Cinnamon Plumcot and Wild Blueberry Hand Pies

Often I find my winter-self thanking my summer-self - I thank myself for the sewing and the watering and the weeding. For the foraging and the harvesting and, most of all, for the preserving. The moment I open a fresh can of cinnamon plumcot preserves, I am instantly taken back to that warm summer day when I plucked a ripe plumcot from that beautifully gnarled tree and took a big juicy bite. And when I pop a tiny frozen wild blueberry into my mouth, I remember swimming all day at the Pisgah and picking wild blueberries and huckleberries near the waterside. Suddenly, summertime seams not-so-distant, even though I’m covered in 2 feet of snow and ice.

What You'll Need

For the Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1/2 cup ice water

For the Filling:

1 cup cinnamon plumcot preserves, strained (or fresh plums or pluots, peeled and diced mixed with 1 tsp of cinnamon)

1 cup wild blueberries, fresh or thawed from frozen

juice of half lemon (omit if you are using plumcot preserves)

¼ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 egg for the wash

⅛ cup raw sugar

1. To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse or stir a few times to ensure the salt and flour are combined. Next, scatter the butter pieces over the flour. If you’re using a food processor, pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. If you are doing this the old fashioned way, use two knives or a pastry cutter and “cut-in” the butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Next, pour the ice water over the flour mixture and toss with a fork until the dough comes together in one ball. Divide the dough in half, place in a tupperware container and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight.
2. While the dough is resting, let’s make the filling. Combine the plumcots and blueberries and lemon juice (if you are using fresh plumcots, otherwise omit the lemon juice) in a large bowl and toss to combine. Sprinkle the brown sugar and flour on top and toss to coat the fruit. Set aside until you are ready to assemble your pies.
3. Next, in a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until the yolk and white are thoroughly combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
5. Now it’s time to assemble the pies. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out until it is about ¼” thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or even the rim of a cup, press firmly into the dough and lift up the resulting shape. Be sure to make your cut-outs as close as possible. You only want to re-roll the dough one more time. If you roll out the dough more than twice, it will get gummy and the texture of your crust will suffer.
6. To assemble the pies, place one shape in front of you. Dollop about a tablespoon of the filling on the cut-out. Place another cut-out on top of the filling and using the tines of a fork, gently fresh around the edges to seal the pie and pierce the top of the pie with the fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over top and sprinkle with raw sugar.
7. Place the pie on the prepared cookie sheet and repeat until you have used all your dough, or filling (whichever runs out first).
8. Bake the pies for 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve with French Vanilla or Bourbon Butterscotch Ice Cream.

Yield: sixteen 3” pies

Shortbread Blood Orange Tartlets with Bourbon Butterscotch Ice Cream

“This ice cream kicks the pants off of that new hipster ice cream place that just opened up in my neighborhood!” My sisters came to visit this weekend and I wanted to make them something special...something really special. One of them lives in West Philly and she was mentioning this new “hipster” ice cream place that just opened up in her neighborhood - it’s supposed to be all the rage with unique and off-the-wall flavors combinations. That got me thinking about making ice cream again. I have made many many ice creams and tried many many recipes, and all of them seem to fall short: too icy, too dense, bland, etc. Each of these bad recipes has taught me something about making ice cream in general and finally, with this Bourbon Butterscotch ice cream, I think I have finally developed a winning recipe.

The next issue was the blood orange tartlets. I poured over the internet, searching for inspiration. All citrus-filled tart/pie recipes I found used the citrus in a curd and were served cold. Nobody likes a cold tart with ice cream. Ice cream should be served over something warm so it melts and melds with the treat it is sitting atop. Then I began looking through my stack of old family recipes. I found this recipe given to me by my mother-in-law for maple syrup pie and that got me to thinking…

I think I’ve adapted that favorite family pie recipe into something special, but I’ll let her be the judge of that next time she comes for a visit...

What You’ll Need:

For the Ice Cream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 ¼ cups heavy cream (divided in ¾ cup and 1 ½ cups)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 cup whole milk

4 large egg yolks

For the Shortbread Tart Crust                                    

1 cup flour

⅓ cup confectioners sugar

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ cold, unsalted butter

1 tablespoon whole milk

For the Blood Orange Filling

2 cups fresh squeezed blood orange juice (about 8 blood oranges)

½ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. First, let’s make the butterscotch for the ice cream. In a large saucepot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the brown sugar and salt. Stir with a spatula until the sugar is completely coated with the butter. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes until the sugar is melted. Make sure you get the corners of the pan as you stir. When the sugar is completely melted, add the cream, vanilla and bourbon. The mixture bubble and fizz violently so be careful not to get it on your skin. Whisk the mixture for 10 minutes and bring it to a boil. While gently whisking, let the mixture boil for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand while we prepare the custard for the ice cream.
2. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat the egg yolks on medium speed until thickened and light yellow, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Next, heat the cream and milk in a medium saucepot over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear at the edges and the milk starts to steam (this is called scalding). Whisking the egg yolks constantly, pour ¼ of the cream mixture over the whisked eggs yolks. Continue to whisk until the egg yolks are completely incorporated. Return the egg yolk and cream mixture back to the saucepot. Cook and whisk over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture can coat the back of a spoon. You should be able to draw a line with your finger through the custard and the line should stay sharp and not ooze back in on itself. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butterscotch. Pour the custard into a tightly sealed tupperware (like pyrex) and refrigerate overnight. The next day, pour the custard into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.
3. Now let’s get down to business - the tartlets. First, let’s make the shortbread crust. Combine the flour, confectioner’s sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor or large bowl. Pulse or whisk a few times to combine the ingredients. Next, scatter the cold butter pieces over the flour. Pulse the mixture or use a pastry cutter to combine until the mixture is very fine and resembles cornmeal. Pour the cold whole milk over the top and stir with a fork until the mixture comes together in one mass. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Using for fingers, push the dough into the bottom and sides of 4 tartlet pans. Once the dough is firmly pressed into each pan, place the crusts in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After the crusts have been chilled, cover them with tin foil and use pie weights or rice to weight down the foil. Place them in the oven for 15 minutes. Take the crusts out and let them cool. Remove the foil.
4. While the crusts cool, let’s make the filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the blood orange juice and sugar in a medium saucepot. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook over medium high heat until it has reduced by ¼, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Once the cornstarch is thoroughly dissolved into the water, add the mixture to the blood orange juice and stir until incorporated. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the butter and stir until the butter is completely melted. Pour the filling into the tart crusts and place the tarts into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. When you remove the tartlets, the filling will be VERY hot. It is best to bake them on a cookie sheet so you can remove them easily. Let the tartlets cool for 30 minutes at room temperature and serve with a dollop of the butterscotch ice cream.

Yield: 4 cups ice cream and 4 - 4 ¼” tartlets