In the kitchen: strawberry hand pies.

{via}

It's almost July 4th, which means it's time for grilling, picnics, and fireworks! I've always loved going to see fireworks; we went every year when we were little (over time, the fireworks for the 4th have been overtaken by the those for the Minneapolis Aquatenniel, but that's a post for another day). This year, we'll be taking in Shorewood's festivities: there's a parade that goes down our street, a jazz band concert, and of course, fireworks over the lake. 

A few weeks ago, we were flipping through Bon Appetit's latest issue and found these perfect little pies. We used strawberry jam (homemade - thanks, Andrew!) instead of the blueberries, but I think any summer fruit would work just as well. And they were lovely! The recipe makes 6 hand pies, which is perfect for the two of us - enough for dessert, then breakfast and a snack the next day. 

Since we'll be spending most of the day outside tomorrow, we figured these pies would be an easy dessert to accompany our Fourth of July picnic that Andrew's already started preparing. Side note: I do have quite an amazing and talented fiance who, last night, made BBQ sauce, pickles, pickled red onions, strawberry jam for the pies...AND dinner, and then prepped the pork for grilling. Eat your hearts out, girls! My major contribution was making the dough the other day...I know. Huge help. 

Strawberry Hand Pies, adapted from Bon Appetit. 
-------------------------

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Strawberry jam (for a quick berry filling, quarter hulled strawberries and toss with 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 1/4 cup sugar; leave to sit until the juices run) 

1 egg, whisked with 1 tsp. water

Sugar, for sprinkling 

To make the pie crust: 

Pulse dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until all ingredients are combined, with a texture of course meal. Add 1/4 cup ice water and continue to pulse until dough comes together, adding more water if dry. Form into a square, cover with plastic, and chill in the fridge for at least two hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling. 

(Note you don't have to use a food processor - I usually don't, and just incorporate the butter with a pastry cutter). 

To make the pies: 

Preheat oven to 375. Roll out dough on a floured surface to a 15x12-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 rectangles. Brush edges of rectangles with water. Spoon some berry filling in bottom half of each rectangle. Fold over the dough and press edges to seal. Place pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. Cut slits in tops.

Bake hand pies, rotating halfway through, until the dough turns golden, about 35 minutes. Transfer pies to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature...at room temp, they taste like a much (MUCH) better version of strawberry pop-tarts! 

These will be the perfect sweet treat for our picnic. Oh, and I think maybe we need this to start. 

Happy (almost) Fourth!