Lavender
Lavender has been valued for centuries and used in myriad ways, including medicinally. It can become a staple of your spice cabinet as well. The floral and citrus notes of lavender pair perfectly with...
These stunning hand pies take some time to execute, but they will definitely impress your brunch guests. The floral notes pair perfectly with the sweet blueberries, sour lime and salty butter crust, creating a delightful treat for any time of day.
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 teaspoon culinary lavender
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Dough
- 2½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled
- ½ cup ice water
- Milk or cream for brushing
ICING
- 2 teaspoons blueberry filling
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon culinary lavender, plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon lime zest, plus more for garnish
- Pinch of salt
- Purple food coloring, optional
Instructions
Makes 8 to 10
Filling
In a small saucepan, heat the blueberries over medium-low heat; they will soften and release juice. Cook until the juice begins to reduce, about 8 to 9 minutes.
Crush the lavender with a mortar and pestle or between your hands. In a bowl, whisk together the crushed lavender, sugar, cornstarch, lime zest and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the saucepan and heat, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Let cool completely and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Reserve two teaspoons for the icing and use the rest to fill the pies.
Pies
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut the cold butter into ½-inch cubes and add to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or your hands. When the butter is pea-size, add water a little at a time, using only as much as you need for the dough to start coming together. Form the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
On a floured surface, roll out 1 disc (leaving the other in the refrigerator) to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 8 to 10 rectangles that are roughly 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Place half of the rectangles on a parchment-lined baking tray. Brush the outer edges of each rectangle on the tray with cream. Place 2 teaspoons of the blueberry filling on the center of each, making sure to avoid the edges. Do not overfill. Prick holes with a fork in the tops of the remaining rectangles and place 1 on top of each pie. Press the edges down with your fingers, then crimp the edges with a fork. Place the tray of assembled pies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the tray from the refrigerator, brush each pie with cream, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Transfer pies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Repeat the process with the other disc of dough.
Icing
While the pies are cooling, make the icing. Strain the reserved blueberry filling. Take the resulting liquid and whisk it together with sugar, lime juice, water, lavender, lime zest, salt and a drop of purple food coloring.
Once the pies have cooled completely, drizzle icing over each pie and sprinkle with more lavender and lime zest. Pies can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 days. If you wish to reheat pies in a toaster, store them without the icing and add it right after you toast them.
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