Recipe: Hernando’s Piedaways

Inspired by: The Pajama Game

Bite-sized Pies with a Blueberry Bourbon / Cherry Chocolate Stout Fusion-Filling topped with a Vanilla and Chocolate Stout Whipped Cream.

"I know a dark, secluded place…" 

Ingredients

Part A: Pie Crusts

• 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

• 1/2 tablespoon of chilled bourbon

• 6 and 1/2 tablespoons of ice water

1. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar and salt in mixing bowl.

2. Add butter. Using a fork mash together until coarse meal forms.

3. Transfer to mixing bowl and use hand or stand mixer on low speed. Continue to mix at low speed as you gradually add in the chilled bourbon and enough ice water to form moist clumps.

4. Gather dough into ball and divide in half. Form dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Part B:  Blueberry Bourbon / Cherry Chocolate Stout Fusion-Filling

• 1/4 cup of chocolate stout beer

• 1/2 tablespoon bourbon of choice

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 2.5 tablespoons cornstarch

• 12 oz (one bag) frozen/pitted bing cherries

• 24 oz (two 12 oz bags) frozen blueberries

1. Add the chocolate stout beer and bourbon to a large mixing bowl. (NOTE: the only chocolate stout I could find at my local liquor store was one that also had coffee in it and it actually worked really well!)

2. Add the light brown sugar and cornstarch to the bowl and stir with a spoon or a fork until fully incorporated.

3. Quarter the frozen cherries and add them to a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the frozen blueberries to the bowl and mix well with a large wooden spoon.

5. Cover top of bowl with saran wrap and set aside.

Part C: Assembly

• 1 egg beaten

• Raw sugar for sprinkling on top

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

VERY IMPORTANT: You mini cupcake liners and a mini cupcake pan. Since we are making mini pies this will ensure that pie crust will not stick to the cupcake pan. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (depending on the hotness of your oven).

2. Beat egg in bowl with fork and set aside.

3. Roll the one of the chilled crust disks onto a floured surface.

4. Using a round 1" to 1 and 1/2” cookie-cutter or something comparable, cut out crusts that will line the bottom of cupcake liners in the pans. (NOTE: I used a 1/3 measuring cup as my cutter)

5. Roll out the other crust disk onto a floured surface.

6. Use a mandolin or the scalloped edge of a cookie cutter to cut out strips to serve as the lattice-top crust as a lattice, approximately 1­/2 inch in width or as desired.

7. Once all cupcake liners are lined with dough, put any extra dough in refrigerator to continue chilling while you work on assembling first pan of pies.

Part D: Getting Ready To Bake

Gather your mini cupcake pan lined with crusts and the Blueberry Bourbon / Cherry Chocolate Stout Fusion-Filling to begin assembly.

1. Using a small collander, drain the fruit mixture. Since we’re using frozen fruit it tends to melt resulting in a lot of extra liquid.

2. Using a small spoon or 1/2 inch cookie scoop, fill each crust with the blueberry / cherry pie filling to the top of each cup.

3. Assemble the lattice crusts and flute the edges of the crusts.

4. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with the beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with raw sugar and sea salt.

5. Place the cupcake pans on a larger baking sheet while pies are baking as sometimes the juices bubble and overflow out of the pan.

6. Bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes. The top of pies should be nice and golden brown.

7. Repeat this process until all dough and fruit pie filling is used.

8. While the pies cool you can prepare the Vanilla and Chocolate Stout Whipped Cream.

Part E: Vanilla and Chocolate Stout Whipped Cream

• 1 liquid cup heavy cream, cold

• 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 to 3 teaspoons chocolate stout beer of choice (depending upon taste)

1. In large mixing bowl beat heavy cream at high speed slowly adding granulated sugar.

2. Continue beating mixture at high speed until soft peaks form.

3. Lower to medium speed and add the vanilla.

4. Stop mixer, scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula and

5. Fold in chocolate stout beer with a rubber spatula and refrigerate.

Part F: Serving

1. Using a 1-inch or 1/2-inch cookie scoop top the pies with chilled vanilla and chocolate stout whipped cream.

2. Also feel free to scoop just the whipped cream directly into your mouth.

Enjoy!