Glazed Apple Hand Pies
Makes 12
Ingredients
Butter Pastry Dough- (x 2 for Quiche Recipe)
2 ⅓ cup King Arthur all purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 large eggs, beaten
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor, pulse several times to mix. Add butter and pulse about 8-10 times. Add the eggs and pulse until the dough almost forms a ball. Don’t overmix. Empty onto a work surface and press together into a ball. Divide in half and wrap into discs. Chill for 2 hours before rolling
Apple filling
4-5 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1” dice
Juice from ½ a lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
½ cup icing sugar
Zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring almost constantly, until mixture starts to thicken – about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 2 minutes before removing from heat. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool to room temperature.
Assembly and cooking:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a rack on the middle shelf. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside until needed.
Roll the dough into a large round that’s about 1/8 of an inch thick. With a large round cutter, cut out about 10 3” rounds. Place rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Fill the rounds with two tablespoons of the apple filling, then fold over each and cut a vent in the top of the dough. Lightly brush the edges and tops of each pie and crimp the sides together using a small fork.
Bake the pies for 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown. While baking make the glaze by whisking icing sugar, zest and juice until smooth. Remove from the oven, and cool for at least 10 minutes before glazing. Serve warm or room temperature.
Quiche Lorraine
serves 6-8
Ingredients for Filling
6 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into narrow strips (or “lardons”)**
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss
1 disc of Buttered Pastry Dough from Apple Hand Pies
Directions
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the edges. (Alternatively, a 9-inch pie pan can be used.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard the fat or reserve for another use.
Arrange the bacon evenly over the bottom of the baked crust.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and half and half. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared crust and bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.
**You can substitute various vegetables for the bacon in the quiche filling, such as cooked small broccoli florets, sautéed sliced leeks or chopped cooked spinach. Use about 1 1/2 cups vegetables.
Mixed Berry Galette
Serves 4-6
PASTRY
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup ice water
FILLING
4 cups blackberries, blueberries or a mixture
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. flour
DIRECTIONS
Pastry Crust
In a food processor, combine the flour with the sugar, salt and butter and process for about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and process until the pastry just begins to come together, about 10 seconds; you should still be able to see small pieces of butter in it. Transfer the pastry to a work surface, gather it together and pat into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate until chilled. (You can also roll out the pastry and use it right away.)
Filling
In a bowl, lightly stir together the berries, lemon juice, sugar and flour.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 13-inch round. Fold the round in half, transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and unfold the round.
Spoon the filling onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch border uncovered around the edge. Fold the edge up and over the filling, forming loose pleats. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a rack and let the galette cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream
Ree Drummond’s Comforting Shepherd's Pie
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the beef and vegetable layer:
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 c. chopped yellow onions
3/4 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. peas (frozen)
1/2 c. corn kernels (frozen)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 c. beef stock
Salt and pepper
For the mashed potato layer:
2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. milk
3 tbsp. butter, softened or melted
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Directions
Heat a large skillet (I prefer non-stick here) over medium high heat, then add beef. Brown beef until fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Soak up excess beef fat with a paper towel, then add onion and carrot. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook for 10 minutes, until soft.
Add the peas and corn, and cook for 2 minutes. Add butter to the pan and toss around until fully melted, then stir in flour, thyme leaves, and garlic. Stir for 1 minute, until flour disappears. Add beef stock, then bring liquid to a boil over high heat. Cook for a minute or two until broth thickens into a light sauce. Remove pan from heat and transfer beef and veggie mixture to an 8x8 baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
To make the mashed potatoes, place cubed potatoes in a pot filled with cold water. Place on the stove set over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, until potato cubes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes, then spread them out on a sheet pan in a single layer and let sit for a couple minutes so the steam can escape. Use a fork or potato masher to mash the potatoes, then stir in cream, milk, butter, and cheese. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments with salt and pepper. Spread mashed potatoes on top of the beef and veggies in the 8x8 baking dish.
Bake shepherd’s pie for 20–25 minutes, until mashed potatoes are golden brown and crispy on top.
Freezer Instructions: After baking, let pan cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with foil and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, reheat the shepherd's pie (still covered with the foil) for 1 hour in a 350ºF oven. If you thaw the pie in the fridge the night before, you can cut that time in half.
