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
Instructions
- 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.