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local milk is a journal devoted to home cookery, travel, family, and slow living—to being present & finding sustenance of every kind. It’s about nesting abroad & finding the exotic in the everyday. Most of all it’s about the perfection of imperfections and seeing the beauty of everyday, mundane life.

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white peach, rose, & basil hand pies

Cook

09.06.2012

White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand PiesWhite Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies

Sometimes I get this resplendent feeling. It starts in the pit of my stomach. I can feel it pressing against my ribs and radiating out of my finger tips. A coniferous forest rises up around me. It’s symphonic. These trees, they aren’t rising, they’re shooting up, dwarfing me. The canopy is closing rapidly, and the rays of sunlight are reduced to pinholes. Scarab beetles and snowshoe rabbits conspire in the underbrush. There is music here. A primal composition of every song ever written. Every blip, every snare, every haunting a capella. It’s played on quantum strings. It’s the vibration of the very fabric of reality and so lovely. The streets and houses that were once around me have disintegrated and the milky way runs like a creek through the forest. There are faeries and strange little people with giant gems for eyes that I don’t entirely trust but seem to know ancient things about pain suppression. Magical beasts and deities, many armed and fire breathing, play dice. There is math here and neurons too. There is no time. The universe and all it contains are one moment, one substance in this forest. I have no body, no fingers or toes or little belly. I’m not afraid to die or fall out of love or be mediocre. Those concepts don’t even make sense.

 

White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies
White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies

My heart feels swollen in my chest. I feel majestic, but the tick-tock of a blinker intrudes. Headlights. I’m driving. I’m driving a pick-up truck. I’m driving a pick-up truck because he moved in with me this weekend, moved in with his stacks of books and antique furniture and a piece of obsidian. I’m driving a pick-up truck back home, now our home, from Walgreens. It’s midnight. I bought a pint of cookies & cream for $1.29. We’re going to share it in bed and watch our favorite television show. The forest is gone, and I’m mortal again. And then, as my street comes back into focus, for a moment I feel as if I’ll become untethered and be flung clear off the face of the earth, a special case that gravity capriciously forsook. It doesn’t happen. I stay planted. We eat ice cream in bed. But you see, sometimes I lose my gravity. In a moment all of reality ripples and shimmers as if it were about to dissipate entirely, and then, just as quickly, it solidifies back into lawn, mailbox, ceiling fan, spoon.

This phenomena, if you will, is one of the many reasons I love to cook & bake. For me, baking pie is, in a sense, like holding on to clumps of dirt for dear life. It’s real. I’m real. You’re real. He & I are real, and I don’t need to be afraid. And as I slice into ripe fruit, as flour mushrooms out of the bag into my mixing bowl, as I shred basil leaves with my fingers, I am here, and it is now.

White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies
White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies

I realize that the season for peaches has all but passed like a sigh, but I made these in August and wanted to share them with you. If you’re quick you might be able to grab the last peaches of the season depending on where you live. And this was not the last summer on earth, unless of course you believe that this world will end come December, so when the market stalls are brimming with peaches again next summer, you’ll be glad to have this recipe tucked into your apron. Or back pocket. Or hat. Or wherever you do your tucking. I tuck my recipes into an old symbolic logic notebook. I don’t even wear an apron. I just mess up my clothes all the time. It’s senseless.

White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies
White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies

White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies

The rose water in this pie filling compliments the floral notes of the white peaches and adds that certain je ne sais quoi that makes a dish feel special. It should  be noted you can certainly use yellow peaches. Nectarines would be nice too. This can be easily adapted to make a full sized pie, just slice the peaches instead of dice them. While I’ve given measurements below, I usually just add the rose and honey to taste along with a healthy handful of basil. I often make it as a galette for a quick & easy dessert for impromptu dinner guests with dough I keep on hand in the freezer. Try it with some homemade cardamom ice cream & candied almonds. You’ll just die. It’s so good.

