I’ll Never Be A Princess Pie

~ Lynn

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
  1. In a medium bowl, toss the pears, cranberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry until 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 12 four inch circles.
  3. 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.
  4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  6. 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!

55 thoughts on “I’ll Never Be A Princess Pie”

  1. 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.

    Reply

  2. 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! :)

    Reply

  3. 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!

    Reply

  7. 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!

    Reply

  8. 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.

    Reply

  11. 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.

    Reply

  19. 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.

    Reply

  28. 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;-)

    Reply

  38. 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. :)

    Reply

    1. I wish I had asked more questions when my Grandmother and Mother (who learend from my grandmother) were alive. They made these regularly. Don’t remember any complaints about them being hard to make or they wouldn’t have made them. My aunts don’t refuse to give recipes and advice, they just don’t get around to answering emails. (Maybe I should try calling.) My Grandmother had 9 children and 20 some grandchildren and on the holidays we never ran out of anything. And she used a wood stove because she just couldn’t bake correctly with an electric. Anyway, I haven’t thought about making them in a long time. Your blog brings back so many things that my mind had put in storage. Thanks.

      Reply
  40. Pingback: Cream Puffs In Venice - Magazine Mondays: The Last One for 2010!

  44. 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).

    Reply

  45. 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 :)

    Reply

  46. 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

    Reply

    2. Hi Maureen,I am of Lebanese descent. You can take the boy out of Lebanon but you can’t take the Lebanese out of the boy. My moehtr, God bless her, went to Him too soon. When I married, my wife who is not Lebanese, did not have the benefit of mums cooking prowess to guide her. Over the years I have relied on relatives to get that magical taste of home made Lebanese cooking and of course our own versions of certain dishes. I recently retired and although I keep busy it occurred to me that I had time to research and try some of my mums dishes. Fatayer was my favourite as a child. I tried your recipe and was pleased at my first attempt. Although some opened they tasted just as good as the others. I did not use pine nuts because mum didn’t. But there was one one ingredient that I remember mum added which was a small amount of chopped fennel leaves. I will definitely try that extra ingredient next time. Some of the other dishes we have made include merhshe kooseh, kibbe mekleea, kibbe naya, loubyeh, hummus and felafel. We have even tried our hand at pickling olives. One dish that I would like a recipe for is Fasoulyeh. I remember a rich stew of kidney beans and lamb on the bone served with rice and egg noodles. I would be forever grateful if you have a recipe for that stew. Keep up the good work .RegardsPeter Hassarani

      Reply
  49. Pingback: Best Holiday Dessert Ideas | Hickory Farms
  50. Pingback: Best Holiday Dessert Ideas | Hickory Farms

  51. At 53 years old I am the youngest of three daughters. Our mother was the Goddess of cooking. She could make anything. She could adapt anything. My skills are bout on the level of a confused squirrel. I love these pies. I cut up two pears (I alternate between Asian and anjou, though not in the same pie making session). I throw them in a quart size plastic bag with a splash of lemon juice. I then add the other ingredients and place the bag in the fridge while I set up my mini pie pans. Once I have the puff pastry ready to build my pies, I garb my bag of pear bits and away I go. I can always tell when they are done, because the smel from the kitchen says, “Come and get it!”
    *****
    This is an awesome recipe. If an imprecise, lackadaisical, sometime cook can make these without a major or even minor disaster resulting, than anyone should be able to make these delicious pies. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
    Lucille

    Reply

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