Sweet Cherry Hand Pies with Pinot Noir and Vanilla
 
 
These super juicy sweet cherry hand pies have a deeply rich filling that is flavored with caramelized sugar, pinot noir, vanilla bean, and star anise.
Yield: 8 hand pies
Ingredients
For the pastry dough
  • 2⅔ cups pastry flour
  • ⅔ cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cut into ½-inch dice
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening, freezer-cold
  • ½ cup ice cold water
  • 2 tsp distilled white vinegar
For the filling
  • 1 vanilla bean or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ cup Pinot Noir
  • 1½ lb sweet cherries, stemmed, pitted, and halved (about 4 cups)
  • 4 whole star anise
  • ½ cup tart dried cherries
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
To finish the pies
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp demerara sugar
Instructions
For the pastry dough
  1. Place the flours, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine. Add in the frozen butter and shortening. Pulse until butter is broken up into pea-sized pieces, about 9-12 times.
  2. Mix together the water and vinegar in a measuring cup and whisk to combine. Pour this into the food processor while pulsing, 1 tbsp at a time, adding just enough so that the dough comes together.
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl of the food processor. Shape into a 4x6-inch rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
For the hand pies
  1. Unwrap the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Pat each into a flat disk and then roll on a lightly floured surface to a circle that is about 6 inches in diameter. Place the circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet with parchment in-between them if you have to layer them on top of each other. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
  2. Place the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until it starts to become amber in color, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add ¼ cup of the wine. Return to the heat and cook just until sugar dissolves. Add the cherries to the pan and cook just until they begin to release their juices and soften, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  3. Strain out the cherries, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer the cherries to a bowl and return the cooking liquid to the pan. Add the vanilla bean paste, star anise, remaining ¼ cup of wine, and dried cherries to the pan. Return the heat to medium and cook until the dried cherries become plump and only about 2 tbsp of liquid remains, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the star anise from the pan and discard.
  4. Pour the dried cherries and their syrup into the bowl with the cooked cherries. Stir in the cornstarch and mix to combine. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool. Once cold, it is time to shape and fill the hand pies.
  5. Remove 4 of the pastry rounds from the refrigerator. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water. Brush this starch water mixture around the border of each of the pastry rounds. Place ⅛ of the cherry filling (about ½ cup) off the center on each circle of dough. Fold the top part of the dough over the filling and seal the edges using the tines of a fork to make a crimped pattern. Repeat until all of the pastry rounds are filled.
  6. Divide the eight hand pies between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush the top of each with heavy cream and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Use the tip of a sharp knife to cut a few slits in each of the pies. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375F.
  8. Once pies are chilled, place in the oven and bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 50-55 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes or to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Recipe from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle
Recipe by Joanne Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2017/06/sweet-cherry-hand-pies-with-pinot-noir-and-vanilla.html