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Best. Appetizer. Ever.
I know, bold statement, but seriously these cute little turnovers are to die for. Sweet, cheesy, savory, buttery… just all kinds of deliciousness. I think the combo of caramelized pineapple, swiss cheese and puff pastry is just maybe the best thing ever.
SO GOOD.
Everyone, and I really mean EVERYONE, was into these. Someone even said they’d be really nice just to have around to snack on. I agree, they’re perfect for snacking, or to eat as a lite meal. I like them best as an appetizer, but all three will work.
For someone who never used to be a ham person, I’ve really gotten into it in the last year. I know that a lot of people really love ham, but growing up it was rarely ever presented to me so I just assumed I didn’t like it. That all changed last year though when I finally made my first ham (please excuse the ugly photos, ham is not a very pretty subject). I mean, whoa! So much yummy flavor. I loved it, the family loved it… we are slowly but surely becoming ham people.
Anyway, I baked a ham the other week and had so many leftovers (possibly the best part about baking a ham is the leftovers) that I decided I needed to make a fun appetizer out of them. Clearly pineapple and cheese needed to be involved, and since I’m on a puff pastry kick, well I couldn’t think of a better way to hold this all together. And that is how these cute little turnovers were made.
Honestly, these triangles are heaven. Simple, delicious heaven. I know that’s pretty dramatic, but it’s true.
Speaking of heaven, I have some extremely sad news regarding the family chickens. Sadly nine of our eleven chickens were attacked by two foxes last night and they did not make it. I never thought I could be so sad about chickens, but you guys, it’s REALLY sad. Not only that their lives are gone just like that, but dad finally had them laying eggs and doing all the right things (he was having some issues with the chickens eating the eggs and brooding). As much as the chickens grossed me out, they had become a part of the family and now they are just gone. It’s just so sad.
The two chickens left are from our original light-colored Buff Orpington chicks. They are so traumatized they will not leave their house. We are not 100% sure as to how the foxes got into the coop, but we have decided we are getting a full on house with a roof and a door that locks for them to go into at night. Then there will be no way for any predators to get them.
It’s Colorado, in the mountains, so we knew this was a possibility, BUT my dad had them in a pretty safe coop. Unfortunately it was just a super snowy night and the foxes must have climbed in and broken into the one house housing nine of the chickens. I woke up and saw them out there eating the chickens. That was not fun.
UGH. It’s still a bad picture painted in my head. Those poor little chickens. 🙁
R.I.P.
Okay, sorry for all the sadness. Let’s try to put our focus back on these Caramelized Pineapple, Ham and Cheese Turnovers.
Honestly, you guys HAVE to make these this holiday season, or really any season. Just make them! They are easy, you can even prepare them in advance and bake them just before serving. AND they are hand-held which makes eating them a breeze. Trust me on this, you guys really have to make these.
Plus, they’re cute, and we all know that cute food is always fun and yummy!
Oh and I almost forget to tell you, there are also caramelized onions. YESSS. Life is complete!
Caramelized Pineapple, Ham and Cheese Turnovers.
Servings: 18 TURNOVERS
Calories Per Serving: 286 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 sweet onion sliced thin
- 2 cups fresh pineapple cubed + 1 cup pineapple juice
- pinch of salt + pepper
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1/2 cup dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- pinch of cayenne to taste
- 12 slices of ham thinly sliced (omit for vegetarian version)
- 12 slices swiss cheese
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Add the onions and cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. At this point you want to slowly add the pineapple chunks and the pineapple juice, a little at a time, letting everything cook into the onions. Slowly add more until until you've added all the pineapple chunks and juice. Cook until the onions are caramelized to your liking and the pineapple juice has evaporated. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheets and cut each sheet into 9 squares (18 squares total). Place squares on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper (this will prevent sticking). In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and worcestershire sauce. Brush the mustard mix lightly on each square of puff pastry.
- Divide the onion/pineapple mixture among the 18 squares, top with ham and swiss cheese. Don't overfill, otherwise it will be very difficult to seal the edges.
