Hand Pies & Bloody Marys [FPP v3.0]

Whoops!  I've been slacking a bit.  Well no, I take that back.  Actually, life has been quite full with so many projects, events and trips that I have endless blog material!  I kept putting this one off because I knew it would take a while to organize the photos and get all the words on the screen.  The girls and I met up in May for the third installment of FPP - Hand Pies & Bloody Marys!  As usual, we split up the shopping list.  This time however, we also had to stock up the self-serve bloody bar.

The ULTIMATE Bloody Mary Bar

We decided that we would do 2 savory pies and 2 sweet pies.  The twist - "Sweet" Sarah and I were in charge of savory while Cheryl and "Savory" Sarah were in charge of sweet.  The girls requested that I make my family's traditional Chinese New Year Hom Gok - a glutinous rice dough filled with ground pork, BBQ pork, mushrooms and scallions that is sprinkled with sesame seeds and fried.  Sarah made a delicious Spinach & Feta hand pie that was surprisingly refreshing with the addition of some fresh mint!

The making of Savory Hand Pies

For our sweets, Cheryl made a Mixed Berry and Apple hand pie and Sarah made a Cherry pie.  For both, after egg-washing them, they were sprinkled with some demerara sugar for a little extra crunch!  Both were to die for and the leftovers that I took home were devoured within minutes.  This was definitely a successful FPP party!  And, for once we actually ate our savory before eating our sweet! 

The making of Sweet Hand Pies

As you may or may not have noticed, we used the same amazing pie dough for all the hand pies except for mine.  And yes, here is the recipe:

Super Flaky Pie Dough 
(yield: 4 x 9" Pie Crusts)

1 1/2 lb     Butter
1 lb           Lard
8 c            AP
2 c            Cake Flour
1 T + 1 t   Salt
1 t             Baking Powder
2 c            Ice Water 

Ahead of time, cut fats into small pieces (about 1/2" cubes), freeze
In a mixer, combine fats and dry ingredients
Paddle on low until mixture resembles a coarse meal
Slowly add water while continuing to paddle on low
Mix until just combined
Split dough into manageable pieces, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using

Special thanks to Matt! [Co-host, Resident Taste-Tester & Part-Time Photographer]