Double Cranberry Hand Pies with Ginger and Walnuts

(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.