Peach Hand Pies

(filling and concept adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

I've been wanting to make hand pies ever since the first time I heard the phrase "hand pie". There is something incredibly appealing about that term - it just sounds so comforting and delicious. So when I found myself with more fruit than I could possibly eat before it went bad after a fruit-picking (apples, peaches, and asian pears!) trip to a local orchard, it was time to fulfill the dream, as it were. And this time, I remembered to use my mom's much-easier-and-equally-delicious crust recipe, this time. Bonus!

FILLING
2 pounds of peaches
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus - I used more because my peaches weren't quite ripe
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bourbon, if you have it - I used drambuie
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and chop the peaches into small chunks. Mix them with the flour, sugar and pinch of salt, and add the drambuie and vanilla. Add more sugar to taste. Set aside for awhile if you have the time - I let them sit for about an hour plus.

CRUST
1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick butter, cut roughly into tablespoons
1-2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup cold water

EXTRAS
1 large egg + 1 tbsp water, beaten - to act as the glaze
Extra sugar for dusting

The less you handle the crust mixture, the better - it makes for a flakier crust. Combine the flour, sugar, and butter in a bowl, and mix with your hands until fluffy and combined. Add the cold water, and again mix with your hands until you have dough that you can roll out. Add flour if it's getting too sticky.

Place floured wax paper on your counter and roll out the dough on the paper (lightly flour the rolling pin, too) until it's about the thickness you want for your crust. Use a bowl to cut out circles of dough. My first roll-out made about three rounds - I prepped those, then rolled out the dough again and repeated the process. Do this until you've used all your dough. I had seven and a half pies by the end; I also had leftover filling. (If you want a bigger filling-to-crust ratio, you might make them larger so as to fit more filling.)

The filling process works this way: place your rounds of crust on an ungreased baking pan/sheet. Brush the circumference of each with your egg mixture, then spoon in some filling on one side of the round. Fold the other side of the round over the filling, and press the edges of the crust together. Use the back of a fork to make a design on the edges, and poke a couple of holes in the crust with the fork. Then, lightly brush more egg mixture over the top of the pie, and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Once the pies are filled, place them in the fridge for about 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375. Then place the baking sheet with the pies in the oven and cook until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Then enjoy - eat them right from your hands!

Cheddar, Ham, and Shallot Quiche

(from "Comfort Food" by Rick Rodgers)

There was a Partners' Club brunch for School of Management students (Joef) and their partners (me) on Saturday, so I got to go back to this always-satisfying cookbook and page through all the delicious-looking breakfast recipes therein. I landed on a Gruyere, Bacon, and Leek Quiche recipe, and modified it only slightly, using cheddar, ham, and shallots as my filling alternatives. The results were, well, yummy.

About 10 minutes in to making the dough, I remembered that I'd told myself that from now on, I wouldn't use the Williams-Sonoma crust recipe, but that I'd switch to my mom's much simpler and equally, if not more, delicious one. Unfortunately, it was too late for me - but not for you! I've provided the recipe for the crust I used below, but just go to the Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie recipe and you'll find the simpler alternative. I assume that you will still want to do the pre-cooking of the crust with the pie weights - just keep an eye on it to make sure it's not getting over-cooked.

Finally, I was amazed to see that a whole quiche, which I always saw as egg-dominated, only takes two eggs. Who knew?

CRUST (Complicated Version)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
1 tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
1/4 cup ice water

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into smaller chunks and use a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands to combine the butter/shortening with the flour until it forms large, coarse crumbs.

Drizzle the ice water over the flour mixture and toss with a fork until you have moist clumps. Then form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

FILLING
1 cup chopped ham
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1 cup half-and-half
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt, optional
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Place your dough on a lightly-floured surface and dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll it out to about 12 inches in diameter, 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan and fit the dough to the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the sides of the dough that form an overhang, but leave enough to fold back into the pan and press it firmly against the inside rim of the pan (you're basically making the sides of the quiche double-thick). The crust should rise about 1/8 inch above the pan rim. Line the dough with aluminum foil and freeze for 30 minutes while you make the filling.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375. You'll want to use a rack in the lower third of the oven. When the crust is done freezing, you'll place the pan on a baking sheet and fill the foil with pie weights (or dried rice or dried beans). Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is just beginning to brown.

For the filling, fry the chopped shallots and chopped ham in 1 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat until the shallots begin to soften. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until combined. Set aside.

Remove the crust from the oven and remove the foil and weights. Scatter the ham and shallots evenly into the crust, then do the same with the shredded cheddar. Then pour in the egg mixture, spreading it evenly. Return to the oven and bake until the filling has puffed and become golden brown, about 30 minutes.