Hand Pies Food

FRUIT-FILLED HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together fruit, sugar, orange zest and juice, salt, and cornstarch; mix until well combined. Set fruit mixture aside.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Trim to 15-by-10 inches. Cut into six 5-inch squares. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour. Working with one square at a time, place 2 tablespoons of reserved fruit mixture in the center. Brush two connecting edges with beaten egg and fold on the diagonal over the filling, pressing to seal. Repeat process with remaining squares.
• Repeat entire process with remaining pate brisee. Place hand pies on prepared baking sheet. Brush pies with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Using a pair of clean scissors, snip the center of one side of each hand pie to allow steam to escape.
• Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until crusts are golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm.

APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
• Cut peeled and cored apples into quarters, cut each quarter into 3 wedges, and cut wedges into chunks.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; let butter brown to a light golden color and until butter smells toasted, about 1 minute. Stir apples into hot butter; sprinkle with salt, white sugar, and brown sugar. Cook and stir apple mixture until apples are softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in cinnamon and water; continue cooking until apples are soft and sticky, 1 to 2 more minutes. Spread apple filling onto a plate to cool.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Form a dough piece into a ball, place on a floured work surface, and roll into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup apple filling in the center. Fold dough over filling, leaving about 1 inch of dough on the bottom side visible below the top side. Gently press dough closed around filling, using your fingertips.
• Fold the overhanging bottom part of the dough up over the top edge, working your way around the crust, and pinch the overhang tightly to the top part of the crust.
• Crimp the edge tightly closed, pinching a little bit of dough with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and using your index finger on the other hand to push a small notch into the pinched dough. Continue pinching and notching all the way around until the crust is tightly crimped together. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Transfer pies onto prepared baking sheet.
• Whisk egg with milk in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Brush top of each hand pie with egg mixture and sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon white sugar. Cut 3 small vent holes in the top of each pie.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pies are golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out the pie crusts with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out rounds of dough with a 4 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Gather and reroll the scraps if necessary; you should have a total of 12 rounds.
• Spread 1 teaspoon sweet potato in an even layer over half of each round, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge. Top each with 2 teaspoons stuffing, then 2 teaspoons turkey, and finally 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce. (You may redistribute some of the filling among the rounds so all the piles are even.) Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash around the edges of each dough round.
• Fold over each dough round to cover the filling, creating 12 half-moon shapes. With your fingers, press the edges together to seal, and then press with a fork to seal securely.
• Brush the top of each hand pie with the remaining egg wash. Make 3 small slits with a small paring knife on the top of each pie to let the steam escape. Bake until the dough is cooked through and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with extra cranberry sauce and gravy on the side for dipping.

TEXAS HAND PIES

Steps:

• Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the food processor bowl. Pulse a time or two to blend. Add the vanilla, sour cream and milk. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter, shortening and sugar and egg, and process until the mixture is thoroughly blended and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball.
• Divide the mixture into 12 equal portion and form into balls.
• Refrigerate for about an hour until they're well chilled.
• Preheat oven to 375, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Flour the work surface and rolling pin. Place a ball of chilled dough on the floured surface. Roll each ball of chilled dough into a 5" diameter circle, using additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
• Spread 1 1/2 tbsp filling on one half of the circle, leaving a 1/2" uncovered space around the edge of the dough. Moisten the 1/2" space all around the edge of the dough with water.
• Fold the circle of dough in half, over the filling, and crimp the edges with a fork. Prick the pies a few time with the fork tines, to allow the steam to escape while they're baking.
• Place the pies on the parchment on the baking sheet, and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, or until they're light brown.
• Place the pies on a cooling rack until room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before serving.

HAND PIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and cold butter pieces into the bowl of your stand mixer and blend on low until mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Add in your egg and just enough water to bring the mixture together
• Press into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for one hour.
• Prepare your fresh fruit by chopping into small cubes (if needed) or use frozen fruit. No need to defrost.
• Place your fruit and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and bubbling.
• Add in your water (or juice), sugar, lemon juice, and salt and mix until combined. Bring to a simmer.
• Combine your ClearGel with your water and whisk to make a slurry. Pour into your simmering mixture and mix for 1-2 minutes to cook the gel. If you're using cornstarch, you only need to cook until it's clear.
• Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.
• Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper
• Let your dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to let it soften a bit
• Dust your surface with flour. Begin by pressing your dough with your rolling pin to start flattening it.
• Roll your dough out to 1/8 thick or about the thickness of a cake board. Thinner than you think. Thinner dough results in a crisper, crunchier crust for your hand pies.
• Cut your dough into 6" circles. I used a 6" cake board as a template or you can use a 5" circle cutter if you want smaller hand pies.
• Fill your 6" hand pie with 3 tablespoons of fruit filling (5" circles take 1 heaping Tablespoon). Do not overfill.
• Brush the outside edge with egg wash (one egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of cold water)
• Fold the hand pie over and crimp with a fork to seal well
• Use a knife or fork to make some vents on top
• Brush the hand pies with more egg wash and place them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Chill for 20 minutes.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be golden brown and the filling will just be starting to bubble.
• Let your hand pies cool for 10 minutes.
• While your hand pies are cooling, make your glaze. Just whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth.
• Use a pastry brush to brush the thin glaze over the hand pies and enjoy!
• These hand pies taste best the day they are baked but will last for three days in an airtight container in the fridge or frozen for up to 2 months.

