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| Mini Cherry Pies |
A pie is only as good as it's crust. Ever feel like there is too much filling and not enough flaky, buttery crust? Maybe you are craving pie but you don't want to make the whole dessert? Sometimes pies can be large and overwhelming - especially when cooking for two. These miniature cherry pies give you best of both worlds combining a classic dessert into a bite size portion. Sweet and tart cherry filling made from organic cherries whose size justifies a second helping! Anne Thornton's recipe makes creating homemade cherry pie filling easy and quick. This crust is perfectly flaky and buttery as a crust should be. A great way to serve individual desserts and impress guests.
Stress relief tip of the week:
Practice living in the now. Make a conscious attempt to live in the present moment and let go of what happened in the past or stop worrying about the future.
Many times clients come in to my office presenting depressive and anxiety symptoms. After gathering information we are able to make connections between their thoughts and feelings. Often times they may be holding on to something in their past which is hindering them to move on with their lives. Letting go is an action we strive to achieve but can be more difficult than we imagined. In order to practice living in the now we also need to have a level of acceptance. Forgetting what we are holding on to may not be realistic. However, learning from the experience and acknowledging that this experience is contributed to who you are is acceptance and will help you live in the now.
Many times clients come in to my office presenting depressive and anxiety symptoms. After gathering information we are able to make connections between their thoughts and feelings. Often times they may be holding on to something in their past which is hindering them to move on with their lives. Letting go is an action we strive to achieve but can be more difficult than we imagined. In order to practice living in the now we also need to have a level of acceptance. Forgetting what we are holding on to may not be realistic. However, learning from the experience and acknowledging that this experience is contributed to who you are is acceptance and will help you live in the now.
Mini Cherry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for bench and cutters
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Filling:
4 cups fresh pitted cherries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Directions
For the crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse the processor until the mixture resembles fine sand. Remove the lid and add the ice water to the mixture. Run the processor just until the mixture rolls itself into a little ball. If the mixture is a bit dry, add more ice water by the tablespoonful until it comes together. Gather the dough into a ball. With a bench scraper or knife, divide the mixture evenly in half. Shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
Cook's Note: At this point you can keep the wrapped dough in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for later use.
For the filling: In a saucepan, combine the pitted cherries and 1 cup water over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Using a whisk, swirl the ingredients together, making sure that there aren't any lumps in the cornstarch. Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture and lemon zest to the cherries. Cook the cherry mixture until it comes to a rolling boil. Cook 1 minute more, until thickened. Allow the cherry filling to cool slightly while you prepare the crust.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin or 2 (12 cup) mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
Roll the dough disks out into 10-inch rounds on a well-floured work surface. With a 1 1/2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, edge lightly dipped in flour, cut 24 rounds from the first rolled out disk. With a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, edge lightly dipped in flour, cut 24 rounds from the second rolled out disk. You should have a total of 24 (1 1/2-inch) rounds and 24 (2-inch) rounds for matching top and bottom crusts.
Gently fit the 2-inch dough rounds into the bottom of the prepared mini muffin tin. Make sure to pat down the bottom and the excess coming up the sides. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon cooled pie filling into each crust-lined cup. Fit the top of each mini pie with a 1 1/2-inch dough round, pushing down gently and sealing the bottom crust and top crust by crimping the edges together with a fork. With a sharp paring knife, make 3 small incisions on the top crust, to allow the steam to escape.
Bake until the edges are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack, and then remove from the muffin tin.
Recipe from Anne Thornton
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Filling:
4 cups fresh pitted cherries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Directions
For the crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse the processor until the mixture resembles fine sand. Remove the lid and add the ice water to the mixture. Run the processor just until the mixture rolls itself into a little ball. If the mixture is a bit dry, add more ice water by the tablespoonful until it comes together. Gather the dough into a ball. With a bench scraper or knife, divide the mixture evenly in half. Shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
Cook's Note: At this point you can keep the wrapped dough in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for later use.
For the filling: In a saucepan, combine the pitted cherries and 1 cup water over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Using a whisk, swirl the ingredients together, making sure that there aren't any lumps in the cornstarch. Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture and lemon zest to the cherries. Cook the cherry mixture until it comes to a rolling boil. Cook 1 minute more, until thickened. Allow the cherry filling to cool slightly while you prepare the crust.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin or 2 (12 cup) mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
Roll the dough disks out into 10-inch rounds on a well-floured work surface. With a 1 1/2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, edge lightly dipped in flour, cut 24 rounds from the first rolled out disk. With a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, edge lightly dipped in flour, cut 24 rounds from the second rolled out disk. You should have a total of 24 (1 1/2-inch) rounds and 24 (2-inch) rounds for matching top and bottom crusts.
Gently fit the 2-inch dough rounds into the bottom of the prepared mini muffin tin. Make sure to pat down the bottom and the excess coming up the sides. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon cooled pie filling into each crust-lined cup. Fit the top of each mini pie with a 1 1/2-inch dough round, pushing down gently and sealing the bottom crust and top crust by crimping the edges together with a fork. With a sharp paring knife, make 3 small incisions on the top crust, to allow the steam to escape.
Bake until the edges are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack, and then remove from the muffin tin.
Recipe from Anne Thornton
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