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:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together 1 tablespoon of water and the cornstarch, forming a paste. Set aside.
- 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).
- Add the cornstarch to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 18X15 rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6-8 rectangles.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg white with a teaspoon of water, to make the egg wash.
- 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.
- Repeat this process with the rest of the dough rectangles.
- 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.
- Let cool completely on wire racks, before digging in. Delicious!