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.

HAND PIES (PASTIES)

Steps:

• Bring pie crust out and to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly grease, spray or use parchment on a large baking sheet.
• Mix vegetables, and pork sausage if using. Don't precook the sausage - it will cook when the pies bake.
• Cut crust into small circles, about 2-3 inches across. You should be able to get five or six circles out of each crust if you re-roll the pastry leftovers.
• Place an equal amount of the filling on half of the circles, and top with another circle.
• Fold the edges over each other towards the top, and crimp together like a traditional pie crust. Make a small slit in the center to vent steam, and brush with an egg wash if you like.
• Place each little pie on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for approximately one hour, checking for over-browning.
• Can be eaten hot or cold.

SAVORY BEEF HAND PIES

Steps:

• In a medium frying pan on medium heat, add the Ground Beef and spices.
• When the Ground Beef is almost browned, about 8 minutes, add the onion.
• Cook until the Ground Beef is completely cooked through (160ºF) and the onoions are translucent.
• Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
• Cut circles out of the pie crust, they should be about 4-6 inches in diameter. You should get 12-14 circles. You can use a large cookie butter or biscuit cutter or just trace a drinking glass if you don't have a cutter.
• Divide the Ground Beef and cheese up evenly between the circles.
• Fold the circles in half and press the edges together gently. Crimp them firmly with a fork.
• Whisk the egg and water together. Brush it onto each beef hand pie.
• Place the beef hand pies on a lined or greased sheet tray.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
• Serve with fresh cut veggies to make it a completely hand-held meal.

APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5. The dough must chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator. You can make pie dough ahead, see instructions below.
• Combine the diced apples, granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together in a medium saucepan or skillet over low-medium heat. While occasionally stirring, bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can make filling ahead, see instructions below.
• See my video above as a visual guide for the next few steps. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. At any sign of sticking, sprinkle some flour underneath then keep rolling. Roll out until it's about 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8th - 1/4th inch thick. Using your cookie cutter, cut into circles. Re-roll any scraps and cut into circles. Place cut circles in the refrigerator to keep cold. The colder the shaped dough, the easier it is to work with. Repeat with 2nd pie dough and refrigerate cut circles for at least 15 minutes before filling the hand pies.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Arrange half of the circles about 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. These are the bottom crusts. Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the remaining circles. These are the top crusts. The slits act as vents so that steam can escape as the hand pies bake. Place about 2 Tablespoons of filling in the center of each bottom crust. (Or however much fits while leaving the edges bare.) Place top crust on top. Press your fingers all around the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork. If the hand pies lost some shape, use your hands to form a round circle again. It's OK if some filling juice is leaking out. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
• At this point the hand pies can be baked, but if they don't feel cool to touch anymore, freeze for 10 minutes before baking. The colder they are going into the oven, the better they'll hold their shape.
• Bake for about 28-32 minutes or until they're golden brown on top and around the edges. Rotate pans halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow the hand pies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to handle. You can serve warm or at room temperature. If desired, serve with a drizzle of warm salted caramel.
• Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Tip the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter into a saucepan set over a medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 6-8 mins until the apples are soft. Tip the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, unroll the pastry with a short side facing you. Cut in half lengthways so you have two long rectangles, then cut each into five smaller rectangles, so you have 10 in total (they should be 12 x 7cm).
• Once the spiced apple mixture has cooled, toss with the cornflour. Spoon into the middle of half the pastry rectangles, leaving the remaining five empty. Brush some of the beaten egg over the exposed pastry around the apples, then carefully place the plain pastry rectangles on top of the filling. Press down around the sides so the filling is encased. Crimp the edges using a fork to seal, then use the tip of a knife to lightly cut three lines across the top of the pies so that steam can escape during cooking.
• Arrange the pies on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and brush all over with more of the beaten egg. Chill for at least 30 mins in the fridge or 10 mins in the freezer. At this stage, the pies can be chilled for up to 24 hrs or individually covered and kept frozen for two months.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush with more of the beaten egg, sprinkle with the demerara sugar and bake for 15-20 mins, or until the pastry is golden (add another 10 mins if baking from frozen). Once baked and cooled, will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.