It's part cookie, part pie and part tart. The crust is flavorful and brings out the best in the fruit -- in this case, apricots and raspberries. It's very amenable to a combination of fruit that you like!
Apricot Hamentash Pie
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
2 ¾ c. flour
¼ c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. grated orange peel
½ t. salt
½ c. butter
½ c. Crisco
1 egg, beaten
2 T. milk
ice water as needed
Filling Ingredients:
3 c. defrosted apricots (4 c. before freezing)
1 c. fresh raspberries
1/8 t. almond extract
6 T. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
2 T. butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
- Mix the dry ingredients and zest together, then cut in the butter until it’s the size of cornmeal. Cut in the Crisco until it’s the size of peas.
- Mix the egg and milk together, then add 4 T. ice water. Drizzle that over the dry ingredients and fluff lightly with 2 forks. Add a little ice water as needed, fluffing after each addition, until the dough holds together without cracking when pinched in the palm of your hand. It should not be sticky, however.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Blend the fruits gently in a large bowl.
- Mix the sugar, cornstarch and almond extract, then sprinkle that over the fruit and stir gently. Set aside.
- Draw a 15” circle on a piece of parchment paper, then roll out the dough to fit that, using a little extra flour if necessary. Trim as needed to keep it round. It will be about ¼” thick (slightly thicker than regular pie dough would be).
- Put the parchment paper with the dough on it on a baking sheet that has a lip. Spread the filling in a circle in the middle of the dough, leaving a 3” edge all the way around. Dot the filling with butter pieces.
- Gently pull the dough up to create pinched corners every few inches and press the dough together. If it’s not sticking, use a little water or egg wash to help it hold.
- Use a glaze on the crust if desired (milk or an egg wash).
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 375°. Continue baking for another 50-60 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling. You will probably need to tent the pie when the edges get brown.*
- Cool completely before serving.
Baker’s Notes and Tips and Tricks
*Tenting involves creating an inverted “V” of aluminum foil and placing it loosely over the pie while it’s baking. Poke a little hole in the very top of the “V” before you set it over the pie so that steam can escape.
Because I used fruit that was just barely defrosted, it was still cold and may have taken longer to bake than usual. Just be sure to watch it so that the edges don’t burn while you’re waiting for the filling to cook.
I recommend trying this with fruit that has moisture but that hasn’t been frozen, something like cherries or fresh apricots. Then you can adjust the cornstarch and use less (probably 2 T. for 4 c. of fresh fruit). This will also allow you to mound the fruit more in the center of the dough, creating a pie with 3 sides that come up fairly high, like a Hamentash cookie.
