Pear, Ginger, and Orange Marmalade Hand Pies
Hi guys! It’s Gab here with a spring-loaded recipe. Well, actually more of a “transitional” recipe, because we are not ready yet to say goodbye to baked goods. Usually during summer I tend to bake less (except for loads of pies, of course), because who wants to get hot and heavy in the kitchen with the oven? But we are not yet in full summer swing (actually, we are still wearing sweaters in Vancouver, lame!) I decided to make this recipe that uses the oven, but adds some of the flavours of spring.
I love hand pies because A: the look super cute, and B: they are an excellent dessert/treat to serve at a picnic or dinner party (or even brunch!). They don’t take a lot of time to make (mostly assembling) and they are super tasty.
For this recipe I decided to use some pear, ginger, and orange marmalade which goes really well with Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay. This Chardonnay has a very nice oaky flavour with some fruity notes and a nice dry finish; it really is a great companion for these sweets! And for dinner in general.
So what you say, want to make a few? Let’s do it!
- For the crust:
- - 3 cups all-purpose flour
- - 2 teaspoons of salt
- - 1¼ cup of cold butter, cut in cubes
- - 4 to 6 tablespoons of iced cold water
- - 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- For the filling:
- - 3 pears, sliced and cut in small cubes (any kind you like, not too ripe)
- - 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- - ½ cup orange marmalade (you can use any brand you like)
- - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Additional:
- - 1 egg for egg wash
- - ¼ cup sugar to sprinkle on top
- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the cold butter and using a fork or pastry blender break down the butter into small pea-size chunks. You can use your fingers at the end to break down any large pieces, just make sure you don't melt the butter. dissolve the vinegar in the water, add 4 tablespoons of water to the mix and gently mix just until it comes together. If it's too dry, add more cold water. Wrap the dough in plastic film, refrigerate for minimum 2 hours.
- While the dough is chilling, place the cubed pears, ginger, orange marmalade, and lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Heat up until it warms up and stir for a couple minutes. Remove from the heat and cool down.
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Once the dough is ready, roll it out on a flat surface (add some flour so it doesn't stick). Roll the dough until it's about 1cm thick (half the width of your pinky finger) and using a round cutter, cut out small circles. Place cut circles on a tray with some flour and refrigerate again for about 10 min.
- Arrange some of the dough disks as the bottoms of the hand pies (make sure you have enough tops!), and scoop about 1 full teaspoon of the pear and ginger mix into the centre of the disk (stay in the centre). Repeat this with all the bottoms. Brush edges with egg wash, place the top disk, and seal it by pressing the edges with a fork (press inwards so you don't squeeze the filling out). Repeat this for all pies.
- Place hand pies in the fridge for one last time for 10 minutes. Remove from the fridge, arrange on a tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil, brush the top of each hand pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top.
Pretty sweet deal, no? Hope you enjoy these little pockets of yumminess