Ingredients

One batch of Thomas Keller’s Buttery Pastry Crust or your favorite pie dough

2 cups diced peaches (about 2 peaches)
2 Tbsp packed roughly chopped basil
1 tsp rosewater (or to taste starting at 1/4 tsp)
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup of honey (more if you’d like it sweeter)
squeeze of a lemon wedge
1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 egg, lightly beaten for wash
Sugar for sprinkling (raw, sanding, or regular all work)

Cooking Directions

Heat oven to 425° F.

Mix all of the ingredients except the cornstarch in a bowl. Adjust taste to your liking. Let sit 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Pour off about a tablspoon of the liquid in the bottom and mix with the cornstarch. Stir this back into the peaches.

Generously flour your work surface. Place one chilled, unwrapped dough on the flour and flour the top of the dough. Keep the other disk refrigerated while you work. Gently roll your dough out from the center until about 1/8 inch thick. Re-flour your surface as needed, continually lifting and rotating your dough to make sure no parts are sticking. If the dough becomes difficult to work with at any point, chill for a few minutes in the freezer on a baking sheet before continuing. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut an even number of circles in desired size using a floured biscuit cutter or the base of a small bowl. (I made 4″ pies using a scalloped biscuit cutter.) Lay circles on parchment lined baking sheet. Chill dough if getting too soft for a few minutes in the fridge or freezer before continuing. I find myself popping them in and out of the freezer as needed while I work if they start getting gooey.

Fill a small bowl with cold water and keep it near by. Top half the circles with a small amount of filling, about 1 Tbsp for 4″ pies and about 1 tsp if making bite sized 2″ pies.  Using your finger lightly wet the bottom half with the water, top with another round, and seal edges by pressing gently but firmly to seal. You can also use a fork to seal them. Brush top with egg wash, sprinkle with raw sugar, and cut to vent.

When completed place in the refrigerator to chill and repeat with other disc of dough and remaining filling. When second sheet of pies are formed, put in fridge and remove the first sheet. Bake for 5 minutes at 425° F and then reduce the temperature to 350° F and bake 10-15 more minutes until pies are golden brown.

Cool on racks. Pies can be stored in air tight containers but are best eaten within 24 hours of baking.

White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies
White Peach, Rose, and Basil Hand Pies

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tags: basil, crust, dessert, dough, galette, hand pies, pastry, pate brissee, peach, Pie, rose, rose water, southern cooking, summer, tart, white peach

70 thoughts on “white peach, rose, & basil hand pies”

  1. Russell at Chasing Delicious says:
    September 6, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    Your ability to make insanely scrumptious and adorable hand pies is both inspiring and frustrating ; ). The shots with the sugar/syrup dots are lovely!

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 6, 2012 at 7:23 pm

      Maybe one of these days I’ll make a full sized pie! But I’m always giving them away all over the place… so nice to be able to bag these little friends up!

      Reply
  2. london bakes says:
    September 6, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    Love. There is something so wonderfully nostalgic about hand pies & I love the combination of flavours in the filling. The basil is such a perfect touch.

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:22 pm

      I basically can’t stop myself from adding something unexpected to my pies. It’s like a twitch. Herbs are a favorite.

      Reply
      1. Catherine Martinez says:
        August 15, 2014 at 6:50 pm

        Where would one procure rose water for cooking?

        Reply
        1. beth says:
          August 15, 2014 at 8:08 pm

          you can find it in the baking section or the middle eastern section of some grocery stores, at middle eastern food stores, and you can order it online. I use this one http://www.nielsenmassey.com/culinary/products-rose-water.php

          Reply
  3. Courtney @educatedderelicts says:
    September 6, 2012 at 9:03 pm

    These look delicious – and so beautifully photographed too! It looks like a good way to brought back to reality; you need to stopover in the real world every now and then 🙂

    Reply
  4. Winnie says:
    September 6, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    Amazing photos of such gorgeous little pies. And I love your “psychedelic ramblings”!

