There are two ideas in today’s tip:

 
We loved the idea of a yogurt moat (photo #1), observed at Botanica restaurant in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles.

In the photo, the chef piled a salad on top of a moat of garlicky sheep’s milk yogurt. The salad, which emphasizes different colors, is served for brunch or lunch with :

 
The salad is placed in the center of the plate; the moat is spooned around it.

It may be “just salad and yogurt,” but it has panache. The restaurant serves it with garlic toast and poached eggs.
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*Arugula’s sharp, pepper taste contrasts with sorrel’s tart, lemony flavor.
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WHAT IS SORREL

Sorrel (SAW-rull) is not one of the most often-used herbs in the U.S., but it is a favorite worldwide.

Common sorrel or garden sorrel—simply called sorrel—is a dark green (Rumex acetosa, photo #2) or variegated (photo #2) perennial herb. It’s a member of the Polygonaceae family, which includes buckwheat and rhubarb.

Sorrel grows from early spring to late fall, but gets progressively more bitter as the months progress (a boon to those who like bitter herbs, but if it’s too bitter for you, simply blanch it).

The plant has been cultivated for centuries. When the leaves are consumed raw they have a slight sour taste, due to oxalic acid. The tartness is enjoyed by many cultures.

 
There are country-specific uses as well:

Variegated sorrel with red veining (photo courtesy Specialty Produce). There are other, less-seen varieties in shades of purple.

The oxalic acid in sorrel helps to cut through fatty or oily dishes.

The next time you see fresh sorrel, pick up a bunch and experiment: Use some in a salad, some in a cooked dish.

Sorrel is a “heart-healthy herb”—high potassium content, which lowers blood pressure and increases blood circulation. It is also loaded with antioxidant vitamins A and C.

Sorrel, the herb, is not related to sorrel, the Caribbean drink. The later is made with hibiscus.
  

[3] MorningStar Farms makes its Classic line of veggie burgers in 11 flavors (all photos courtesy Morningstar Farms).

When one of Top Chef’s favorite chefs, Richard Blais.

In addition to his cuisine moderne, Chef Blais previously owned the FLIP burger boutique in Atlanta.

Using MorningStar Farms’ veggie burgers. The burger line alone is extensive (here are recipes for the entire product line):

 
Chef Blais created four vegetarian burgers, just right for Labor Day Weekend.

Even meat eaters like a good veggie burger—and these are great veggie burgers. Serve both beef burgers and veggie burgers, and you’ll be surprised to see who comes back for seconds on the veggie.

National Veggie Burger Day is June 5th.
 
 
RECIPE #1: ISLAND BURGER

Prep/cook time is 20 minutes.

Ingredients Per Burger

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*Kansas City-style barbecue sauce is smoky and sweet. It is made by large brands like Bulls-Eye and Heinz, as well as by artisan producers.
 

Preparation

1. GRILL the Spicy Black Bean Burger to warm, and chop roughly while still warm. Toss with barbecue sauce. Set aside in bowl.

2. GRILL to warm the Grillers Original Burger. Grill the pineapple slice on the hottest part of the grill, 1 minute on each side.

3. TOSS the cilantro, cabbage, sesame oil and mustard in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

4. PLACE a small handful of dressed cabbage on bottom half of the bun. Add the two Grillers Original Burgers, with the grilled pineapple slice between the patties. Top off with the Spicy Black Bean Burger-and-barbecue-sauce mix. Add the top bun half and serve.

RECIPE #2: PITA BURGER

Prep time is 25 minutes, cook time is 5 minutes.

Ingredients Per Burger

 
Preparation

1. PICKLE the cucumbers. Bring the bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil in a small pot. Remove from the heat; whisk in the turmeric and coriander seed. Add the sliced cucumbers. Cool in the fridge in an airtight container.

2. MIX the yogurt with the garlic, cumin and mint in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. GRILL the watermelon on the hottest part of the grill, 1 minute on each side. When cool enough to touch, dice into cubes.

4. TOSS the watermelon with the arugula and feta in a small bowl. Set aside.

5. SPREAD the herbed yogurt on the inside of the pita. Arrange the burger, cucumbers, beets, arugula, watermelon and feta inside of the pita shell.
 
 
RECIPE #3: ROMESCO BURGER

Perhaps the best known sauce of Spain, Romesco is a pungent, smooth, rich red sauce made from red peppers, tomatoes, ground almonds or other nuts, olive oil, garlic, and cayenne pepper. It originated in Tarragona, a port city on the Mediterranean Sea in the province of Catalonia in northeast Spain. Here’s more about romesco.

Prep time is 30 minutes, cook time is 5 minutes.
 
Ingredients Per Burger

[6] The Spicy Black Bean Burger is MorningStar Farm’s best-selling burger.

1. MAKE the romesco sauce. Purée the red pepper, tomato, red onion, vinegar, almonds, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor, until finely ground. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil with the blender running. Add more oil if necessary.

2. SPRINKLE the salt and pepper and drizzle the olive oil over the romaine. Grill to warm the lettuce for 1 to 2 minutes, cut side down. Chop into 1/4 inch pieces. Set aside.

3. GRILL the burger to warm, slice into strips and set aside.

4. SPREAD the romesco sauce liberally over one side of the tortilla and place on grill. Lay the burger strips on top; then add the cilantro and romaine.

5. FOLD the tortilla like a book to close, and flip to the other side. Grill for 1 minute longer and serve.
 
 
RECIPE #4: TANDOOR BURGER

Prep time is 25 minutes, cook time is 5 minutes.

