I have wonderful friends all over the country world.  I really am blessed.  Since moving back to the Chicagoland area I think I’ve been extra blessed with the kindness of our friends who we’ve been apart from for the last eight years.  It’s almost like we never left, and I can’t begin to describe how good it feels to be surrounded by their friendship.  Movie nights, impromptu lunches and dinners, and late night hang outs together have been a wonderful reminder of what we have here.

I think one of my favorite moments from our whole moving experience was unpacking my kitchen.  While pulling out my hand torch one of my girlfriends asked, “what is that for?”  My reply? “Brûlée of course!”  And it was from across the kitchen that one of my favorite phrases was uttered, “Oh – you came back home with new talents!”  Ha! It’s a little true, I really have expanded my culinary adventures.  Cooking, baking, sautéing, broiling, brûlée-ing – all a part of who I am now.  It’s a part of my life that I haven’t been able to share with my friends here unless they were able to come visit while we were in California.

So naturally, when my talent-admiring friend brings 14 cups of fresh blackberries that he pilfered from his side of his neighbor’s fence to my house there is only one answer: make something delicious!  Or in this case – bake something delicious! This recipe comes form A Bountiful Kitchen.  Her recipe (see bottom) is easy to follow, and yields something absolutely delicious!

Doesn’t that look lovely?  Oh it was!  I do love pie, but there’s something a little more fun about eating pie with your hands.  Or at least having the option to eat pie with your hands :)  Other options include eating it with a perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream and a shovel fork.  Like this.

Make sure you share with someone you love.  And it would probably be nice to save at least one for your berry-pilferring friend (I promise Adam – there are more at my house – taunting me  – hurry back).

And as promised, here is the fantastic recipe.

Blackberry Hand Pies
adapted from Gourmet -August 2006

2 cups blackberries (frozen or fresh)
1 large apple, peeled and coarsely grated
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons sugar
Pastry dough for a double-crust pie- your own or see recipe below
1 egg & 1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons sugar for topping pastries, granulated or coarse
Parchment paper

Cook blackberries, apple, flour, cinnamon and 8 tablespoons sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until mixture just boils and is thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl to cool.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Roll out half of dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a rectangle, then trim into four 5-inch squares. Place about 1/4 cup of fruit filling in center of 1 square. Moisten edges of square with milk and fold into a triangle, pressing edges to seal. Transfer to a lined baking sheet and press tines of a fork around edges of triangle, or just pinch together with finger tip. Make 4 more triangles in same manner, arranging them 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, re rolling scraps together if needed.

Brush triangles with milk-egg mixture and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until pies are golden, about 25 minutes total. Transfer pies to racks to cool.

Pie Crust:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
½ cup very cold water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry blender. Add water. Stir with fork until flour is absorbed and ball forms. Add more water if needed. Flour surface and rolling pin well. Follow directions above for rolling out.

So go – make something delicious!