    Reply
  5. E says:
    September 6, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    Not sure but think I was there with you at the Sunday Suppers a couple few weeks ago. These little pies look so scrumptious.

    Reply
  6. E says:
    September 6, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    Wait, sorry, and Im a English teacher. Let me rephrase that sentence. “Not sure but think we both attended the same Sunday Suppers work shop a few weeks ago.” Yes indeed, your pies look deliciously scrumptious.

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:23 pm

      I was there! Were you at the baking workshop or the dinner?

      Reply
  7. vanilla bean blog says:
    September 7, 2012 at 12:02 am

    Love this. I was having the same kinds of thoughts about apples – how they connect me to the earth, to real life.
    Your pies are lovely!

    Reply
  8. thelittleloaf says:
    September 7, 2012 at 2:53 am

    These are possibly the most beautiful little hand pies I’ve ever seen. Am just imagining the wonderful flavours of soft peach, basil and flaky pastry with that crunchy sugar shell – absolutely gorgeous.

    Reply
  9. Laura says:
    September 7, 2012 at 9:26 am

    Your ramblings are fine by me as long as you keep these sweet little pies coming, miss. I’m in the no-apron club too because I find myself spontaneously drawn to the kitchen too often to catch myself and tie it on. Messing up those clothes like it ain’t no thing. That is some messy and righteous living.

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:25 pm

      Man, I feel like my refusal to wear an apron is like some subconscious desire to vex myself. Maybe I’ve just given up & decided I’m going to forever be covered is splatters and flour. I certainly *have* aprons… I even have a Star Wars apron with my name embroidered on it! I have my mother to thank for that pinnacle of nerdiness!

      Reply
  10. fortheloveofthesouth.com says:
    September 7, 2012 at 10:22 am

    I just happen to stumble upon your darling site and ADORE your photos: the texture, the layout, the passion behind the words. I can relate to any intellect-gone-foodie. Food can creep its way into every fiber of our lives and to be able to relate food to cultures and society is something truly unique (especially Southern food!) Lovely!

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you so much! I always felt torn between the intellectual/poet/artist/cook/baker parts of myself. So I just threw them all into one big pot and here you have it! And Southern food, especially retranslated & imagined as well as preserved is a passion of mine.

      Reply
  11. Averie @ Averie Cooks says:
    September 7, 2012 at 2:12 pm

    your photography is just absolutely stunning! WOW!

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:25 pm

      Thanks! I’m still trying to get the hang of it!

      Reply
  12. Julia says:
    September 7, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    Very classy looking little pies! I want to try to make them too.

    Reply
  13. Canette says:
    September 8, 2012 at 3:18 am

    Gorgeous photos. I really love them !!

    Reply
  14. Te de Ternura says:
    September 8, 2012 at 2:13 pm

    Cuantas cosas MARAVILLOSAS, en esta VIDA, para el que las quiera ver… incluidos tus PASTELITOS!!!
    Saludos 🙂
    Conxita

    Reply
  15. Cookie and Kate says:
    September 9, 2012 at 8:50 pm

    Achingly beautiful post, love. You make me want to make little pies and wish I had a fellow to share them with.

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:25 pm

      Sharing has it’s drawbacks…

      Reply
  16. simple recipes says:
    September 11, 2012 at 8:25 am

    Easy recipe to prepare! Fun to prepare all your recipes. Well done

    Reply
  17. Thyme (Sarah) says:
    September 11, 2012 at 8:29 am

    these are just adorable and beautiful at the same time. So glad I came over for a visit. The photography and writing is so captivating!

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:32 pm

      Thanks for visiting. I appreciated the feedback immensely. Especially of the positive variety! : )

      Reply
  18. Anonymous says:
    September 11, 2012 at 1:34 pm

    Congratulations. You managed to be even more pretentious than Nigella Lawson.

    Reply
  19. Adriana says:
    September 12, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    Oh… I felt the same way when the boy and I moved in together. It’s been a wonderful 2 months and I’m sure it’ll be the same for you. Lovely hand pies. I really should make some soon. These are delicate and I’m sure flavorful. So much better than heavy and greasy store bought hand pies.

