By Erin Kanuckel – Chef / Former Innkeeper / henrY's Fiancée

Pie is one dessert that always takes back in time to my childhood. My mom made the best pies with fruit that she and my dad grew in the garden and orchards on our two acre homestead. Throughout the growing season, she made us blackberry, rhubarb, peach, elderberry, cherry, and tart apple pies – how lucky were we? All of her pies had a signature that was unique to my mom. A single stock of wheat, gracefully bowing down the belly of the pie. I have always admired her work, down to the taste, texture and the fluted beauty of her delicious crust.

The raspberry mini pies that I bake are my meager attempt to pay homage to my mother for the beautiful treats she created for us when we were kids.

I hope you enjoy the recipe.

For pie crust, tarts, and galettes I like to use the recipe for Pate Brisee from the

Flour Cookbook, from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe, by Joanne Chang.

– see recipe below.

Mini Raspberry Pies

Makes about 18 ounces dough, enough for 8 pop-tarts or one 9-inch double-crust or lattice-top pie.

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks / 228 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons cold milk

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer), mix together the flour, sugar, and salt for 10 to 15 seconds, or until combined. Scatter the butter over the top. Mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or just until the flour is no longer bright white and holds together when you clump it and lumps of butter the size of pecans are visible throughout.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended. Add to the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough just barely comes together. It will look really shaggy and more like a mess than a dough.

Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface, then gather it together into a tight mound. Using your palm and starting on one side of the mound, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top of the mound and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface (at Flour we call this “going down the mountain”), until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough, moving through the mound until the whole mess has been smeared into a cohesive dough with streaks of butter.Gather up the dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Raspberry Pie Filling

1 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

5 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed

1 tablespoon of butter zest from one lemon

In a medium sized bowl, combine the sugar, tapioca, cornstarch and raspberries and lemon zest; let stand for 15 minutes.

- enjoy!

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