Jul 05 2011

Happy 4th!

What's more festive than cherry hand pies?

I made these portable pies yesterday and we've been munching on them all weekend.  With store-bought puff pastry dough, the prep work is minimal, leaving plenty of time for picnics in Prospect Park.

Cherry Hand Pies

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes 7-8 hand pies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups tart cherries, stemmed & pitted

2/3 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 14 oz package puff pastry (I used Dufour), defrosted

1 egg white

caster sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together 1 tablespoon of water and the cornstarch, forming a paste. Set aside.
  2. Combine the cherries, dried cherries, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the juices are released (5 minutes).
  3. Add the cornstarch to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
  4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 18X15 rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6-8 rectangles.
  5. In another bowl, whisk the egg white with a teaspoon of water, to make the egg wash.
  6. Starting with the first dough rectangle, place it on the prepared baking sheet and brush the edges with the egg wash. Scoop 3 tablespoons of cherry mixture onto one side and then fold the dough over, forming an envelope. Seal the edges with a fork. Using a knife, cut several small openings into the top of the pastry pocket. Sprinkle with sugar.
  7. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough rectangles.
  8. Preheat the oven to 375, while chilling the pockets for 30 minutes. Bake the pastries until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 30-40 minutes.
  9. Let cool completely on wire racks, before digging in. Delicious!