Sorry its been so long I had to take a little vacation from life and spent a fine few days in Rhinelander Wisconsin eating cheese, drinking beer, and enjoying the view. It was beyond amazing better then I imagined it to be.
the view from the swinging chair and Reu who brought me to this lovely place
While there I had planned to bake a pie with rhubarb fresh for the garden but it seemed more important to take a nap. So now that I have returned to the land of hot sticky heat I thought why not slave over the stove on my day off and make little tiny bitty hand pies. It was a really good idea and was a happy end to a very busy and somewhat stressful week drawing and painting class are kicking my bum big time!
Part of the reason I decided to make mini pies was that I couldn't decide between peach and cherry. Peach is my personal favorite but the cherries looked amazing and were so cheap they might as well have been free. I obviously would have just made two pies but I don't own two pie plates, this something I should remedy. With the mini pies I could make both so the decision was made.
Recently I have been asked my thoughts on pre made pie crust and although I have never used any I am not against them in anyway. I just personally think making dough is possibly the easiest thing ever and there for why buy it already made? If you are going to use pre made crust I bet that Trader Joe's one is damn good since pretty much everything they make is good. With everything else just look at the ingredients dough should only be flour, butter (or some sort of fatty oil like coconut or palm oil) , salt and water.
2 3/4 cups flour
8 ounces cold butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice cold water
I know making dough scares people so I am gonna give you all the best tips I can
Start with all cold ingredients even the the flour. If you are using a pastry cutter or mixer also chill the bowl you will be mixing in. If you are using a food processor it mixes so fast don't worry about it. Cut the butter up into small pieces and chill again. Mix the flour, salt and the butter together just until it is combined DO NOT OVER MIX it should be very chunky lumps of butter/flour. Slowly start to add in the water a tablespoon at a time until the dough looks crumbly but when pinched hold together well. At this point separate the dough into to rounds and wrap in plastic and put in the refrigerator for at least an hour but up to 24hrs you can even freeze it for later but its a bit harder to work with. While the dough is resting in the fridge get your fillings together so they can sit and get all juicy and delicious
PEACH FILLING
2 cups chopped very ripe peaches
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar
combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and let sit for a few minutes (same the cherry)
CHERRY FILLING
2 cups pitted cherries (if you don't have a cherry pitter the squish the cherry with a the flat side of a large knife the pit will be easy to pop out)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 finely chopped walnuts
also a little cream or and egg yolk for brushing
Now its time to roll out the dough. I always start with a big piece of parchment lightly floured. Take one round of dough out the refrigerator and sprinkle with flour, also flour the rolling pin. Now roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. I like to roll out into an oval but any shape can work. Now take a 5 inch round cookie cutter and start cutting. Once all the circles are cut place them in fridge to chill and repeat with the second round of dough. In total you should have about 18 rounds. If you want more just use a smaller circle. You also want to pre heat the oven at this point to about 425 degrees.
To assemble the pies swipe a little cream or egg yolk around the edge of the circle of dough then filling the circle with about 2 tablespoons of filling. Don't over fill for the pies will be really hard to pinch closed. fold the dough over and pinch the seam closed with your fingers or with a fork. Lightly brush the top with cream or yolk and then give a little tiny slit with a sharp knife so steam can escape and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Then bake for about 20 minute or until filling is bubbling out of the top and they are nice and golden brown.
PEACH FILLING
2 cups chopped very ripe peaches
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar
combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and let sit for a few minutes (same the cherry)
CHERRY FILLING
2 cups pitted cherries (if you don't have a cherry pitter the squish the cherry with a the flat side of a large knife the pit will be easy to pop out)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 finely chopped walnuts
also a little cream or and egg yolk for brushing
Now its time to roll out the dough. I always start with a big piece of parchment lightly floured. Take one round of dough out the refrigerator and sprinkle with flour, also flour the rolling pin. Now roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. I like to roll out into an oval but any shape can work. Now take a 5 inch round cookie cutter and start cutting. Once all the circles are cut place them in fridge to chill and repeat with the second round of dough. In total you should have about 18 rounds. If you want more just use a smaller circle. You also want to pre heat the oven at this point to about 425 degrees.
To assemble the pies swipe a little cream or egg yolk around the edge of the circle of dough then filling the circle with about 2 tablespoons of filling. Don't over fill for the pies will be really hard to pinch closed. fold the dough over and pinch the seam closed with your fingers or with a fork. Lightly brush the top with cream or yolk and then give a little tiny slit with a sharp knife so steam can escape and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Then bake for about 20 minute or until filling is bubbling out of the top and they are nice and golden brown.
next post...all about the recipe cards i just made!
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