CRANBERRY-QUINCE HAND PIES

Cranberry-Quince Hand Pies image

Floral quinces and tart cranberries make a lovely deep pink filling for these little pies. You can freeze them for 3 days before baking; if you do, wait until you are ready to bake them to brush the tops and sprinkle with sugar, and give them a few extra minutes in the oven.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Categories dessert

Time 1h

Yield 12 hand pies

Number Of Ingredients 7

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Ingredients

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
12 ounces ripe quinces, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch fine salt
2 prepared pie crusts
2 tablespoons raw sugar, for topping

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add the quinces and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Add the cranberries, granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is syrupy, the quinces are tender and the cranberries start to burst (or you can pop them), 4 to 5 minutes more. Stir in the salt. Transfer the mixture to a metal bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes.
Dice the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into bits and fold it into the fruit. Cut the pie crusts into twelve 4-inch rounds. (You'll have to reroll the scraps from each crust to get enough.)
Fill a small bowl with water. Brush the edge of one of the pastry rounds with water. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon (about 1 1/4 ounces) filling into the center. Fold the dough over the filling, seal by pressing the edges with a fork and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, leaving a few inches between the pies. Brush the tops with a little water and sprinkle with some of the raw sugar. Use a paring knife to cut two little vents in the tops of the pies.
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 24 minutes, rotating the pan after 12 minutes. Place the pan on a rack and let the pies cool for 5 minutes before serving. They can also be served at room temperature.