Whole Wheat Apricot Blackberry Handpies

This recipe is a twist on a family favorite. Pie in the summer. The New England summers from my childhood were filled with long days on the beach, adventures through the Farm Coast (Eastern RI to West of Cape in Mass) where farmstands are plenty and a warm day on the beach means it reaches 84F by 3pm. It never stopped us kids from having sandcastle contests for hours on end, just to find out we won "best use of seaweed in a moat" instead of actually winning. Sweatshirts were a must in case the wind picked up or to warm up after a long swim in the waves.

The best days on the beach were ones that lasted will into the evening, and a good summer bbq always needs a pie. There's never the place for paper plates, or forks on the beach, but it's hard to argue against a good piece of fruit pie on the beach. Peaches, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, rhubarb, cherries ... all classics. This one is a twist on a family favorite Peach + Blueberry, the pie that had us hiding the leftovers or making sure there were never leftovers we might have to share. Do you have a favorite family pie recipe?

The best recipes happen when you have that creative moment in the grocery store. I have been trying to find the perfect accompaniment to apricots in a sweet way for summer and did not want to create "regular turnovers" something a bit more unique and a bit more "me". 

Since a lot of the food here talked about on the blog is seasonally appropriate and whole foods based, I realized I should post my version of whole wheat pastry dough. I love the flavor it adds to a recipe, something that enhances a dish in the right place. There is certainly the argument that whole wheat isn't the perfect accompaniment to all pastry fillers but something as strong as blackberry and apricot is perfect, the whole wheat flavor adds a sweetness that is also very different from the sugary sweet of the fruit filling.

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WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY DOUGH

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INGREDIENTS

2 cup whole wheat flour

12 tbs cold butter

6-8 tbs ice cold water

INSTRUCTIONS

* note this is double what you need for six turnovers, but I always find a use to make extra and wrap it up for later in the week.

Place your flour in the bowl with your butter and cut until you have no butter pieces that are larger than a pea. Get your ice water ready (literally a bowl of water with ice in it). Slowly add a tablespoon at a time and incorporate the water to mix the dough without mixing too much. Immediately return to fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for at least a half an hour before using.

Keeps about 4 days in fridge if wrapped tightly, it dies out quickly.

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APRICOT BLACKBERRY HAND PIES

makes six 

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INGREDIENTS

one 4-5 inch ball pastry dough above

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs + extra turbino sugar

1/3 cup sliced apricots

1/3 cup blackberries

1 tsp lemon juice

egg wash

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by heating your oven to 375F.

To get started mix your fruit, sugars and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside. Prep your workspace for the pastry dough, as well as a baking sheet lined with parchment and enough space in your refrigerator to accommodate the baking sheet.

Roll out your pastry dough on a cold surface - pastry slab or stone countertops is best. Cut out 6 circles that are about 5 inches in diameter out of your pastry. If you can't do this in one fell swoop make sure you don't handle the dough too much, and pop in freezer for five minutes before rolling out again.

When making your hand pies, place 1/6 of the filling on one half of each of the circles with a good 1/2 inch of space on the edges. Fold over pastry dough and crimp with a fork. Place on baking sheet in fridge every 3 or so you prepare. Once you have completed the prep, leave in fridge for five more minutes to cool the last batch.

When you are just about ready to place the handpies in the oven add a quick egg wash over the pastry and sprinkle some turbino sugar right on top 1/2 tsp each. Pop directly into oven and bake for 35 minutes. Try not to eat all in one sitting :)