Ingredients Per Burger

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†For 1 tablespoon, whisk together 1/2 teaspoon of each: cayenne pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground ginger, paprika, turmeric, salt.

 
Preparation

1. MIX the yogurt and tandoori spice in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. DRIZZLE the olive oil over the eggplant slices and season with salt and pepper. Grill for one minute on both sides.

3. STRAIN the liquid from cottage cheese. Mix the cheese, spinach, onion, garlic and garam masala. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium to low heat with and cook 15 minutes. If the mixture starts to dry, add a few drops of water to prevent burning. Set aside to cool.

4. GRILL the burger to warm it. At the same time, grill the bread. Place the burger on the bottom of the naan bread. Top with the eggplant, spinach mixture, cilantro, and yogurt. Add the top slice of naan and serve.

[1] Turnovers can be any shape you can seal and crimp (photo © Country Living Magazine).

[2] Icing is popular, although we think it’s gilding the lily—not to mention upping the sugar. We’d trade it for a scoop of ice cream. (photo © Taste of Home).

[3] You can celebrate with frozen turnovers, of course. These are Pepperidge Farm gussied up with sliced almonds and a white chocolate drizzle. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Nibble).

[4] There are numerous savory turnover options, from curried chicken to spinach and goat cheese. Here’s the recipe for these pizza turnovers (photo © Taste of Home).

[5] The turnover offers an easier road to spanakopita. Here’s the recipe for these spinach-feta turnovers (photo © Uncomplicated Chef).

Updated August 2026

Most people have never had a fresh cherry turnover. August 28th is National Cherry Turnover Day, a day to ameliorate the situation with the recipe below.

We make this statement categorically, because turnovers are not a commonly-found or -made food these days; and fresh cherries are ephemeral. Add these facts together, and the sum is that the cherry turnovers you’re likely to encounter are made with frozen cherries or cherry pie filling.

So today, buck tradition and make cherry turnovers. The cherries are waiting for you in the produce section, and the cream cheese pastry pocket is so delicious, you’ll want to use this as your signature turnover recipe, with seasonal fruits.

Below:

> Cherry turnover recipe

> Variations with fruits by season.

> The history of turnovers.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of cherries.

> The different types of cherries.

> The year’s 15+ cherry holidays.

> The different types of pie and pastry: a photo glossary.
 

[6] Dark red Bing cherries and bright red Montmorency cherries (photo © Sid Wainer).
 
 
1. RECIPE: FRESH CHERRY TURNOVERS

We adapted this recipe from one in Country Living. When you taste your first batch, there’s a good chance you’ll be back at the store for more cherries and cream cheese.

You can leave out the crystallized ginger if you’re not a ginger fan, but it’s a wow factor.

And if this is too much work at the moment, here’s a quick turnover recipe with purchased pie crusts and cherry pie filling.

Ingredients For 15 Turnovers

For The Dough

 
For The Filling

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, ginger and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until well blended; then add the butter and cream cheese and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor running…

2. ADD the water slowly and mix just until dough comes together. Form dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough for 30 minutes.

3. MAKE the filling: In a medium bowl, mix the cherries, lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt together. Set aside.

4. ROLL out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out 6-inch circles. Invert a 6″ diameter plate or bowl atop the dough and cut out with a pizza cutter or knife; if it’s a little larger or smaller, that’s fine. Gather and re-chill the dough scraps and repeat until you have 15 dough circles.

5. Evenly divide the cherry filling among the dough circles, leaving an edge to fold and crimp. Dampen the edge of each dough circle and fold in half over the cherry filling. Lightly press the edges with the tines of a fork to seal each half-moon-shaped turnover. You can also cut squares or rectangles. For a triangular shape, follow these guidelines for spanakopita, making the triangle as large as you like.

6. PLACE the turnovers on two parchment-lined baking sheets and chill for at least 30 minutes. While they chill, position the oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 400°F. When ready for the oven:

7. USE a sharp knife to cut 2 or 3 small vents on top of each turnover. Place the baking sheets on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the crust is golden and cherry juice begins to ooze from the vent holes, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool turnovers on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

 
 
3. TURNOVER HISTORY

The concept of cooking fruits and meats in pastry is thousands of years old. Given the lack of bakeware at the time—especially among the less affluent—it is easy to envision cooks of ancient eras filling squares of dough with whatever, folding the dough to seal the filling, and baking them in the fireplace.

Turnovers can be sweet or savory and can be folded into half moons, rectangles, squares or triangles. Savory varieties are often used as a portable meal, as Americans grab a sandwich (think around the globe, from calzones to dosas to empanadas to spanakopita).

In England, printed recipes start to appear around 1750. But given the paucity of printed cookbooks (and the literacy level of the general public), they may have been popular for centuries.

Add to that a challenge: Turnovers were often called apple pies (apple being the most popular and widely available fruit filling).

Sweet turnovers typically have a fruit filling and are made with a puff pastry or shortcrust pastry dough. Savory turnovers generally contain meat and/or vegetables and can be made with any sort of dough, although a kneaded yeast dough seems to be the most common in Western recipes.

Turnovers are usually baked, but may be fried.

Perhaps the largest number of [sweet] turnovers are sold by Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts, launched in 1964.

Turnovers Vs. Hand Pies

A turnover is a type of hand pie, but not every hand pie is a turnover.

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