Sour Cherry Hand Pies
Pastry
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- Pinch sea salt
Whisk together egg yolks and heavy cream in a small bowl. Combine flour, butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of food processor and pulse just until mixture forms a coarse sandy meal. Add eggs/cream and pulse just to combine. Be careful not to overwork as pastry will become tough. Divide pastry into 2 parts. Flatten into discs and wrap in plastic. Let chill at least 1 hour before using.
Cherry Filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- 5 cups (about 2 pounds) whole pitted sour cherries
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Using fingers work butter into sugar mixture, creating a nice buttery crumb. Add cherries, and toss. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Assemble hand pies
Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand about 10 minutes before rolling. Work with one half of dough at a time. On a clean or parchment lined work surface roll dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use a small plate or saucer to trace and cut circles - about 5 inches in diameter. Transfer circles to a parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling into the center of circle and brush perimeter with cold water. Fold circle in half, crimping edge with a fork to seal in filling. Continue with remaining dough and filling. Place hand pies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. Heat oven to 425. Pierce tops of pies with the tip of a sharp knife and brush with water. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until pastry is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue to back until juicy fruit is oozing out, another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.