Fall Veg & Goat Cheese Hand Pie
I can’t tell you how excited I am to share this recipe with you all. Well many people know me as a baker (and I do really love baking), I also get a lot of enjoyment from cooking and experimenting in my kitchen. Recipe development is one of my passions. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to share recipes as often as I’d like. Mostly because blogging and cooking isn’t my full-time job, and I’m a huge fan of using natural light for my food photography—with most of my cooking happening in the darker hours of the day (particularly this time of year), it’s a bit of a logistical challenge photographing dinner recipes. This is actually one of the reasons I share a lot more baked goods than anything else. I have more flexibility in when I bake and photograph them. I promised myself that in 2021, I’d carve out the time earlier in the day to cook some of my favorite recipes I’ve developed over the years so I could start sharing them will all of you. It may have taken me most of the year to finally find the perfect time to cook and photograph dinner, but better late than never! I’m a big believer that when you set a resolution or goal in January, you have until the end of December to make it happen. No reason to give up on your goals just because you didn’t accomplish them during the first few months of the year. Anyway, this will be the first of many recipes, from our kitchen to yours. I really hope you enjoy them!
November is a bit of a sneaky month in my opinion. I feel a lot of hype leading into Halloween. There are pumpkin patches, apple picking, decorating, costumes, scary movies, and haunted corn mazes … Fall is new and exciting in October. Come November first, I’m thinking a lot more about saying goodbye to Halloween and planning ahead for Christmas and Hannukah. What I’m not doing is thinking enough about Thanksgiving. It’s still weeks away with plenty of time to plan, right? Maybe in theory but in practice, Thanksgiving sneaks up super fast! Last year, I had a cozy little Thanksgiving dinner at home with my husband. But this year we are hosting family and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
As I’m writing, it’s officially November 1st, and I’m already setting my menu, testing recipes, and sourcing anything I’m going to need for the big meal. In Portland, we get one of two types of days in November: It’s either absolutely, stunningly beautiful with sunny skies, a crisp breeze, and loads of colorful leaves everywhere or it’s pissing rain and a bit dreary. This past weekend we were lucky enough to have gorgeous sunny weather. Even just running errands around town feels prettier on these kinds of days. And while I do enjoy myself a cozy rainy day, sunny weekends just leave me feeling more inspired to create. So I took that inspiration and channeled it into a tasty Thanksgiving-ready appetizer. These hand pies are warm, with melty cheese, a little bit of spice, and a hint of tart. The smell and the flavors remind me of the holidays.
Flaky, sweet, savory, and tart—all at the same time
I love anything involving a puff pastry. It’s crisp and flaky and incredibly versatile. Plus, with pretty decent premade puff pastry available in most grocery store freezer sections, using a puff pastry crust is super easy. While there is something satisfying about successfully creating a delicious puff from scratch, the premade frozen version tastes fantastic and can save you a lot of time. I generally always keep a box or two in my freezer, particularly this time of year. It’s perfect to have on hand for whipping up an appetizer or dessert. The key? Remembering to pull your puff out a bit early to let it defrost. I like to pull it out a couple of hours before I use it and let it lay on top of the plastic that comes in the box and layer a clean kitchen towel over the top. You want to prevent your puff from sticking to your work surface (or cutting board) while keeping it covered to prevent any drying.
This recipe can be made in two different ways: You can cut your puff into larger squares to make bigger hand pies (as pictured) for your main dish at dinner or you can fold them into half-sized turnovers to make little appetizers for Thanksgiving, a Sunday Roast, or holiday party. It’s delicious either way. I’ve also made this both vegetarian and with a bit of protein added. I prefer to add bacon or crispy Proscuitto. Both add a bit of savory saltiness that pairs well with the sweetness of the vegetables and the puff pastry. You can either crisp some Proscuitto on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven (set at 375). It doesn’t take long so I generally check after a few minutes. If using bacon, I’d recommend precutting into quarter-inch squares and frying it up on the stovetop (you get more uniformed pieces this way). You can do this well before you roast the veggies or while they’re in the oven.
For the vegetables, I go with pretty iconic fall flavors: white sweet potato (it isn’t as sweet as yams, orange or purple sweet potato and holds its texture much better), butternut squash, fennel, parsnip, and cranberries. I’ve swapped in delicata squash before as well. The cranberries add a dash of tartness that balances the root veggies. I toss it all in loads of seasoning (and a hand full of crushed walnuts) and roast it ‘till they’re nice and tender. When constructing the pies, I add a slice of goat cheese. The cheese doesn’t overwhelm any of the other flavors and adds a delicious softness. Together, the flavors come together in a way that feels quintessentially fall. I think it’s cranberry that really pulls it all together for me.
