edges Golden and Crispy

Squash goes on top of the ricotta. Overlap them like roof tiles — they’ll shrink and gap if you don’t. Work fast. The moment the squash hits that ricotta it starts releasing water.

Bake it 28 to 30 minutes. You’re watching for the edges to go golden — not dark, not pale. That specific tan. The center should feel set when you touch it. Not soft. Not hard. Just set.

Cool it for 10 minutes on a wire rack before you slice it. The filling tightens up. Makes it easier to cut into clean pieces.

Serve warm or room temperature. Both work. Cold works too if you have leftovers, which you probably will.

Puff Pastry Tart Tips and Common Mistakes

Don’t skip the border. The pastry edges are the best part and they only get crispy if there’s nothing on top of them.

Thaw the pastry all the way. Room temperature, not the fridge. Cold pastry won’t puff the same way.

The squash will release water. That’s why you work fast. That’s why the ricotta base matters — it absorbs some of it. But if you let the squash sit for five minutes before layering it, you’re fighting physics. Don’t.

Rosemary is subtle here. Doesn’t announce itself. If you don’t like it, cut it in half. If you love it, add more. Neither is wrong.

The orange zest is doing work you don’t expect. Don’t skip it thinking it’s optional. It ties everything together. That’s not flowery. That’s just what happens.

Apple Turnover With Puff Pastry

By Emma

Prep:

12 min

Cook:

30 min

Total:

42 min

Servings:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 170 g grated ricotta
• 1 orange zested finely
• 1 small yellow squash sliced thinly with a mandoline
• 10 ml olive oil
• 5 ml fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 sheet 180 g puff pastry, thawed
• Pinch red chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• All-purpose flour for dusting

Method

1. 1 Preheat oven to 205°C (about 400°F). Position oven rack down low. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat.
2. 2 Combine ricotta and orange zest in bowl. Add salt and pepper, stir and set aside.
3. 3 In another bowl, toss squash slices with olive oil, rosemary, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
4. 4 Lightly flour surface. Roll puff pastry out thinner than usual, aiming for a 24 cm square. Transfer to baking sheet.
5. 5 Spread ricotta mixture evenly on dough but leave 1.5 cm border uncovered for crisp edges.
6. 6 Place squash slices overlapping across ricotta spread. Work quickly so squash doesn’t get soggy.
7. 7 Bake 28 to 30 minutes until pastry edges turn golden and filling is set.
8. 8 Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before slicing into squares or rectangles.
9. 9 Serve warm or room temperature for appetizer or light meal.

Nutritional information

Calories

275

Protein

7g

Carbs

22g

Fat

18g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Puff Pastry and Squash Tart

Can I make this with apples instead of squash? Yeah. Slice them thin same as the squash. Maybe add a squeeze of lemon so they don’t brown. Everything else stays the same. Won’t be this recipe anymore, but it’ll work.

How much does the puff pastry puff up? Not a ton. You’re not making a puff pastry apple tart that’s all air. It rises a little. Stays flat mostly. That’s the point. You want it crispy, not puffy.

Can I use goat cheese instead of ricotta? Not the same. Goat cheese is sharp. This needs something creamy and mild. Ricotta’s the right choice. Tried it once with goat cheese. Too much going on.

Do I have to use fresh rosemary? Don’t bother with dried. Tastes like nothing. If you can’t find fresh, use basil or just leave it out. Either’s better than dried.

How long does it keep? Three days in the fridge covered. Tastes fine cold. Reheats okay in a 300°F oven for five minutes but it’s better at room temperature.

What if my puff pastry cracks when I roll it out? Press it back together. It’ll seal. Puff pastry’s forgiving that way. You’re not making croissants.

Can I prepare this in advance and bake it later? Layer it, cover it, throw it in the fridge for a few hours. Bake it cold. Might take 32 minutes instead of 30. The ricotta won’t separate and the squash won’t get soggy because the whole thing stays cold until heat hits it.