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(yields 14 three inch pies) (Pastry adapted from London Bakes and Delicious Magazine) Pastry 1¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon orange zest 4 oz. unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces 1 tablespoon sour cream 1 tablespoon The Hudson Standard Pear Honey Ginger Shrub (you can substitute apple cider vinegar) 2 tablespoons ice cold water egg wash made out of one egg yolk and two tablespoons of heavy cream or milk In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine flour, salt, sugar, zest and butter. Pulse just until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Turn this out into a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, shrub (or cider vinegar) and the cold water. Add the liquid/sour cream mixture to the flour/butter mixture, one tablespoon at a time, gently mixing just until the dough comes together. Pat it into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least an hour. When ready to roll it out, dust a piece of parchment paper with flour and roll the pastry about ⅛” thick. I used a 3” round circle cutter and was able to cut out 28 circles. (Each pie gets a top and bottom, you don’t fold each circle in half.) Chill the circles on parchment in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Prepare the egg wash and set aside. Double Cranberry filling (yields a generous pound- you will only need about half for the hand pies, but filling will keep in the fridge for a week- use it on top of oatmeal!) 8 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems 3 tablespoons dried cranberries 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 tablespoons good quality maple syrup 3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla ½ cup chopped walnuts In a non-reactive pan, (meaning don’t use aluminum which will react with the cranberries and orange) combine the cranberries and remaining ingredients, stirring with a rubber spatula. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes until the mixture cooks down and becomes thick. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until cold. The pastry rounds and the filling need to be cold before assembling the pies. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the edge of each pastry round with a bit of egg wash, place 1½ teaspoons of filling in 14 of the circles. Place one unfilled circle of dough on top of the filled pastry and gently smooth the edges together with your fingers. You can crimp the outer edges using the point of a chopstick (really!) which will give you a petal shape. Or you can make sure the edges are well sealed and leave them uncrimped, if you prefer. Brush the pastries with egg wash and poke a tiny hole in the center of each one to allow steam to escape. You must place the pies back on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill them (preferably place the tray in the freezer if you have room) until they are solid. (About 30 minutes in the freezer, an hour in the fridge.) If they are cold, they will hold their shape nicely. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 375 and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until the filling starts to bubble. 
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 Use your favorite pre-baked pastry crust for a 9” pie plate (my pie plate measures 9” x 1½” deep)
For the Pumpkin Caramel (yields: 1½ cups) (adapted from A Slice of Heaven and Fifteen Spatulas) ¾ cup pumpkin (I use canned) ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ½ cup heavy cream 1½ cups sugar ¼ cup water ¼ cup light corn syrup 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla 5 oz. walnuts 5 oz. pecans First prepare the Pumpkin Cream: In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, the salt and the spices. Stir in the melted butter, then add the heavy cream. When well combined, set aside while you prepare the caramelized sugar. For the Caramelized Sugar: (You will need a candy thermometer and a pair of oven mitts for this.) In a heavy bottomed saucepan, place the sugar, water and corn syrup. Do not stir. Cook over medium heat, carefully swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture caramelizes. (Without a Pantone book to guide you, I would say you are looking for the color of honey, or copper or medium amber. The pumpkin deepens the color and the flavor, so shy on the side of a touch lighter than darker. Over medium heat on my gas stovetop, this takes about 10 minutes, but stay close at hand. Sugar loves to turn from caramel to burnt sugar to burned sugar at the moment you turn your back.) Slowly add the pumpkin/cream mixture to the caramelized sugar. Stand back, the caramel will sputter. Continue to cook over medium/low heat until a candy thermometer registers 236 degrees. It takes patience- don’t be tempted to blast the heat up to high or you risk scorching the bottom of your pan and burning the pumpkin. Some caramel recipes instruct you to cook until 244 degrees, but after many versions, I have found a touch below yields a nice, sliceable, chewable caramel. Don your favorite oven mitts and carefully (this is hot stuff!) remove from the heat and immediately pour the caramel into a Pyrex measuring cup. Add the vanilla, give it a stir and let it cool down a bit; do not be tempted to test a bit on your finger or tongue. Give it a good 20 minutes to cool; you want the caramel to be pourable. Scatter the walnuts and pecans over your pre-baked pie shell, then pour the caramel over the nuts. Smooth with an offset spatula and let it cool completely. When ready to serve, use a knife dipped in hot water to make a clean slice. Serve with vanilla ice cream and slices of apple; I think Honeycrisp pairs beautifully. (inspired by Bon Appetit Nov. 1991 and Harrods Cookery Book) 1- 9” pre-baked Pate Brisée pie shell (my pie plate measures 9½ “ by 1½“) (a hand-held kitchen torch for melting the sugar) Tipsy Mince (this yields about 3 cups; the pie uses 1½ cups leaving the remainder to eat over ice cream, to fill hand pies, or to eat with a spoon when no one is looking.) 3 cups peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples 2 ripe pears, preferably Bosc, peeled and chopped ½ cup chopped dried apricots ½ cup dried sour cherries ½ cup dried cranberries ½ cup golden raisins ½ cup chopped dried figs 1 tablespoon minced candied ginger ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves ½ cup dark brown sugar 1½ cups apple cider ½ cup Scotch 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest 1 cup walnuts, chopped In a medium stockpot, stir to combine the fresh fruit, dried fruit, candied ginger, spices, brown sugar, apple cider, Scotch and zests. Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils, reduce to simmer, cover the stockpot and cook for about one hour, until the mixture thickens. (You will need to stir the mince periodically as it cooks so it doesn’t stick.) Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped walnuts and cool the mixture completely before refrigerating it. Best to prepare this at least a day prior to baking your pie. Buttermilk Pie with Maple Syrup 3 large eggs 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 oz. unsalted butter, melted ¾ cup pure fresh maple syrup (I used Grade A Dark Amber) 1 cup buttermilk ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1½ cups Tipsy Mince Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, flour and maple syrup until well mixed. Beat in the buttermilk, alternating with the melted butter. Add the vanilla, the zests and the lemon juice. Set the pre-baked pie shell on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the edges of the crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent them from getting too brown. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the 1½ cups of mince in the bottom of the pie shell. Carefully pour the buttermilk filling over the mince. (Some of the fruit may float to the top- not to worry.) Place the pie in the pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes. The filling should be golden and the center should be just the slightest bit jiggly. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before adding the brulée topping. How to Brulée the pie- Grease a sheet of aluminum foil and place it on a baking pan. Set aside. In a heavy bottomed high-sided saucepan, melt one cup of granulated sugar over low heat until it caramelizes. (Don’t turn your back on the sugar or walk away; that is when the sugar will burn.) The color should be close to the color of maple syrup, amber. Outfit your hand in an oven mitt and carefully pour the sugar on top of the greased aluminum foil. Let the sugar harden completely. When it is cool, break the sugar into pieces. Place the pieces of caramelized sugar into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulverize the sugar and transfer to a small bowl. Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and use a paper towel to remove any moisture that may have collected on top of the pie. Sprinkle the pulverized sugar evenly over the pie and have a go at it with your handheld torch. (If you don’t have a torch, I suppose you can melt the sugar on top of the pie in an oven set to ‘Broil’ but it’s not nearly as dramatic; unless things go horribly awry in the oven. Invest in the torch- it’s well worth it.)  |
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