Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff
Apricots bring out the tangy side of strawberries in the jammy filling for these flaky hand pies. Can’t find fresh apricots? Our Test Kitchen also used dried apricots with delicious results. Why bother with expensive store-bought tartlets when these delicious homemade treats are so easy to make? This recipe, which uses one cup of chopped strawberries, is a fun and innovative way to use the fresh berries you bought at the farmers’ market.
How to Make It
Step 1
Melt butter in a small heavy-duty saucepan over medium. Add apricots, and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in strawberries and granulated sugar; cook, stirring constantly and crushing fruit with spoon, 8 minutes.
Step 2
Stir together flour and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Stir lemon juice mixture into strawberry mixture; bring to a boil. Boil, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer mixture to a small bowl. Cover and chill about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Roll 1 piecrust into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 12 rectangles, using a 2 1⁄2- x 3-inch cutter. Repeat with remaining 3 piecrusts. Place 24 dough rectangles 2 inches apart on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Spoon about 1⁄2 tablespoon strawberry-apricot mixture into center of each dough rectangle, leaving a 1⁄2-inch border. Dampen edges of dough rectangles with water; top with remaining dough rectangles, pressing edges with a fork to seal.
Step 4
Stir together egg and milk in a small bowl, and brush tops of hand pies. Cut 2 small Xs in each for steam to escape. Sprinkle each with about 1⁄4 teaspoon Demerara sugar.
Step 5
Bake in preheated oven until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve immediately, or cool completely.