One last note: I tend to make twice the filling I actually need and use the leftover filling for other meals during the week, so if you follow the recipe exactly and fill a full baking sheet with roasted veggies, you will have leftover. I find it’s great to toss in with eggs for a fall breakfast scramble or for a lazy leftover meal (my affectionate term for when I don’t want to cook something too invloved), I heat it up over the stovetop and serve it on rice with stewed lentils or curry sauce for a quick “Indian-inspired” dinner.
Goat Cheese and Fall Veg Hand Pies
Servings: About 8 • Cal: Roughly 260
IngredientS
1-2 cups of butternut squash, 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
1 large or 2 small white sweet potatoes, 1/4-1/2 inch cubes (I leave the skin on)
1 small fennel bulb, largely diced (can swap for a small onion if fennel isn’t your thing)
3 parsnips, sliced (roughly dice large slices)
2 shallots thinly sliced
1/2 cup cranberries
4 garlic cloves, diced or garlic pressed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 heaping teaspoon nutmeg
1 heaping teaspoon Grand Marsala seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 sheets of puff pastry
1 pack of goat cheese
Fresh Thyme and Rosemary
egg (for wash)
Optional:
4 slices of bacon, sliced to quarter-inch cubes and fried till crispy (or 6 slices of Proscuitto crisped in the oven and broken into smaller bits)
Beforehand, pull out puff pastry (if using store-bought) to defrost to room temperature. I do this about an hour before I start cooking. To prevent any drying or sticking to my work surface, I keep puff laid on top of the plastic wrapping and cover with a kitchen towel (or beeswax wrap).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Chop, slice, and mix butternut squash, white sweet potato, fennel, shallot, and parsnip onto a baking sheet with sides (I use an unlined William Sonoma gold touch but if your baking sheet is particularly sticky, line with parchment paper.) Sprinkle on top walnuts (optional), garlic, and a handful of cranberries—I usually add about half a cup. Add nutmeg, Grand Marsala, salt, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to make sure the vegetables are well coated with seasoning. Bake in preheated oven until tender, about 25-30 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, chop 4 strips of bacon into quarter-inch strips and fry (I find it less messy and easier to get a crispy, bacon crumble if I pre-chop the bacon rather than fry full slices). Pro Tip: when bacon is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease and keep it crisp. Remove stems from fresh thyme and rosemary. Leave thyme leaves whole but chop the rosemary. Create your egg wash (one egg beaten with a splash of water) and set it aside for later.
When vegetables are cooked. Add bacon, thyme, and rosemary. Toss to mix.
Cut each sheet of puff into 8 squared, keeping each one covered to prevent drying while assembling the hand pies.
To make 8 larger hand pies: Carefully hand stretch one square of puff pastry to about a 5-by-5-inch square. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush edges with the egg wash and put a heaping 1/4 cup of filling in the middle (make sure to leave room along all for edges to seal the pie later). Add a slice of goat cheese on top (around a teaspoon). Carefully hand stretch a second square of puff pastry to about a 5-by-5-inch square and lay on top of your filling. Press to seal the edges of the hand pie. I like to use a fork to help press down on the edges. Cut a couple of vents on the top and brush the entire top with the egg wash. (Optional, if you are a garlic lover, sprinkle the top with garlic powder.) Repeat until you have 8 hand pies.
To make 16 appetizer-sized pies use two baking sheets to leave room between each pie: Carefully hand stretch one square of puff pastry to about a 5-by-5-inch square. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a corner facing the long edge (like a diamond). Brush edges with the egg wash and put a heaping spoonful of filling on half of one side of the puff pastry with the corner facing you (make sure to leave room along all for edges to seal the pie later). Add about a slice of goat cheese on top (around a teaspoon). Gently pull the other half of the puff on top diagonally and press to seal the edges. You can use a fork to help press down. You will end up with a triangle-shaped pie (like a cherry turnover). Using your knife, add two slits on top for vent holes, then brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. Repeat until you have 16 pies. (Optional, if you are a garlic lover, sprinkle the top with garlic powder.)
Don’t worry if your pies look a bit wonky. They will still look great after they bake and have a rustic feel.
Bake pies in the oven (375 degrees) for 20-25 minutes. Puff pastry will have puffed and be a nice golden color. Let cool slightly before serving, as pastries will be quite hot in the middle. Best eaten when fresh.
Reheating leftovers: If you have pies leftover or if you are making them in advance and want to reheat, put them back in the oven to reheat. Cover with foil to prevent burning. They should reheat in about 10 minutes, depending on how cold they are beforehand. I don’t recommend microwaving as the puff pastry could get soggy.
As noted above, you will have leftover filling. I like to use this in egg scrambles for a festive, fall breakfast, or (if you’re feeling more creative) I heat it up over the stovetop and serve it on rice with stewed lentils or curry sauce for a quick “Indian-inspired” dinner.