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 14, 2012 at 9:27 pm

      We’re so excited for this next phase of our lives together… but it’s definitely a transition! and yes, these trounce store bought facsimiles!

      Reply
  20. elizabeth ranger says:
    September 19, 2012 at 4:55 am

    I’m about to leave on a jetplane to Vietnam with my lover, my relatively new lover… only 8 months in, and your speaking of dirt clods and reality and feeling quite the spark in the forests eye… well, it all sounds particularly resonant right now. I ruin my clothes baking all the time, too. Oh, he’s home! At 4:43 in the morning. 😉 gotta run.
    And make rosewater peach something in the near future….

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 26, 2012 at 9:08 pm

      That sounds amazing. I live for adventure. In my mind cooking, cameras, writing, travel, aesthetics, and intimacy (corporeal and non) are basically the entirety of my reasons for being. As such… a jaunt to Vietnam with fresh love. Well, that’s as good as it gets.

      Reply
  21. Elise Linwood says:
    September 25, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    Marvelous, Sensuous, Tantalizingly Delicious !

    I cannot wait to make these,thank you so
    very much for sharing this with us.

    Best,
    Elise

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 26, 2012 at 9:10 pm

      If you do, I’d love to know how they turn out!

      Reply
  22. Jessica says:
    September 25, 2012 at 7:39 pm

    I came here via the Make website, and just had to comment – these look amazing! I can’t wait for peach season to roll around here in the southern hemisphere so I can try these out.

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 26, 2012 at 9:09 pm

      I’d love to hear about it if you do try them!

      Reply
  23. Helene @ French Foodie Baby says:
    September 26, 2012 at 2:27 am

    Funny, I just found some white nectarines at the market today, probably the last of the season, this may be their fate. Your photography is just so darn crisp and gorgeous, how DO you do that?? Just beautiful. And I always enjoy your eloquent and soul-baring writing too…

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      September 26, 2012 at 9:32 pm

      I love stone fruits in tarts/pies/galettes/cobblers more than anything else. As to the photos, I’m always practicing… and I must admit I take a *lot* of photos! I’m glad you think it’s eloquent… sometimes I feel like I’m rambling, but language inspires me as much as photographs and food.

      Reply
  24. angela@spinachtiger says:
    October 2, 2012 at 8:13 am

    These are so pretty. I make hand pies a lot, and I love the basil here.

    Reply
  25. Penelope Tsaldari says:
    October 2, 2012 at 8:54 am

    Just posted your blog to my 5000+ facebook and fan page. Love your site. All the best to you…
    Cheers,
    Penelope Tsaldari
    Facebook/servemewell

    Ciao bella!

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      October 3, 2012 at 12:00 am

      Thanks for the <3 !

      Reply
  26. 62degree says:
    October 6, 2012 at 11:25 pm

    hi! i baked the pies. they were to die for!!! absolutely delicious. well worth the calories. However, i could not achieve the distinct scallop edges. could someone advice please?

    Reply
    1. Local Milk says:
      October 7, 2012 at 2:39 am

      I used a scalloped biscuit cutter : )

      Reply
  27. The Spoon of Joy says:
    December 15, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    This such an amazing blog, beautiful photos, amazing recipes, keep it up

    Reply
  28. Sanjeeta kk says:
    February 28, 2013 at 12:17 am

    Wow..these pies look so delicate and yum! I am baking some this weekend..and pinning as well.

    Reply
  29. Anonymous says:
    March 21, 2013 at 11:44 pm

    Amazing recipes, writing and photography!!! a visual treat!!!lovely..

    Reply
  30. My Love Wedding Ring says:
    April 28, 2013 at 6:00 pm

    What a fragrant sounding combination!! These sounds amazing…

    Reply
  31. Ysabell Mateo says:
    June 13, 2013 at 10:17 pm

    These look amazing. I’m going to try these out someday ^__^… I wanted to ask you. What kind of camera do you use?

