Skip to main content

Pumpkin-Pear Hand Pies

Because my apple hand pies were such a hit, and because a friend recently posted about pumpkin pies at McDonald's (not that I would go there to get them!), I decided to give hand pies a shot with the pumpkin puree I made this afternoon and the pears I got from my parents.

The crust...
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 t smoke sea salt
2 sticks frozen butter, cut into little cubes
1/4 C sour cream
1/2 C ice-cold water

Place flour, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl; with a pasty cutter, cut butter into the flour and salt mixture until it resembles coarse sand. In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, and water. Slowly drizzle in the liquid mixture to the flour and butter, blending just until a rough ball forms. Pour out onto a lightly floured board and knead until just combined. Pat dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.

The filling...
2 C pumpkin puree
1-1/2 C heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 C packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sliced pears

Remove dough from refrigerator and cut in half. Roll each portion of dough to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch. Using a round biscuit cutter, cut into circles, about 6  inches in diameter (the rim of a small bowl works well if you don't have a biscuit cutter that size). Place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment. Scraps can be re-rolled and cut again. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator and repeat with the other ball of dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Place about pumpkin filling on one half of each round and lay sliced pears on top. Lightly brush edges with water, fold dough in half to make a crescent, and fold edges together. Place back in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. Remove from fridge. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

The glaze... 2 C powdered sugar and 3 T milk.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Ki Ngombo = Okra

In honor of Mardi Gras, I searched for traditional recipes for gumbo...only to discover that there is no canonical recipe for gumbo. It seems there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks!  The only two constants in a gumbo: variety and okra. The term 'gumbo' likely comes from an African dialect whose word for okra is ki ngombo .  Gumbos can have meat, seafood, just about anything.  In Mark Huntsman's "The History of Gumbo" he refers to written mentions of using muskrat and owl in gumbo recipes.  I embraced the unlimited potential of ingredients and opted for a combination of fish, chicken, pancetta, oysters, mussels, octopus, shrimp, and squid...and lots of okra!

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.