Berry Hand Pies – “Pie it Forward” Cookbook

Prepare the hand-pie dough:

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening and butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and condensed milk. With the processor running, slowly add the milk mixture and continue to pulse until the dough just comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to turn the dough over a few times, until it no longer has dry bits of flour visible and is smooth. It's important the the dough be rather smooth- otherwise, when you roll it out for your pies, the dough will crack. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before using.

Prepare the filling:

Hull the strawberries. Cut them into small pieces, a bit larger than corn kernels. Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and rosemary in a mixing bowl and stir until the strawberries are evenly coated with sugar. Allow to strawberries to sit for a while until the sugar melts and the juices of the strawberries are running freely. Drain the strawberry juice into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, then stir in the cornstarch until the mixture becomes a smooth slurry without lumps. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the berries, the cornstarch slurry and the salt. Stir over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Allow the filling to cool completely in the refrigerator, about 20 minutes. Stir the raspberries into the strawberry mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Assemble the hand pies:

Divide the dough evenly into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 4-inch round and place the rounds on a parchment-lined sheet pan. With a pastry brush, brush egg wash along the outside edge of the dough rounds. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling onto the middle of each round. Fold the dough over, creating a half moon, and seal the pastries by pressing gently along the edges of each with the tines of a fork. Brush the outsides of the pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado or sparkling sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the hand pies to cool completely.