- Brush egg wash around the perimeter of each pastry square and carefully fold dough over filling to create triangles. Pinch the edges closed to create a good seal. Generously brush the top of each turnover with egg wash, sprinkle with poppy seeds. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of chopped fresh thyme and flaky sea salt.
P.S. Christmas Eve is in just ONE week. WHOA. Time to start planning your appetizers.
Hi!
I was looking for a ham pie that was more than just ham and cheddar. This Really delivered! It really wasn’t hard and tasted amazing!!! I ended up using a sourdough pie crust and made them bigger. Oh boy, the sweet, the salty, the tang, the ooey gooey. Great recipe. Thank you!
Love that! Thank you Casey! xTieghan
This was the first time I worked with puff pastry before; they were about 9 by 9 sheets and I feel like that was way too small for the recipe. I had a lot of leftover compote and Dijon mix. Was I supposed to roll out the sheets more? Anyway I hate waste more than I love pretty displays (just cooking for me and my man) so I just piled on the ingredients and didn’t bother folding them. They cooked just fine without the egg wash since they were completely smothered by Swiss. Tasty, but next time I’ll pair it with a fresh granny smith apple to offset the heavy Dijon.
ALSO, if you run out of Swiss and think you can just quickly substitute in provolone or any other salty cheese, you are WRONG! Rookie mistake, that’s on me. Should have known better.
Hey Danna! Next time try rolling the sheets out a bit more so you can get more turnovers. Or use an addition sheet of puff pastry. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
They were very good! However, they are a lot of work. You can spread out the pineapple & onion compote to make two batches. Which, for us, made this recipe worth the work. I found cubing the ham small and using shredded cheese easier.
I am glad these turned out well for you Stacey! Thank you! xTieghan
The caramelized onions, pineapple with ham and cheese sounds like a great appetizer. My friends always ask for me to bring an appetizer ant our get togethers. This will be perfect. Thank you. Can’t wa it to try this.
I hope everyone loves this Gayle! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Do you have any ideas for a gluten free crust for these?
Hi, I am sorry I am not very familiar with gf cooking, so I am not sure. So sorry!
I’m really looking forward to making these! But I was hoping to make them ahead of time and freezing them for my mom. What would be the best method for freezing them? And how should they be baked if frozen? Should they thaw first?
Hey Page! I would freeze these uncooked on a baking sheet in a single layer and then transfer to a freezer safe bag. I would bake them frozen for maybe 5-8 minutes longer than directed in the recipe. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love these! Happy 2016!
Wonderful idea, like a Hawaiian pizza to go. Love it.
Sad and sorry to hear about your chickens 🙁
This recipe looks delish and I just might make it for Christmas since I am in charge of bringing
apps to dinner! Pictures are gorgeous Tieghan!
That is horrible, so sorry to hear about your chickens:(.
To those amazing turnovers, I definitely will take your word for it. They look and sound absolutely delicious. Something about caramalizing pineapples that brings the best in them. Awesome.
I’m so sorry about your chickens! I grew up in a somewhat rural area with chickens and we had some scary late night attacks too. It’s so heartbreaking, even though they’re just chickens, they sort of become part of your family and life. I had names for all 30+ chickens at one point.
Ummm…these turnovers look amazing. I’m always a fan of the ham and pineapple combo. Plus, anything with puff pastry is mouthwatering to begin with!
Goodness, these look like little samosas, but sound even BETTER! <3
Aw, I’m so sorry to hear about your chickens! That’s so sad 🙁
These little turnovers look so delicious. I’ve never been a big ham person, but these photos are making me drool!
These turnovers are beyond perfect, I”m adding them to the Christmas Eve menu! 🙂
Oh I’m so sorry to hear about your chickens!! Weekends I’m volunteering at a farm animal sanctuary and I know how sweet and crazy and amazing chickens are and how sad it is when one of them dies. It’s terrible that you had to burry 9 at the same time.
The turnovers look great though! I might try to make a pine apple vegan cheese version. 😀
xx Alex
Those look absolutely delicious! Fantastic job, you’ve been pinned! 🙂