Hand check!

Continuing with our epic 3-part Thanksgiving post extravaganza, I come to 2nd Thanksgiving....Thanksgiving day.  Today is the day where families all over the country get up at absurdly early hours of the day to get a gigundo bird in some sort of cooking device, eat until they can't move, then eat some more.  Sigh - I love America.

Since my parents have relocated to somewhere in middle-America, my roommate's family has officially adopted me for the holiday.  I'm absolutely amazed at how welcoming and generous Kayle's entire family (like extended family) has been to me.  My presence has never been questioned...even during the holidays I obviously don't celebrate (think Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur...I stick out like a sore thumb!).  So since this is a Thanksgiving post, I just want to officially express my gratitude to all of them, and especially Jane and Paul.  Thanks for taking care of me like another daughter.  Love you.

This year, my third as part of the family, we've completed the circuit at the last aunt's house near Portland, ME.  Kayle and I are almost always responsible for desserts and this year we decided on a twist on traditional pies...hand pies!  Kay and I saw them in a recent Bon Appetit issue and they were so cute!  The recipe originally was for Cranberry Hand Pies but I'm actually not a huge cranberry fan so we also made Cherry Hand Pies using the same dough recipe but a different filling recipe.  They ended up so good!  The dough is a cross between a pie dough and a shortbread-ish dough...and I l-o-v-e shortbread.

Before we get to the recipes, I would just like mention that Kayle and I got to meet Deb Perelman, aka the author of Smitten Kitchen, this past Wednesday.  She gave a talk/answered questions for about an hour then had a book signing for her new cookbook.  Deb is so sweet and funny - it was such a blast to meet her!  OK - onwards!

Deb Perelman at Coolidge Corner Theater

Cranberry Hand Pies adapted from Bon Appetit
Yield: ~8-10 hand pies

Dough

3 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 ½ tablespoons salt

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup ice water

Cranberry Filling

1 pound fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries

1 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice

½ teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in a bit of water

1 large egg, beaten,

1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla bean paste

Cut all of the butter into ½-inch cubes and freeze for at least 10 minutes.

Once your butter is frozen, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse.  Add the frozen butter and continue to pulse until the dough is coarse and grainy.  Slowly add the ice water to the mixture as the food processor is running.  Allow to just come together.

Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half.  Create flattened disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap.  Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before using.

For the filling, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and cornstarch in a saucepan.  Add the vanilla.  Allow for everything to rest for about 10 minutes, then cook over medium heat.  The mixture will simmer and thicken.  Let cool completely before using.

To assemble the hand pies, let the dough sit for about 15 minutes at room temperature.  Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/16-inch thickness.  Using a biscuit cutter or the top of a cup, cut out as many circles as you can.  Repeat this with the second disk.

Brush the edges of your “bottom” circles with the beaten egg.  Add about a tablespoon of filling in the center of the circle and top with a matching circle.  Use a fork to pinch the edges around.  Repeat until all your hand pies have been assembled.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or greased) and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Cut small slits in the center of each pie and brush the tops with the beaten egg.  If you want you can also sprinkle raw sugar on top.

Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until the pie is golden brown.  Let cool and enjoy!

Cherry Hand Pie Filling adapted from Fancy Food Fancy

1 pound fresh or frozen cherries, pitted

⅓ cup water

⅓ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon almond extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat.  Make sure to stir frequently with a rubber spatula and try to be as gentle as possible.  The juice will thicken after about 8 minutes while the cherries remain intact.  Let chill completely before using.


Tiffany

Guess who made this one...