    Reply
    1. Beth Kirby | {local milk} says:
      June 13, 2013 at 10:26 pm

      For these I was shooting w/ an old first generation Canon Rebel. I now shoot with either a Pentax k1000 (film) or (and mostly) a Canon 5D Mark III

      Reply
  32. Anonymous says:
    July 14, 2013 at 5:31 pm

    what beautiful writing

    Reply
  33. Sita PS says:
    July 26, 2013 at 8:50 am

    These pies look beautifully ethereal. You also write beautifully.

    Sita 🙂

    PS I never wear an apron either!

    Reply
  34. Mary Collings says:
    August 4, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    Your blog is spectacular!

    Reply
  35. Lily says:
    August 10, 2013 at 7:21 pm

    I love, love , love your cooking and photographs. But especially this post really shows, that I love your mind as well. I am not so good with words, but your “out of time” -experience is so familiar to me and so you appear to be like family to me as well. Thank you for you:)

    Reply
  36. Pingback: Gather | White Peach, Rose + Basil Hand Pies | coterie.
  37. Katy Noelle says:
    October 12, 2013 at 9:40 am

    Oh, Beth!! These are so spectacularly yummy and fun and cute – just really delicious! (Made them, yesterday! =D) Thanks so much for the magic!! =)

    xxo

    Reply
    1. beth says:
      October 15, 2013 at 12:49 pm

      woohoo! hearing that people made one of my recipes is one of the chief joys of my life. hope you enjoyed them as much as I do!

      Reply
  38. Pingback: nectarine, basil, and rose hand pies | bakeology by lisa
  39. Linda Lassman says:
    January 17, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    I’m sitting at my desk after work, dreading going out to my car to drive home through the “light snow”, with -2 windchill. As I read this recipe, drooling, I dream of next summer! Thank you for such an inspired recipe.

    Reply
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  44. Miss Food Fairy says:
    March 30, 2014 at 12:44 am

    OMG!! I am loving all of your handpie recipes! They sound and look absolutely delicious and I’m looking forward to trying some new taste sensations! Thank you for sharing and for giving me some new flavour inspiration

    Reply
  45. Amanda Wilson says:
    June 1, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    I’ve followed you on various social medias for ages, but never sat down to actually peruse your blog. For shame.
    I’ve started from blog post numero uno, and THIS post’s pictures have been my favorite (so far). Beautifully done.
    Thanks for always inspiring. c:
    -A

    Reply
  46. Chantelle says:
    June 21, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    Your work inspires me to no end. Every post filled with gorgeous language which flows so sweetly. Truly Beth your a jack of all trades but your writing brings life and fresh air in to my lungs. That first paragraph was like being on magical mushrooms somewhere far away. So grateful to have found your art.

    Reply
  47. Jodi says:
    October 20, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    exquisite photography.

    Reply
  48. Reasa says:
    October 8, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    Hi, Scrumptious Sounding Pies, However, I’m Sooooo Thrilled By The Absolutely Gorgeous Photography!

    Reply
  49. Sally says:
    March 31, 2017 at 3:34 pm

    Hello! Just ran across this recipe, and I can’t wait to try it. I’d like to make it as a full pie. Would you suggest tripling or quadrupling the recipe, or would you adjust some of the proportions?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. beth says:
      May 17, 2017 at 3:23 pm

      I’m not sure! I’d compare the amounts to other peach pie recipes and go from there when deciding how much to make!

      Reply
  50. Lani says:
    July 11, 2017 at 2:42 pm

    I can’t wait to try one of your hand pie recipes. Right now, I have a bowl of gorgeous peaches and a bouquet of basil, calling to me. I enjoy making fresh fruit pies and my own pastry, however, I would really like to try the pastry you refer to (here and other recipes). Can you direct me to links to them. I have not been able to fine them.
    Thank you for a beautifully written and inspiring blog. And the most delicious looking photos/recipes!!

    Reply

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