Hand Held Pies, Jar Pies, and Pot Pie with Savory Cheese Pastry and Taco Cheese Filling.

This is something I have been thinking about and turning over in my mind weeks before I made the taco soup (last week, 1/11/12, Spicy Taco Soup in Cumin Spiked Bread Bowls).  I froze about 3 pints that were left and I had planned to make up a pastry and add spices and cheese to form a savory cheesy pastry for  either chili cheese pies or taco pies.  My thinking was to make them up three ways.  As hand held pies, as pies in jelly jars, and as a pot pie using the regular foil pans traditional for pot pies you buy at the store.

Today it all came together and I had the one pictured for lunch.  It was REALLY GOOD!!  I am so glad I made these.  I only baked the one.  Everything else I wrapped in foil and put away in the upright freezer for another time.  These will be terrific for lunches, dinner and all I will need to do is turn on the oven and pop them in.  Set a salad along side and you have a meal.  My inspiration for the pastry was a Lucinda Scala Quinn episode on Mad Hungry I happened to see.  She was making up hand held chicken pies.

This recipe would also make 4, 9"  crusts, either single or 2 doubles.  This made me 7 hand held pies, 4 half pint jar pies and 1 regular pot pie in a foil pan.

Here is how I made the pastry:

16 T. room temperature butter
8 Oz. room temperature cream cheese
1/2 C. heavy cream
3 1/4  C. all purpose flour, plus more for the board when rolling
1 T. kosher salt
1/2 C. Vermont Cheddar Cheese Powder* or Parmesan cheese
1 t. Paprika
1/8-1/4 t. cayenne pepper

* I order this and keep it on hand from the King Arthur Flour catalog.

Add the cold cream, butter, and cream cheese to a large mixer bowl.  Blend until fluffy.  Using another bowl mix the flour, salt, seasonings, and cheese powder until well combined with a whisk.  Add the dry ingredients to the cheese and butter mixture and blend on the lowest mixer speed until it comes together as a dough.  Flour hands and work surface and form into 4 disks.  Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll and cut into appropriately sized circles.

Add filling to half of the circle.

Fold the dough in half and press the edge together crimping with a fork.

For pies in jars drape the circle of dough over a small juice glass and form.

Turn the half pint jelly jar upside down over the pastry and form.

Spoon in the filling and cheese.

The assortment of pies is ready to freeze or bake!!

To form pies roll the dough and cut into circles.  I used a 5" plate as a pattern.  Place 1/4 C. or whatever portion is appropriate to the size circle you have made and the thickness of your filling on half of the dough.  Sprinkle with cheese and fold the other half over and press the edges together.  Pierce the top with a fork to make a vent for the steam to escape.

If you are using jelly jars, fit them with the crust and fill appropriately.   Top with cheese and a disk of pastry.  Crimp the edges and pierce the top for the steam to escape.  Follow the same procedure for pot pie tins.

Wrap well and freeze.  When i baked the hand pie I preheated to oven to 400 degrees F. and baked for 15-20 minutes, peeking as not to burn.

I generally bake homemade frozen pot pies for an hour at 400 degrees.  These are smaller so I would go with 375 for 30-40 minutes then check for doneness.  If not done I would check at 5-7 minute intervals.

Bean Salad in a Mason Jar!!

It has occurred to me that I have tons of jars just waiting for me to put them to use.  Canning is something our family has always done and I still do but way less than when I had a family at home and a larger garden.

Do you have a drawer or a cabinet full of plastic stuff you use for storage and packing meals??  I sure do.

We both love salads and it seems like a good idea to me to make them up in one pint jars for lunch size servings.  So over the weekend I packed one of Brian's favorites, kidney bean salad.  This has really worked well.  The dressing is mixed up and put into the jar first at the bottom.  If I had packed a lettuce salad it would have kept the greens from wilting by layering in this fashion!  Next I placed the sliced celery in a layer then the diced sweet pickle.  These sturdy vegetables rise above the dressing and are substantial enough not to fade or wilt.  The nest layer was drained and washed kidney beans topped off with a diced hard cooked egg and a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.

Here is the ingredient list for each of 2 one pint jars:

2 T. mayonnaise
2 t. sweet pickle juice

Stir the dressing ingredients together and spoon into one of the jars, repeat for the second jar.

1/4 C. sliced celery
1/4 C. diced sweet pickle
1 C. rinsed and drained kidney brans
1 diced hard cooked egg
sprinkling of salt and pepper

Add the vegetables, beans, egg, and seasoning in the order given.  Seal the jar with a flat canning lid and band and refrigerate until ready to pack your lunch or eat!!  To serve, turn out into a dish ans stir or stir in the jar and enjoy.  Yield 2 one pint salads.

