I heard some news last week that made me very, very sad. Prince William and Kate Middleton are now engaged. With this news the reality that I will never be a princess came crashing down on me. Sure, it’s unlikely that I’d ever meet Prince William, but as long as Kate was just “the girlfriend” there was still hope. That hope is now gone.
So I turned to the food that brings me the most comfort; pie. In this case Pear and Cranberry Hand Pies from Food & Wine Magazine. The recipe calls for store bought all butter puff pastry. I didn’t have any on hand so I decided to make my own. Now before you get all impressed with my mad skills, I used Nick Malgieri’s Quick Puff Pastry recipe from Bake! Although it doesn’t rise as much as a traditional puff pastry, for a recipe like this where height is not required it’s perfect. And it’s as easy to make as a traditional pie crust.
The hand pies are delicious. One bite brought me right back to my usual happy self. And it reminded me that while Prince Harry is a little young for me, he does meet the half my age plus seven criteria.
I think.
This is my Magazine Monday submission for this week. Head over to Cream Puffs in Venice every Monday to see what other bloggers have cooked up from their magazine collections
Pear and Cranberry Hand Pies
- 2 pears, cored, peeled and dice into 1/4 inch cubes
- 3/4 cup cranberries
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry or a 14 oz package of all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- In a medium bowl, toss the pears, cranberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry until 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 12 four inch circles.
- Spoon some of the pear filling into the center of half the circles. Brush some of the egg on the edges of the dough, then cover with the remaining circles. Press the edges together making sure they are tightly sealed. Cut slits into the top of each hand pie to let some of the steam escape.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Brush the tops of the hand pies with the egg wash, then bake for about 30 minutes until the crust is a nice golden brown.
Enjoy!
The name of these pies had me laughing out loud. Too funny! They look amazing, and I can see how they’d restore your spirits after learning that you wouldn’t be a princess.
Don’t be so hard on yourself, there is more princes in the world. You still have a chance to meet prince on a white horse!:))
Your puff sweet pastry look amazing!
You are so funny and you totally know how to cheer yourself up huh?
I love that they are “hand pies” LOVE IT. I also love the pear and cranberry combo…wait…is there anything I don’t like about these? Well, I did not get one!
Oh, you are too funny! I am sorry your dreams have been crushed, but you make a mean pie. If he had meet you, I am sure that would have won him over
Adorable post!
These pies look delicious! Love the name
!
There’s always Harry, right?
Love the looks of the pies, like those little hostess pies, but way more healthy!
It’s ok, would you really want to listen to that accent for the rest of your life? ;]
I think these are some wonderful hand pies. If there’s anything to can cheer someone up, it’s these!
Too funny, I think you would get sick of that stuffy lifestyle, living in the palace and all that! You probably would have to eat the hand pie with a knife and fork;). great job on the pies, they look beautiful.
Haha….sorry about your lost princess dreams! But these pies look like a great way to comfort yourself!
They are so cute.
It was definitely sad to see William go, Kate is a lucky gal! I think I’d be just as lucky to have one of these pies however… I really like the pear cranberry combo.
This looks delicious!!
These are simply lovely. Delicious combination of pear and cranberry.
Wow, those look comforting and delicious!
These look amazingly delicious!
I love the name…and obviously the pies
If Prince William ever got to taste these delicious hand pies he might change his mind!! There is still hope!!
You are funny, and your pies look delicious! I will never be a princess either, so I will have to make some of my own!
lol….he doesn’t know what he is missing…. That girlfriend knows how to bake pretty pies like that??? I don’t think so. Your Little pie looks heavenly.
Looks fantastic!! And so delicious
I adore Pear and Cranberries
Cheers
These look absolutely amazing! I will have to try out the puff pastry because I think it is because that adds so much to this dish.
Polly Motzko
Feel free to put any of your amazing looking recipes on my blog at:
http://www.CookingUpAStorminCA.ning.com
Polly Motzko
these looks great, tastespotting made a great choice… i love when i get on that thing…amazing how much traffic you get in only minutes of being up
well done!
Congrats on Top 9. Gorgeous pies! Forget about being the princess, go look for your king:D
Checking back to send you Congrats on making to top 9..:))
Cheers
this is absolutely gorgeous!! i really love this post. thanks for sharing.
I don’t think being a princess pie would be better at any sense! This looks delightful to me. Mmm. Could be a competitor to the Swedish Princess Cake.
This is such a cute post, and I love the look of your pies. Yum!
Hmm, there must be some other princes in the world, though I can’t think of one. Not one that cute (smile). You never know though…magic is all around us;-)
Those look amazing! I want to take a bit of it right NOW!
Fun post and FANTASTIC pies! I wish I has a few in hand at this very moment!
Be positive..You will get another chance.
Great pie!! Very yummy and very quick!
Love hand pies and like that you’re using mock puff pastry for the one. Well done!
lovely pie and fun blog
You already are “La Prinsesse”
These look sooo cute and yummy!
very nice work!
I may be living in a closet but I have never heard of a hand pie. This looks absolutely amazing! Wow! I can’t wait to read more of your posts!
Oh yum!!! Don’t worry, I think the hearts of many women in our generation sank when they heard The News. But — until they actually tie the knot, we still have a chance.
Oh, Lynn! Those are GORGEOUS!!! And don’t worry … your prince will come!
Pingback: Cream Puffs In Venice - Magazine Mondays: The Last One for 2010!
Looks delicious! And I think you can hold on to some hope until they are officially married…
Scrumptious good looking pie ! I saw your recipe through foodie blog.. happy new year ^_^
~Citra~
Like I said before …that dessert is just beautiful! Have got over the prince yet?:) Happy New Year!
These certainly cheered me up and I long ago lost my princess aspirations! Truly lovely. Truly wish it was sitting on my kitchen table. Happy New Year! (I’m a johnnie-come-lately to this post).
Sorry about the sad new, hehe. But at least you had these delish hand pies to cheer you up a bit. They look so pretty and tasty, they would definitely cheer me up. Happy New Year and thanks for participating in the YBR event
I love your pies. They are cute and flaky.
Have you tried cranberries with cherries.?
I feel this will create a yummy tart and sweet filling with deep red. A recipe suggestions and how you would build this?
Thanks
The recipe is very interesting and not too complicated. I think it will taste delicious! No wonder, this is your favourite recipe!!
WOW! they look very delicious. How many can you make with this recipie?
It makes six pies, about 4 inches each.