Apricot, Blueberry and Cardamom Hand Pies

I know summer is, sigh, almost over and so is the bounty of summer fruits and veggies. Well, I thought I could give you one last summer joy and bring you these little bites of sunshine, beach waves and sandcastle. Summer we are gonna miss you, but we really are excited for Fall. 

I made these hand pies for my Mom's 65th birthday party. They are super easy, the crust was very forgiving and you could fill them with really any fruit that fits the season. Hmmmm apples and pears and raisins with some Bourbon, for the fall. Now that sounds like a party.

A real vanilla bean was used for the crust. A splurge and totally worth it.

 Fruit filling bubbling out. These were made the night ahead of the party and held up well.

 The blueberries and apricots paired well with the cardamon. If you don't like cardamom, no biggie. You could add cinnamon and it would work just as well. Enjoy and take one last bite out of summer.

Someone I know really enjoyed them!!!

Apricot, Blueberry and Cardamom Hand Pies
Adapted from Authentic Suburban gourmet
Make 18 large or 30 small Hand Pies 

For the Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 sticks cold salted butter, cut into 1/2 cubes
1/4 cups Vegetable shortening cold
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean
2 Tablespoons creme fraiche
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 Tablespoons ice water

Mix together the flour, cold butter and cold shortening, cream fraiche, salt and vanilla bean in a bowl. With your fingers or a pastry cutter mix the ingredients until they form pea size lumps. Add three tablespoons of water and mix together with a fork or your fingers. Squeeze a small handful of the dough together to test to see if it is incorporated. Add one or two more tablespoons of water if needed, until incorporated and the dough forms a ball. Using the heel of your hand, press the dough flat once or twice to distribute the butter. Do not overwork the dough. Divide into two flattened balls, wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours.

Filling

1 and 1/2 to 2  cups apricots, diced small
3/4 cup blueberries
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamon ( you can use less f desired or cinnamon instead)
1 tablespoon Contreau / I used Aperol as that was what we had on hand
1 teaspoon lemon zest
pinch of salt

Add the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and stir together. Let them sit and be happy for about an hour to let the flavors develop

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up for about 10 minutes. Roll the dough out on a large floured surface. Have extra flour on hand to prevent sticking. Roll the disk of dough out to be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Use a 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds (if you want larger hand pies) Smaller for smaller pies. Cut out as many as possible. Repeat with the other round of dough.

Make an egg wash by using one egg and a tablespoon of water. Whisk together until light yellow.

Place the cut out circles onto a prepared parchment lined baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly apply the egg wash to the entire surface of the circle of dough. Add about 1 tablespoon (less if you are making smaller pies) of the fruit mixture to one half of the circle of dough, while leaving a half inch of dough exposed. Gently fold over the dough and lightly press with your fingers to seal the hand pie. Use a fork to make indents around the edges of the pie. Make 2 slits to the top of each pie with a sharp knife to allow the air to be released when baking. Lightly brush each completed hand pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!!!