makes ten 3½” hand pies 
 
For the Cornmeal Crust-

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 cup ice cold water combined with 2 tablespoons cider vinegar (you will not use all of this liquid) and ½ cup ice
 
Place the ice cold water and cider vinegar in a Pyrex measuring cup with a handful of ice (about ½ cup) and refrigerate.
 
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar. Add the butter pieces, using your fingertips to coat the butter with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until you have mostly pea-sized pieces of butter with a few larger pieces.
 
Retrieve the water/vinegar/ice from the refrigerator. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, tossing it with a fork to incorporate. Add 2 more tablespoons of the water mixture, tossing again, and then additional tablespoons (no more than 12 tablespoons total) until the dough begins to come together. (12 tablespoons of liquid seems to consistently be the correct amount. Depending on the weather, you may need a little more or less.) Gather the dough together, divide it in two discs, flatten them slightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out. When ready to roll, retrieve one round of dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften just enough to facilitate rolling. Roll the dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, to a thickness of about ⅛ inch, approximately 13” in diameter. Use a 3¼” cutter to cut out 5 squares of dough; you can reroll scraps once, if needed. Slide the parchment sheet with the dough squares to a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Repeat with the second round of dough, then begin the filling.
 
For the filling-
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (so you don’t forget.)
 
2 cups total, diced peaches and nectarines (I don’t peel the nectarines, just the peaches)
1-2 tablespoons cooled honeyed bourbon caramel (depending on sweetness of the fruit)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ginger
2 teaspoons fresh lemon or fresh orange juice
dash of orange bitters (optional)
 
egg wash from 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water or milk or cream
coarse sanding sugar for sprinkling
 
In a medium bowl, toss the diced fruit with the caramel, cornstarch, spices, juice, and bitters. Retrieve the dough squares from the fridge. Brush the edge of half of the squares with a thin border of egg wash. (The other squares will serve as the top of the hand pies.)
 
Spoon one tablespoon of fruit (leaving most of the liquid behind) into the center of half of the squares. Cover each fruit-filled square with one solid square, pinching the edges to seal using a fork. Brush the top of the hand pies with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Place the pies on a parchment lined baking sheet, allowing a little breathing room between them, about 3/4 of an inch. Use a fork to prick a few holes in the top of each pie, so steam can escape as they bake.
Return the hand pies to the refrigerator, or preferably to the freezer (if space allows) and let them get good and cold, at least 10 minutes in the freezer, at least 20 minutes in the fridge. This helps the pies hold their shape in the oven. 
 
Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until golden and the fruit softens. Serve with Honeyed Bourbon Caramel.
 
Note about lattice tops:
 
You can certainly top the pies with a lattice made from half of the dough squares. If you decide to do this, you have to cut the dough into ½ inch strips and chill them before assembling the pies. If you try to do this once you’ve placed the fruit on top of the bottom layer, the lattice will get soft and the fruit will seep into the bottom of the pie and you’ll be kicking yourself. It’s a little more fiddle, but the end results are pretty great.
 
For the Honeyed Bourbon Caramel-   makes approximately 1½ cups
 
⅓ cup honey
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
generous pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
2-3 teaspoons bourbon (depends on the day)
​
In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, combine the honey and sugar over medium heat, whisking only to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmer, carefully swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble, (first big bubbles, then smaller bubbles) and turns from light brown to deeper amber. Tilt the pan if you see the mixture getting darker on one side. Remove the pan from the heat, carefully add the cream (mixture will spatter!) whisking to combine. Return to low heat briefly, allowing the sauce to thicken a bit. Remove from heat, add butter, salt, and vanilla, stirring until combined. Add bourbon. Let caramel cool in a heat-proof bowl, then refrigerate.
 

​ (adapted from the Gold Medal Flour Cookbook and  Matt Jennings)
makes 13 fritters
 
First prepare the Spicy Sugar-
 
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
generous pinch cayenne
generous pinch kosher salt
 
In a medium bowl, combine the sugars and spices. Whisk well to combine. Set aside while you prepare the fritters.   
 
For the fritters- (I use a 3/4 oz. ice cream scoop to drop the batter in the oil)
 
½ cup cake flour
¼ cup Wondra instant flour
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup buttermilk (I use Five Acre Farms)
1 egg
1½ teaspoons olive oil
1½ cups diced fresh peaches, drained in a fine mesh strainer then placed on paper towel to absorb excess moisture
3 cups canola oil, for frying
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, Wondra, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and olive oil until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, using a rubber scraper to combine. Fold in the diced peaches. 
 
Place a candy or deep-fry thermometer within reach. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper and a thickness of paper towels. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot, making sure the oil registers 350 degrees F before you begin frying the fritters. Using a 3/4 oz. ice cream scoop, carefully add spoonfuls of batter to the hot oil. Fry just until golden, turning the fritters once or twice so they fry evenly, about 5-6 minutes total. Make sure the oil returns to 350 degrees F before you add the next batch of fritters. Toss the warm fritters in the Spicy Sugar and serve at once.

​makes one 9" x 5" cake

For the pound cake-
 
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup semolina flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
zest of one orange
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup plain Greek-style yogurt or sour cream
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
 
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
 
Lightly butter one 9”x 5” loaf pan; line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust the pan with flour, and tap out the excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, cardamom, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, rub the orange zest into the sugar.
 
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and orange zest/sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and beat on medium until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the yogurt (or sour cream.) Add the vanilla. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven until the center tests clean with a small knife or toothpick, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Set the cake to cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then use a small offset spatula or knife to loosen the cake from the pan. Carefully turn the cake out and let it cool completely on the cooling rack. (If you are not serving the cake that day, wrap it in plastic wrap. It can be stored, wrapped, at room temperature for 3 days.)
 
For the gin poached rhubarb-
 
3 tablespoons good quality gin (I’m a fan of Hendricks)
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ cups of diced rhubarb (make sure to remove all leaves, rinse the rhubarb and pat dry)
 
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, place the gin and sugar. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the diced rhubarb and simmer for 7 minutes, just until the rhubarb softens but still holds its shape. Use a slotted spoon to remove the rhubarb from the saucepan; place the rhubarb in a bowl to cool. Reduce the liquid in the saucepan slightly, until it becomes syrupy. Let the syrup cool completely then add it back to the cooled rhubarb. Cover and refrigerate until serving or up to 3 days.
 
For the Campari soaked cherries-
 
1 cup sweet or sour cherries, rinsed, stems removed, pitted
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons Campari
1 tablespoon sweet vermouth
1 vanilla bean, split
 
Place the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool, add the sugar syrup to the cherries. Add the Campari, sweet vermouth, and the vanilla bean to the cherries. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
 
For the Negroni glaze-
 
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Campari
1 tablespoon Gin (or 1 tablespoon syrup from the gin poached rhubarb)
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (depends how thick/thin you prefer the glaze)
 
Place the powdered in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add the Campari, gin, and orange juice, whisking until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled pound cake and smooth with an offset spatula. Let the glaze set before slicing. Garnish with gin poached rhubarb and Campari cherries.