Let’s face it, the best part of a pie is the buttery homemade crust. Brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sugar, baked until golden and crunchy, it smells like heaven and tastes even better. Don’t get me wrong, the fruit filling is delicious too, but only a compliment to the real centerpiece: the crust. This weekend, tempted by an abundance of beautiful blueberries at the market and inspired by this Bon Appetit recipe, I decided to invert the fruit-crust ratio and make these adorble, pocket-sized pies. The results were such an overwhelming success, I’m afraid I won’t be making a full-sized pie any time soon.
Hand Pies: Crostate tascabili ai mirtilli
- Pie Crust (click for recipe)
- Flour (for dusting)
- 2 cups blueberries (about 10 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar
For 6 hand-pies
Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out dough on a lightly-floured surface to form a large rectangle. Cut into 6 equal-sized rectangles and transfer dough to the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, gently toss together blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Remove dough from the refrigerator, transfer one rectangle to a floured surface and roll out slightly more. Brush the edges of the rectangle with water; spoon some blueberries in center, and fold the dough over, pressing edges firmly to seal. If desired, use a fork to crimp the edges.
If, at any point, the dough becomes too soft to handle, refrigerate until firm. Repeat with remaining dough. Place the hand pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cut slits in tops.
Bake hand pies, rotating sheet halfway through, until juices are bubbling and pastry is golden brown, 35–40 minutes (juices will bubble over). Serve warm or at room temperature.
