Recipe: Apple and Pear Hand Pies (turnovers) with Raisins and Walnuts

APPLE AND PEAR HAND PIES
Makes 4 hand pies

"This recipe uses chopped apples and pears mixed with walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, coconut, and brown sugar and is informal - something you might, take on a picnic or tuck into a youngster's lunch bag."



1 Recipe Flaky Cream Cheese Pastry, divided as instructed and refrigerated. (recipe follows)
FOR THE FILLING:
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut halves or pieces
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into bite sized chunks
1 ripe pear, quartered, cored, and cut into bite sized chunks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
FOR GLAZING AND DUSTING:
Milk
Granulated sugar
Confectioners' Sugar (optional)

When you make the pastry, divide the dough into 4 equal-size balls. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch-thick disks and wrap the disks in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until fairly firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, but not overly so, or it will be difficult to roll.

To make the filling, put the raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, coconut, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse repeatedly, until the nuts are finely chopped-but not too finely; you want some larger pieces, too. Transfer to a medium-size mixing bowl and add the apple, pear, and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into an 8-inch circle on a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper with a floured rolling pin. Spoon about one-quarter of the filling over half of the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the edge.

Moisten the edge of the pastry with a finger, and then fold the empty half over the filling. Fold up the border and pinch the edges together, rolling them between your fingers into a sort of rope edge. Place the turnover on a large, lightly buttered baking sheet. Refrigerate while you make the remaining hand pies, putting each on the sheet as it is assembled.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the sheet from the refrigerator and brush each hand pie with a little milk. Sprinkle them with granulated sugar, then poke the surface 2 or 3 times with a fork to make steam vents.

Place on the center oven rack and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer, until golden brown. You may see steam coming from the vents.

Transfer the pies to a cooling rack and let cool slightly. While they're still warm, dust them with a little confectioners' sugar, if you like. I just put a tablespoon or two of sugar in a sieve and shake it right over the pies. I think these are best eaten warm.

FLAKY CREAM CHEESE PASTRY
Makes enough pastry for one 9 inch deep dish pie shell or one 9 inch thin crusted double crust pie

"I love this fine, tender pastry. It's about the only pastry I use to make hand pies (turnovers), and it's the perfect choice for thin, delicate, double-crust pies. Unlike the other pastries in this collection, the fats are incorporated into the dough not by cutting them in, but by creaming them together, then blending them into the dry ingredients-a method that ensures even distribution. One thing you should know about this crust is that a cream cheese dough, once you start to roll it, gets soft quicker than an all-butter pastry-so don't delay when you're working with this crust. For that reason, I prefer to make this pastry in the cooler months, not in the middle of summer. No matter when you make e it, though, here's a little trick: if the dough starts to get soft and sticks to your rolling pin, simply slide the pastry-waxed paper and all-onto a baking sheet and put it in the fridge for 5 minutes. Then take it out and continue to roll. This recipe is written for a large stand-up mixer fitted with a flat beater. If you don't have one, use the hand method."

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Put the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a large stand-up mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment. Blend for 30 to 45 seconds on medium-low speed.

Sift the flours and confectioners' sugar into a medium-size mixing bowl. With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture about 1/3 cup at a time, blending reasonably well after each addition. You don't have to wait until the previous addition has been entirely incorporated before adding the next, but do give it some time.

When all of the dry ingredients have been added and the dough starts to ball up around the beater, stop the machine. Remove the bowl and scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough gently 3 or 4 times, and then shape it into a ball. Place the ball on a lightly floured sheet of plastic wrap and flatten it into a disk about 3/4 inches thick (unless the recipe instructs you to shape the dough into 2 balls for a double-crust pie). Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours, until firm enough to roll.

OR, TO MIX BY HAND:
Using a wooden spoon, cream the butter and cream cheese together in a medium-size mixing bowl. Sift the dry ingredients together, as instructed above, and then add them to the creamed mixture about 1/3 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough coheres, proceed as directed above.

Makes 4 hand pies
Source: Apple Pie Perfect by Ken Haedrich