Cheese hand pies

I've been meaning to make this recipe for a while now, it just called out to me from the first time I looked through this cookbook. It turned out lovely and it couldn't be easier to put together. Tessa says in her book, one or two of these make a nice snack - but I think you'll find it hard to only eat one or two of them. We both loved them, even the dogs approved, but then, they are not very critical of anything. I put the vinegar jug on the floor to get it out of my way while cooking and they were both obsessed with it... have you seen many dogs that want to eat vinegar? Usually the smell kind of offends them, but not Douglas and Norman! I think it makes them think of pickles and they love those!

This is my version of the recipe - Tessa uses Feta cheese in these and Parmesan, which would be great too... I loved the cottage cheese in these however, and it's what I had. I like the tang the Romano gives it as well. These are worth making, you'll love the result. The pastry is lovely and flaky too - everything you want in a little pie.

Cheese pies
adapted from Apples for Jam, by Tessa Kiros
Pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbs butter cut into blocks
1/2 tsp salt
1 small egg, lightly beaten
3 1/2 tbs milk
2 tsp white vinegar
Filling:
3/4 cup cottage cheese (drained)
1/2 cup smooth ricotta cheese
2 tsp finely grated Romano cheese
pinch salt & pepper
2 small eggs
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp milk
For the pastry, put the flour and butter in a bowl and add 1/2 tsp of salt. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it is crumbly. Add the eggs and milk, and the vinegar. Mix it in well so that the dough forms a loose ball. Flatten it slightly, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. For the filling, mash the cheeses together, and the salt, pepper, 1 egg, and paprika, mix well.

Whip the remaining egg together with the 1 tsp of milk for glaze. Roll out your pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8inch thick. Cut 4 inch rounds with a cookie cutter or a glass, cutting them as closely together as you can. Re roll the scraps if you need to. Brush around the edges of the pastry circles with the glaze. Place about 1/2 - 1 tsp of filling in the middle of each round, spreading it out lightly into an oval (you want enough filling to make the pie tasty, but not so it's spilling out the sides.) Flip the pastry over your thump and forefinger to make half moons. Stretch out the ends to lengthen and then them a bit. Press the edges together firmly to seal, then roll them over to make a lip so that no filling can escape. Put the pies on the sheets and brush the tops with glaze. Bake one sheet at a time for 20 minutes until they are all nicely browned on top and bottom. Let cool - these are best eaten warm, not pipping hot. They are good cold too. And they are all looong gone. Enjoy!


Now I'm off to smuggle Organic wine across the border... but that's another story! (Please don't worry, we are not really smuggling it... we'll pay the 63%, yes, 63% tax on it.) Can't buy it in this Provience... so either we move to British Columbia or the United States... in the meantime, we pay horrible taxes so Kevin can enjoy the only wine he can drink without getting sick! It's worth it for New Years.
Stay warm everyone! We are getting our first real winter day today, it's blowing and snowing, and the goats are staying in where it's warm and dry!

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