Iced Strawberry Basil Hand Pies

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Firstly, gravity sucks.  Secondly, Murphy's law says the dropped item will always land on its head.  So I only ended up with three pies.  But, aside from that colorful metaphor inducing incident, these were great little treats!

Aw, who are we kidding, we brushed that sucker off and declared it a tester.  What I found very interesting about this filling, and I already knew that I liked balsamic and strawberry, was that it was perky, tart, and very familiar.  Then I finally figured it out: it tastes like rhubarb!  Maybe that is why strawberries and rhubarb together are so popular.  Now early in the season, these strawberries were not as sweet as when in full season, but I think it's the combination of minimal sweetener, plus the lemon and balsamic vinegar that gives this filling that rhubarb like zing.  So there you go, if you have never had and don't have easy access to rhubarb and want to know what it tastes like in a dessert, roast up some very lightly sweetened strawberries with lemon and balsamic!  Of course I love the basil in these too.  The flavor of the basil is best the first day but these can be reheated in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.


If your puff pastry is a square, then fold the squares into triangles.  If it is a rectangle like mine, then fold them over straight into little rectangle pockets. 

Iced Strawberry Basil Hand Pies 
makes 4

Pies:
1 lb (~ 3cups) strawberries, stemmed and quartered
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch 
pinch of sea salt
1 (8oz) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Icing:
scant ½ cup berries of choice, pureed, seeds strained out (I used blueberries)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375ºF. 

In a 2-qt glass or ceramic baking dish, toss the strawberries with the sugar, salt, vinegar, and lemon juice.

Roast, stirring once or twice along the way, until the berries are tender and have released a good quantity of juice, around 20-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. 

Sprinkle the starch over the cooled berries and stir until dissolved.  Fold in the basil until well combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. 

Roll out the sheet of pastry and cut into four squares/rectangles.  Divide the strawberry filling among the centers of each square, fold over (diagonally to make a triangle if square, or straight to form a rectangle if not square), and seal the edges by pressing with a fork.

Brush the top of each pie with the beaten egg.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

While the pies cool, make the icing drizzle.

Whisk together the berry puree, powdered sugar, and lemon juice until smooth.   Adjust with a little more powdered sugar or a few drops water to achieve the desired drizzling consistency.

Serve at room temperature or slightly warmed.  Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days.  To reheat, bake at around 300°F for 5-10 minutes, or air fry at 275ºF for 5-7 minutes.  (Store on top of a piece of parchment to help maintain the crust.)

I lost track of time and roasted mine for closer to
an hour, but it's fine, just reduced the liquid a bit. 

My sheet was rectangular.

Try to keep the filling at least an inch from the
edges so the crimping will seal properly.

Seal with a fork, pay extra attention to any edges
that had juice on them.

These are large enough to split between two people.
Or have one half at a time!

RIP

This Sunday Funday we were asked to make a dish with strawberries since there are so many strawberry appreciation days in May!  Check out all the options that our bakers have shared:

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