Today, July 5th, has unofficially been declared “Pie Day.” It’s a grass roots movement that started spontaneously on Twitter and Facebook when people started talking about how much they like pie, like making pie, and how sad they are that many are too afraid to take on making pie crust.
So, in the spirit of making life better through pie, we were encouraged to make any kind of pie we prefer: gluten-free crust, cornmeal, lard, butter, whatever we like, Even a pre-made crust is acceptable, in a pie dish or free form, big or small. My contribution to the event is Sweet Cherry Hand Pies, a combination of fresh and dried cherries wrapped in a puff pastry shell.
No plates or forks are needed with these little beauties. They are perfect for picnics, camp outs, trips to the beach or the local park. You don’t even have to worry about making a finicky crust. Just use easy, versatile puff pastry that is available in almost every grocery frozen food case. I hope you will try these delicious and very easy to make little pies while cherries are in season.
- 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted, or about 12 ounces frozen pitted cherries, unthawed
- ⅔ cups dried cherries
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon grated orange peel (my addition)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 14-ounce package puff pastry
- Flour for dusting
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoons sanding sugar
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir constarch and 1-1/2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl to blend. Combine fresh cherries and next 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until cherry juices are released, about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture, bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to an 18"x15" rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into nine 6"x5" rectangles. Whisk egg white with 1 tablespoon water in another small bowl for egg wash.
- Working with one pastry rectangle at a time, place on a work surface and brush edges with egg wash. Scoop 3 tablespoons cherry mixture onto one side, fold dough over filling so that short ends meet, forming a 5"x3" packet. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. Using a sharp knife cut a few slits in top of pastry to vent. Place on prepared baking sheet, repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Brush tops with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pastries until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Drat! I posted my pie too early!! I need a blog post calendar if I’m to participate in anything else!!
Your recipe looks delicious!! We are waiting for Michigan cherries–maybe next week? I’ll be making this. In fact, I’ll put the puff pastry on the grocery list right now considering my poor memory!
Best,
Bonnie
Bonnie recently posted..Cole Slaw and Garden Rambling
I luv fresh cherries! But, I could eat those with one in each hand.
They look great.
Ramona recently posted..Down the road and Over the tracks….
Okanagan cherries are just finding their way into island grocery stores. I like the idea of a pie in the hand – easy eating!
Delicious Cathy. If I have not mentioned before, I really, really like the looks of your new website.
Susan recently posted..Amana Rhubarb Pie
Hi Cathy,
Your hand pies are perfect for everything. Cherries are a little late here I understand, but we planted a Rainier Cherry tree this Spring. I look forward to picking cherries again in my garden. Until then, I’m going to buy some and reproduce your yummy little goodies for company tonight. Thanks!
gnee recently posted..Shake It Up Baby!
Oh, man, Cathy, those look fabulous!!! Glazed to perfection…and I can just imagine the deliciousness when taking a bite. Brava!
Liz recently posted..Mississippi Mud Pie~
I love making pies. Pie crust is one of my favorite eats. Your cherrie hand pies look delicious. I have some Dufour puff pastry in the freezer and will give these a try when I find fresh cherries. Thanks Cathy. Beautiful photography.
Penny recently posted..An Interlude at Pondside
Nice website! Greetings from Glory Foods.
Oh my! Look how amazing those look! YUM!!!
Erin @ Making Memories recently posted..Corn Dog Cookies
Cathy, those look amazing! And I love that they can be baked with puff pastry. Did I ever mention that cherry is my very favourite pie? I won 1st place with one in our parish fair when I was about 10 years old. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I will make these and also make some using peaches. (We’re about to have a lot of those getting ripe.) Thanks also for inviting me to the Pie Party.
Becky
Becky @ random musings of a deco lady recently posted..Pie Party ~ Chocolate Pie
Oh yum-they look great Cathy! Guess I need to start looking into Facebook and Twitter, hate to miss out on Pie Day! I surely would have joined in:@)
Gorgeous my friend! They look so inviting! Love your little milk bottle!
Beautiful pics!
Linda recently posted..Feta Stuffed BLT Burger with New Potato and Green Bean Salad
Just found your blog and it’s LOVELY!! wonderful recipe and gorgeous picture 🙂 Just signed up to follow you
Mary
Mary recently posted..Aromatic Lentil Salad
Didn’t know it was pie day. The things you learn reading blogs! I will have to content myself with enjoying your pies because I know I am not energetic enough today to make my own. But when I am, I’m going to follow your cue and make these individual pies. They look so inviting in that basket, especially with that old time milk jar next to them. They’d be great to make for company. I just updated your new website address on my blogroll.
ciaochowlinda recently posted..Chickpea Avocado Salad and other goodies
This is a recipe I need to make and soon. It looks and sounds wonderful. It reminds me of the hand pies I use to love eating as a child. I would beg my mom to make hand pies and occasionally she would make them just for me.
Marilyn recently posted..Apple Pie
These look so good Cathy; not many cherries around here yet. I bought myself a cherry pitter and this recipe would make the purchase worth it. They came out looking great.
