GoProvidence.com and the Providence Journal bring you Small Bites: Easy-to-Digest Recipes. A savory hand pie using all the leftovers from Thanksgiving is the perfect post-holiday treat. The recipe is shared for the latest Small Bites video demonstration by baker Christina McClane, who's plying her trade at a high level at the brand new Saint Monday, where she bakes biscuits, muffins, scones and more.
This recipe is a treasure because it will teach us how to make a tender pie dough. The secret is the addition of cream cheese to the butter-based dough. She adds no liquid, so there is no guesswork. The result is a divine piece of crust. "A lot of people overwork dough," she said. Her method prevents that. The secret is to pulse the ingredients in your food processor, and then bring the pebbled mixture together in a disc and then chill before rolling.
She also likes this recipe because it's adjustable to anyone's taste. "If you don't love cranberry, then add less," she said. Her only rule is not to overfill the pies. "If there were a place to go wrong, it would be not sealing the pies tightly enough. Use a little water on your finger as the sealer to make the dough close securely.
Check out the full recipe and video below:
Thanksgiving Leftover Hand Pies
For the Pie Dough:
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounces butter
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
- 1 cup leftover turkey
- 1 cup leftover stuffing
- 4 tablespoons leftover gravy
- 4 tablespoons leftover cranberry sauce
- Water, in a small container
- 1 egg and milk for wash
To make the pie dough, put the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add in the butter and pulse until it is the texture of cornmeal. Add in the cream cheese and pulse until larger, loose crumbs are formed.
Turn out the mixture onto a surface and press together into a disc. Wrap the disc and place in the fridge for at least an hour before using.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove pie dough from fridge. Roll out into a circular shape, about 1/8-inch thick.
Using a 6-inch round pastry cutter, cut out 3 circles of dough.
Take the pie dough scraps and press back together into a disc and roll out again (you should be able to get one more 6-inch disc, making a total of 4 dough discs).
Discard the remaining small scraps of pie dough (re-using or re-rolling pie dough more than 2 times results in a tough pie crust).
Take each 6-inch disc of pie dough and roll it out into a slightly larger circle, making it about 1/2-inch larger in circumference.
Before filling begins, shred turkey and separate it into 1/4-cup quantities. Separate the stuffing into 1/4-cup quantities. Divide and separate gravy and cranberry sauce into 1-tablespoon quantities.
On the bottom half of each circle, lay down the first cup of shredded turkey, taking care to leave about a 1/2-inch of space from the edge.
Next, spoon the gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Dip your finger in the water, and spread it along the 1/2-inch edge along the bottom half of the hand pie.
Folding the top half down, press the top edge of the circle onto the bottom edge that was moistened with the water. This will form a half-moon shape.
Repeat this process another 3 times with the rest of the dough discs.
Place all 4 hand pies onto a half-sheet pan. Either crimp the wedges with your fingers or use a fork to seal the edges together. This will keep them closed while cooking.
Make your egg wash (1 egg whisked well with 2 tablespoons milk and brush the tops of each hand pie so they are well coated).
Cut small 1/2-inch slits onto the top of each hand pie.
Place sheet pan in the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cooking Time: 15–20 minutes
