Cherry Mitten Hand Pies Food

CHERRY HAND PIES

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough starts coming together.
• Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and lightly knead to bring together. Form into a disk, wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the cherries, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the cherries are juicy and the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, 5 more minutes. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the juice into a small bowl; stir in the cornstarch until dissolved. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and continue to simmer, stirring, until very thick, 6 to 8 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice and let cool.
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each ball into a 6 1/2-inch round, using as little flour as possible. Stack the rounds between pieces of parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand 5 minutes. Place 2 tablespoons cherry filling in the center of each round, then fold in half to enclose and crimp the edges to seal.
• Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360 degrees F. Fry the pies in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

FRIED CHOCOLATE-CHERRY HAND PIES

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Pulse the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough starts coming together, adding 1 tablespoon of ice water if needed.
• Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and lightly knead to bring together. The dough might be a little crumbly, but it will hydrate as it chills and comes together. Form into a disk, wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. It should feel like very firm modeling clay.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cherries and sprinkle with the sugar, cornstarch and salt and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until some of the cherries begin to break down and a jelly-like film begins to form at the bottom of the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Use the back of a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to smash half of the cherries against the side of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cherry jam and almond extract, if using. Transfer the filling to a medium bowl and let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then transfer to the refrigerator until fully chilled, about 1 hour. Fold in the chocolate chips once chilled.
• To assemble and fry: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 8 even pieces, then roll each piece into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each ball into a 6 1/2-inch round. If the dough starts to crack in places as you roll it out, pinch and press it together with your fingers and re-roll until the dough is smooth again. Stack the rounds between pieces of parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for 5 minutes. Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water.
• Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or deep high-sided skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the cherry filling into the center of each dough round. Brush the edge on one side of the dough round with some egg wash and fold the dough over to make a half-moon shape. Press out the air and seal the edges with your fingers. Use a knife to trim any of the rough edges away, leaving 1/2 inch of the dough around the filling. Crimp the edges with a fork. Keep the formed hand pies on their individual pieces of parchment as you form them to make them easier to handle when adding to the hot oil.
• One at a time, peel away the parchment paper and add 4 of the pies to the hot oil, turning once, until the dough is bubbling in spots and crispy, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pies to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and immediately sprinkle generously on all sides with sugar.
• Repeat with the remaining pies. Allow the pies to cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm.

CHERRY HAND PIES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, whisk 4 tablespoons water, sugar, brandy, cornstarch, lemon juice, tapioca, lemon zest and salt until combined. Add cherries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to a 14x9-in. rectangle. Cut out eight 3-1/2 x 4-1/2-in. rectangles. Repeat with remaining dough. , Transfer 8 rectangles to parchment-lined baking sheets; spoon about 3 tablespoons cherry mixture in center of each. Whisk egg and remaining 2 tablespoons water. Brush edges of crust with egg wash. Top with remaining 8 rectangles; press edges with a fork to seal. Brush tops with egg wash; cut slits in tops., Bake until crust is golden brown and slightly puffed, 25-30 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine confectioners' sugar, hot water, melted butter, extracts and salt; drizzle over pies. Garnish with freeze-dried strawberries if desired. Let stand until set.

MUMMY HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and a pinch of salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine.
• Roll out 1 pie crust on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin to form a rectangle about 9 inches by 12 inches. Square off the crust with a knife, reserving the scraps for decorating. Cut the pie crust into 6 equal rectangles, each about 3 inches by 6 inches. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Roll out the other pie crust to the same thickness as the first. Cut into thin strips about 1/4 inch wide and 7 inches long. Repeat with the reserved dough scraps. Transfer the strips to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling to the center of each rectangular crust. Use the back of a spoon to spread out the filling, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
• Lightly beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the pies with the egg wash. Layer the strips of dough, varying the angle of each strip to create a "mummy" look. Seal the edges with a fork and use a paring knife to trim the overhang. Lightly brush the tops of the hand pies with the egg wash. Add 2 raisins to each hand pie for the eyes.
• Bake, rotating the pan halfway through for even color, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a baking rack slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Serve as is or decorate with a simple icing. Combine the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl with 1/2 teaspoon water. Stir until smooth and glossy. Transfer the icing to a resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner. Pipe the icing onto the hand pies using the stripes of pie crust as a guide. Serve.