Julia Child's Rustic Potato Loaves (Yeast Bread)

One day last week before it turned cold and snowed I slipped over to out town's library and checked out a few books.  One was Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.  I certainly marbled at what I don't know about bread baking!!!

There are such interesting recipes,  I am anxious to try them all!!! On a scale this was probably the easiest.  I have made hundreds if not thousands of potato rolls and maybe, just maybe a loaf of potato bread but not that neared the description of this one.

The crust is deep and dark, crisp,  and the ratio of potato to flour is about 50%.  The crumb is fine and tender and the rise is extremely quick yielding 2 rustic loaves.

I did modify (wouldn't you know!) the recipe by using cooked potatoes I had on hand from the evening before.  I can't help it.  I have that German frugal,  or maybe it is the staunch Missouri Synod Lutheran, well anyway.......waste not want not......I put about a good quart of cold boiled potatoes through my food mill to rice them and measured out 3 cups after letting them come to room temperature.

Since I didn't have the potato water called for I used 1/2 cup of very warm water and dissolved about 1/2 t. of the riced potatoes in the warm water to equal what she calls for in the recipe.

The end result was 2 deep dark crisp and delicious loaves of the bread.  We enjoyed a loaf with dinner and shared a loaf when my granddaughter came by to grab an onion for her Dad who was cooking their dinner last night.

Her is Julia's recipe:

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3)
4 t. salt
1/2 C. tepid reserved potato water (80-90 degrees F)
1 T. active dry yeast
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
4 3/4 C. unbleached all purpose flour

Wash, peel, and quarter the potatoes adding them to a lidded 2 quart pot,  covering with water, and adding 2 t. salt.  Boil until easily pierced with a fork.  Draw off 1/2 C. of the potato water before draining the potatoes and set it aside.  After draining the potatoes spread them out over a flat surface to cool and air dry for 20-30 minutes.


Stir the yeast into the cooled water (below 115 degrees as to not kill the yeast).     Allow this to rest for 5 minutes; it will become creamy.

Meanwhile, turn the cooled potatoes into a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and mash them.  Turn the mixer on low speed and add the dissolved yeast and the olive oil.  Mix until well incorporated.

Replace the paddle with the dough hook.  At low speed add the flour and the remaining 2 t. of salt.  Mix on low for 2-3 minutes.

Increase the speed to medium and mix for 11 minutes more.  The dough will be firm at first and soft at the finish.  In the beginning it will look so very dry you will think you're making pie crust!!  But as the dough is worked, it will be transformed.  It may even look like a brioche,  cleaning the sides of the bowl but pooling at the bottom.   HAVE FAITH AND KEEP BEATING.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.  The dough will have risen noticeably but may not have doubled.

While the bread is proofing, position a rack on the bottom setting of the oven and fit it with a baking stone or quarry tiles, leaving a border of at least 1" around all sides.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.    Place a tea towel on a baking sheet and rub it with flour. and set it aside, this will be the resting place for the breads final rise.   Rub a bakers peel or baking sheet with corn meal or flour.  Fill a spray bottle with water and set aside.

After the first rise is done turn the bread dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut the dough in half.  Shape each piece into a ball then flatten into a disk.  Starting at the edge farthest away from you, roll the dough towards you.  When you are on your last roll, stop and pull the free end towards you,  stretching it gently, and dust it's edge with flour.  Finish the roll and, if necessary, rock the loaf back and forth a little to taper the ends and form a torpedo, or football.

Place the loaves on the floured towel, seam side down, and cover them.  Let rise at room temperature 20-30 minutes.

When you are ready to bake , spray the inside of the oven wall on all sides with the water  and immediately close the oven door to trap the steam.   Turn the breads out, seam side up, onto the peel and transfer them into the oven.   Spray the oven with water again closing the door quickly.  Bake the loaves for 45-50 minutes until the crust is very brown.   The loaves should sound hollow when thumped.  The most important test, the temperature should read 200 degrees F when an instant read thermometer is plunged into the center of the loaf.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.  "Slathering this bread with butter while it is still warm is a great treat."

The breads should be stored at room temperature.  Once sliced the bread should be turned cut side down on a cutting board.  It will keep at room temperature for about 2 days.  To store longer wrap and freeze for up to a month.  Thaw still wrapped at room temperature.