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Monday, July 9, 2012
Not Just Pie....Hand Pie
12:26 PM | Posted by
Stephanie |
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Its summer and that means its serious
fruit season. Stop eating the apples and
citrus that have been in cold storage since they were actually in season months
ago and move on to the good stuff – stone fruits and berries. I eat fruit in some way shape or form almost
every day – in a salad, in a smoothie (my blender is going to throw in the
towel soon if I don’t cool it) or just straight up. But it was high time for pie (say that with
your best southern accent).
I usually go to my old
neighborhood in Takoma Park for a block party on the 4th of July,
and when I do I know I will get at least a slice or two of homemade pie from my
friends’ mother. This year, plans
changed so I was left to my own devices.
A group of us cook together on Thursdays so last week I offered to make
dessert – strawberry blueberry hand pies.
I’ve seen tons of recipes for hand pies recently and I like the idea of
true single servings, because come on, who doesn’t cut their own slice just
slightly bigger than everyone else’s…then go back for “just one more sliver”? This is portion control at its finest.
This recipe actually calls for
rhubarb rather than blueberries, but I am a berry fanatic lately so there was
no question, the rhubarb was out this time.
A couple more pics, then the details:
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| Before |
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| After |
Recipe adapted from
Crepes of Wrath (www.crepesofwrath.net)
Ingredients
1 batch pie dough (recipe below)
5-6 stalks rhubarb, washed and
thinly sliced (I substituted about 1 ½ pints fresh blueberries)
3 ½ cups strawberries (I used a
one pound container)
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup corn starch
2 Tbsp AP flour
½ tsp lemon zest (I zested a
whole lemon)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp coriander (I omitted)
½ tsp ground cardamom (my
addition – just love it)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sugar for sprinkling (I used
coarse sparkling sugar for a little crunch)
Pie Dough
3 cups AP flour1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
¾ cup ice water (give or take)
*Note – I generally like to do
half shortening/half butter for a flakier crust, but since these are hand pies
all butter works better – less mess!
Instructions
- For the
dough – mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender
until well incorporated and texture is that of coarse crumbs. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time until
dough comes together in a ball.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
- Preheat
your oven to 375 degrees. Thinly
slice rhubarb (or just use blueberries) and dice strawberries. Place them in a large bowl and toss with
the sugars, cornstarch, flour, lemon zest, spices and vanilla. Set aside.
- Remove
pie dough from fridge and dust work surface with flour. Roll the dough to about 1/8 inch thick
(or however thick you prefer).
Using a round cutter, cut the dough into circles and place half of
them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place about 1 ½ tsp filling on top of
each round. Lightly brush the edges
of the round with egg wash and cover the filling with the other half of
the rounds. Crimp the edges with a
fork, brush with egg wash and sprinkle sugar over the top. Poke small holes in the tops of each pie
with a fork and bake for 20-25 min or until golden brown.
- Allow pies to cool completely before placing in an air tight container. Can be stored for up to 2 days at room temperature, longer in the fridge and for up to 2 months in the freezer.
*Note – the recipe calls for using
a 1 ½ inch cookie or biscuit cutter to make the rounds. I opted to use a soup mug about 5 inches
across and make half-moon shaped pies instead.
Either works fine.
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