Rita
Oh my mouth is watering, just looking at these pies! It is SO true that we eat with our eyes, Cathy. These look luscious!
I have always felt they should change the national pie celebration date to
3.14….get it? “Pi”
Rettabug recently posted..THIRD of July Food!
These look delicious, perfect for picnics. breakfasts… Your new site looks gorgeous, very well done Cathy!
Have a good evening,
Mimi
Bonjour Romance recently posted..A New Patisserie
I am waiting for peaches so I can make hand pies. These cherry ones look delicious though. I need to watch out for these national food days.Great pic.
Tina@flourtrader recently posted..Austrian Apple Twists
Love your cherry pies. I love making and eating cherry pies and this is the time of year for them – I usually make the bigger pies but really love the idea of these smaller pastries.
awesome pies and loving the cherries at the moment and how cool a pie day love it
rebecca recently posted..Jam filled Swiss Roll
Oh my gosh…yum! These are the second cherry hand-pies I’ve seen today and I LOOOOVE cherry pie and have been wanting to try my hand at hand-pies, so I think it’s kizmet or something. They look awesome, Cathy!
Heather @girlichef recently posted..cookbook/product review: Pie Contest in a Box by Gina Hyams …and Pie Dreams for a Pie Party!
Did you notice my cherry pitter on my sangria post? I’m itchin’ to give it a workout, so I’ve been longing to make a cherry pie. I hear pros and cons to using Bing cherries, but that’s all I have in my area. Hand pies! Why didn’t I think of that? I’d have one in each hand. Lovely, Cathy!
Foodiewife recently posted..White Peach Sangria – A True Parch Pleaser!
Oh those look so yummy!!!
Lynn recently posted..Flip Flop Chardonnay and Flip Flop Riesling
Delicious pies Cathy. Fresh cherries rock. Love your new website too. A very successful move on your part.
Sam
My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Crunchy Chicken Salad + a tip on how to keep baby lettuce fresh
I love cherry pie! Blueberry is my favorite and apple is my husband’s favorite. I like making crust, but puff pasty is so easy and tastes so good with a sweet filling like cherries. Your pocket pies look fabulous!
Pat recently posted..The Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
Those little pies look so scrumptious, but cherries are not cheap here!
What a great idea, Cathy. We’ve got cherries in the market right now too. Love working with puff pastry; it makes everything look so elegant and yet it is so simple to use. This will be fun to make with other fruits, too.
(Had no idea it was pie day! I really should make a list so I can celebrate with the rest of you!)
Barbara recently posted..Fiddling Around
Haha! I knew there was a reason I went to the bakery … maybe I’ll spearhead the ‘Pie Day’ movement downunder here in OZ!
Have a great day!!
Red Nomad OZ recently posted..Australia’s Scenic Public Toilets #16 – Richmond, Queensland
Two pie days a year sound good to me. Here in Kansas we celebrate pie day on March 14th (3.14) Love pie!
Yummy! I love these. They look awesome!! I just love fresh cherries.
Desserts In My Kitchen recently posted..Pumpkin Pancakes with Pure Maple Syrup, and Pecans
I need to put puff pastry on my grocery list. 🙂 These look so good!
~Judy
JG recently posted..Free FUN FRIDAYS in MA
I am still waiting to find Rainier cherries at a reasonable price here – how gorgeous those are freshly picked! I did get some regular Washington cherries last week that were sweet and juicy though. I’d love to try these adorable hand pies!
Susan recently posted..Tomato Watermelon Salad with Toasted Almonds and Feta
Pie Day sounds like fun! I have never heard about it before. I will have to try and remember to make a pie next year.
Your pies look delicious. I love the individual sizes and the cherry filling must be out of this world. Perfect for summer and pie day:)
Raina recently posted..My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Your opening picture looks straight out of a magazine! How beautiful and how clever too, everyone would love these, especially the ones who favor crust over filling (which seems to be everyone!) They are so pretty and pictured with the linen and milk in the glass bottle – wow!
Jacqueline recently posted..Magic Is In The Air – The Return Of The Fairies
They look so good! I just got the flyer for the supermarket, cherries 1.79 a lb next week. I see a pie in my future.
Kathleen recently posted..Please Help on July 7th
Oh, they are perfect for July 5th – my baby boy’s birthday!! Cherry pie is my favorite of all things and I have so wanted to make these hand pies! Your recipe is bookmarked because yours are the best I’ve seen on the internet yet! Perfect and luscious, Cathy! Love it!
Jamie recently posted..NECTARINE JALOUSIE TART with Homemade Puff Pastry
Cathy, I finally subscribed to receive post updates in my email box – something I never think of doing ever, but I do not want to miss any of your posts or fabulous recipes! xoxo Jamie
Jamie recently posted..NECTARINE JALOUSIE TART with Homemade Puff Pastry
Cathy, Yesterday I made this recipe. Oh was it delicious. I thought I would have a few left for today, but no. Five of us devoured the whole batch. Thanks!
Marilyn recently posted..Spirit Whispers
Oooohhhh… yummy!
Jo recently posted..Chocolate Chip Cookies