Tag: hand pies recipe

Everything Bagel Cheesy Pocket Pies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Dad’s are the ultimate snackers, so I made these hearty pocket pies for dads to enjoy on Father’s Day. They’re cheesy and buttery and the crust is super flaky and tender. There’s a combination of butter and shortening in the crust. The butter gives rich flavor and the shortening helps make them flaky. A bit of vinegar in the crust helps prevent gluten formation so the crust will be tender. When making smaller pies, I like to divide the dough into portions before chilling. This prevents having to re-roll the scraps since re-rolling pie dough tends to toughen it.

I used a combination of whole grain Dijon mustard and hot mustard. My dad loves horseradish mustard. German varieties of mustard are delicious too. Feel free to use your mustard of choice. These are also delicious drizzled with a touch of hot honey.

Everything Bagel Cheesy Pocket Pies

Pocket pies with ham and cheese wrapped in a golden, flaky crust topped with Everything Bagel Seasoning
Print Recipe
Course Dinner
Servings 6 pocket pies

Ingredients
  

Pie Crust

  • 1 â…“ cups (170g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons (24g) vegetable shortening
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ¼ cup (59ml) ice water
  • 2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar

Filling

  • 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard, hot mustard or any mustard of your choice I used a combination of both
  • ½ cup (57g) shredded cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup (28g) shredded Gruyére cheese
  • 3 ounces (85g) shaved ham or pastrami* See note for vegetarian options
  • Egg wash: 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water
  • Everything Bagel Seasoning I used Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel Seasoning

Instructions
 

Pie Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until evenly dispersed. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips, creating flat dime size pieces.
  • Mix the ice water and vinegar together in a glass measuring cup. Sprinkle over the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until the dough comes together. You may not need all of the liquid depending on your climate.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times. Do not over work the dough. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, about 2 ounces (57g) each. Form the portions into disks, wrap them individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough portions to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out six rounds, about 4 1/2-5-inches each. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard on each round. Top each one with ham (or veggies) and cheese. Brush the perimeter edges with egg wash. Fold the rounds over and press the edges to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the pies with egg wash and sprinkle with Everything Bagel Seasoning. Cut a 1/2-inch ventilation slit into the top of each pie. Bake until golden brown, about 22-25 minutes. Transfer the pies to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

Notes

*Chopped fresh spinach leaves or blanched broccoli make delicious vegetarian substitutions.
**To find Everything But the Bagel Seasoning, click here.  
Keyword pastry, pocket pies

Strawberry Lavender Hand Pies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Good things are coming your way. Your first bit of good fortune today, was finding this recipe. These Strawberry Lavender Hand Pies are exceptionally delicious and delightful. The sweet strawberry filling and the buttery, flaky pie crust are perfect together. When you add the lavender icing, they become positively magical. The icing has a touch of lavender that’s just enough to add a subtle floral note. I decorated mine with lavender buds, sprigs of lavender and dried rose petals. These pretty pies are perfect for teatime or fairy picnics.

Strawberry Lavender Hand Pies

Hand held pies with sweet, fresh strawberry filling, surrounded by a buttery, flaky crust and topped with lavender icing.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 8 pies

Ingredients
  

Pie Crust

  • 2 â…” cups (340g) all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (48g) vegetable shortening
  • ¾ cup (170g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup (118ml) ice water
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar
  • Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Strawberry Filling

  • 2 ½ cups (375g) chopped strawberries (1/2-inch pieces)
  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (5g) cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt

Lavender Icing

  • ¾ cup (177ml) half & half
  • 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender* plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1-2 drops lilac gel food coloring
  • 1 tiny drop violet gel food coloring

Instructions
 

Pie Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it's evenly dispersed throughout. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips, creating flat dime size pieces.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the ice water and vinegar together. Sprinkle over the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until the dough comes together. You may not need all of the liquid depending on your climate.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times. Do not overwork the dough! Form the dough into two 4 x 5-inch rectangles. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Strawberry Filling

  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries release their juices and the mixture starts to bubble. Turn the heat down and simmer until thickened to a jam consistency, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Lavender Icing

  • In a small saucepan, heat the half & half and the lavender over medium heat, just until bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil. Turn the heat down and simmer gently for 1 minute. Strain the lavender cream into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
  • Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add the lavender cream a little at a time, whisking until smooth. Add more lavender cream as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Add the food coloring a little at a time, with the tip of a toothpick, until your desired shade is achieved. Whisk until smooth and well combined.

Assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out sixteen 3 x 4-inch rectangles. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Place 8 rectangles onto the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Brush the perimeter edges with egg wash. Top each one with about 2 tablespoons of filling. Top with the remaining rectangles. Press the edges to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the pies with egg wash. Cut 1/2-inch ventilation slits in the top of each one.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 23-28 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Spoon or drizzle the icing over the cooled hand pies. Sprinkle with a few lavender buds.

Notes

*To find culinary lavender, click here.
Keyword pastry, pie, strawberry lavender