Roll out the dough on a pastry cloth, parchment paper or well floured surface. Using round, square or rectangle dough presses, cut out as many shapes as you can. If you don’t have dough presses, take a tuna-fish can and cut out the top and bottom with your can opener and you have an instant form to use! I found some delicious little mini pie press forms a my local kitchen store recently.
When you have these cut out, place a scant teaspoon or less* on one half of the dough, brush the edge with a tiny bit of water, and press firmly to make a seal. The first time I did this, I really whomped hard on it with my hand and the filling ended up on the counter! If you don’t have a dough press, place the filling between two of the same shape pastry pieces, or one that is larger that you fold in half, to seal the filling inside, and crimp the edges with a fork. *Do be careful about how much filling you put in. In a small empanada-sized pastry, I put only one raspberry, a 1/3 teaspoon of lemon curd, 1/8 teaspoon of sugar and only the very slightest pinch of nutmeg—really just a few tiny grains. Adding more than one berry might seem like a good idea, but when you attempt to seal the dough, you may end up with the extra berry exiting from it in a somewhat messy fashion as I did! Less is more in this case.
Brush lightly with an egg wash and sprinkle with a wee bit of sugar.
Take a fork or knife and poke a little vent on top not too many or the yummy filling will ooze out in the baking.
TO BAKE
Place your creations on a parchment covered baking sheet, and chill them for a few minutes before popping them in the oven at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Each oven is different so your time may vary.
Once out of the oven, let them cool completely. Then divide them up between all your friends.
Depending on the size of press you use, the dough recipe can make two dozen (or more) sweet treats that are like little holiday kisses! And, don’t forget that you can roll up some cinnamon-sugar in a dough jelly-roll style, cut into 1 inch pieces, and bake for a few extra nibbles, too!
ART OF THE PIE 2013