I hope your summer has been full of rest and peace, friends!
Fresh summer produce is such an amazing part of summer, don’t you think? I love going to our local markets and soaking in the glorious smells that the season has to offer. Although I live in a very farm friendly area, summer brings fresh markets to pretty much every area of the country. If you haven’t found any local farms yet, check out Local Harvest, which gives a pretty accurate list of neighboring farms. Buying organic food the day it’s picked is a pretty amazing thing.
That brings us to peaches.
I think it’s safe to say this fruit is the essence of summertime. Without the heat summer brings, there is no peach. Next time you feel hot, remember all that yummy fruit that is living it up in those rays. You see, it makes it just a little more endurable.
I thought a good place for peachy goodness to dwell would be inside a hand pie with flaky crust and some ginger.
Don’t you agree?
Deliciousness! Ok, let’s make these guys…
To start, chop the peaches, grate the ginger, and squeeze the lemon juice.
Mix all of those with the cinnamon, cardamom, and sugar. The cardamom isn’t necessary, but I really love it, so I threw it in to make things interesting.
After it’s mixed, let the fruit strain from the juices for several minutes. If the juices were left in, they could leak out and cause burning or make the dough soggy.
Sprinkle a little flour on your counter and rolling-pin. You should be starting with 4 total pieces of dough (what would have been the tops and bottoms of whole pies from a recipe). Roll out your dough to be a 14 inch circle or until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick.
Cut the dough twice diagonally to make 4 triangles. Repeat until dough is used up. You can roll out the scraps to make more pies if you want.
Fill one triangle with peach filling, leaving space all the way around the edges to press down and close. Place another triangle on top and use a fork to press down the edges. If you see cracks, try to smooth them with your finger so the juices cannot escape. Brush the top with the egg and sprinkle with sugar to your liking. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
Ginger Peach Hand Pies
For the filling:
3 just ripe peaches
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
2 T. sugar
For the Crust:
1 pie or tart dough recipe, enough for 2 pies with tops and bottoms
( I have one here available from my homemade pop tarts)
or
Pre-made pie dough from a store like Trader Joes.
(Just remember to defrost it beforehand)
1 egg, beaten
large grain sugar for sprinkling on top
To start, chop the peaches, grate the ginger, and squeeze the lemon juice. Mix all of those with the cinnamon, cardamom, and sugar. The cardamom isn’t necessary, but I really love it, so I threw it in to make things interesting. After it’s mixed, let the fruit strain for several minutes. If the juices were left in, they could leak out and cause burning or make the dough soggy. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and rolling-pin. You should be starting with 4 total pieces of dough (what would have been the tops and bottoms of whole pies from a recipe). Roll out your dough to be a 14 inch circle or until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut the dough twice diagonally to make 4 triangles. Repeat until dough is used up. You can roll out the scraps to make more pies if you want. Fill one triangle with peach filling, leaving space all the way around the edges to press down and close. Place another triangle on top and use a fork to press down the edges. If you see cracks, try to smooth them with your finger so the juices cannot escape. Brush the top with the egg and sprinkle with sugar to your liking.
Enjoy this taste of summer!
