Blueberry Hand Pies

In a medium saucepan, use a heat-proof spatula to stir together about 3/4’s of the blueberries with the sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Turn on the heat to medium-high and stir for a couple of minutes until the berries release their juice and start to soften.  Bring this mix to a boil, then remove from the heat, stir in the remaining blueberries and zest and set the pot aside to cool to room temperature (or make this ahead, cover and refrigerate).

When you’re ready to make the hand pies, preheat the oven to 325 for pastry and 400 for puff pastry.  Give the puff pastry a roll on the paper it comes in, cut it into 8 equal squares (mine came in 2 sheets), then flip these squares out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Alternatively, roll out your chosen pastry then cut or use a circle cutter to get 8 equal squares/circles, re-rolling the pastry as needed to make at least 8.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg and have a pastry brush handy.  Once the pastry shapes are organized onto your prepared baking sheet, drop a couple of tablespoons of filling onto one half of each (again, this amount of filling should make 8 – try to divide it up as evenly as possible), then brush the perimeter of one side, fold each half over on itself and seal with a fork.  You should end up with 8 lovely half moons or triangles.  Brush all with more egg wash, sprinkle generously with your chosen sugar and bake at 400 for puff pastry for about 20 minutes.  If using regular pastry, bake at 325 for 30+ minutes until the pies are evenly golden brown.  Enjoying hand pies warm is always best!