STRAWBERRY HIBISCUS CARDAMOM HAND PIES

Makes 10 hand pies

These hand pies start with the flakiest homemade pie crust, which is filled with a sweet and tart filling featuring in-season strawberries, hibiscus and floral cardamom. Make them pretty and fun with strawberry icing and sprinkles. If you’d rather simplify the recipe, you could also sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the egg wash right before baking to give the crust a sugary crunch!

Strawberry compote:

• 2 heaping cups strawberries, washed and cut into small pieces

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus

• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch

• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Pie dough:

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the dough

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1 teaspoon table salt

• 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

• ¾ cup ice-cold water

• ½ cup ice cubes

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Egg wash:

• 1 egg

• 2 teaspoons water

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

To finish:

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberry powder

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2-3 tablespoons whole milk

• Sprinkles (optional)

Make the strawberry compote: In a medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients with a rubber spatula. Let sit, covered, for about 30 minutes.

Empty the bowl of ingredients into a medium saucepan set on medium heat. Mix to combine and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture looks thick.

Let the mixture cool completely before putting in an airtight container. Place in the fridge for at least 4 to 6 hours.

Make the pie dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, salt and sugar. Add the cold butter and, with a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter until the chunks are pea-sized and coated in flour.

In a medium bowl, mix the water, ice and apple cider vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons of this cold water mixture to the flour mixture using the pastry blender or your hands to mix. Continue adding 2 tablespoons of the cold liquid at a time until the dough just starts to come together. (You’ll still see butter pieces, which will make the dough flaky.) You should need up to 10 tablespoons total. If you need to add a bit more water to get it to come together, add in 1-tablespoon increments, but be careful: If you add too much water, the dough will become soggy.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Pat and shape the dough to form neat rectangles, about 5 by 6 inches in size each. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough: Take one rectangle of dough out of the fridge. Dust a work surface with flour. Unwrap the dough and roll it out roughly into an 11-by-14-inch rectangle with a thickness of 1⁄8 to ¼ inch. Sprinkle the surface and the rolling pin with additional flour to ensure that it does not stick.

Using a ruler and a sharp knife, trim the rough edges to form a smooth rectangle. Set the trimmings aside.

Cut the dough lengthwise in 3-inch sections. Then cut it across widthwise in 3½-inch sections to get 8 pieces. The final hand pies will be 3-by-3½ inches.

Place the pieces of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Repeat the cutting and chilling process for the second rectangle of dough.

Collect all of the scrap pieces of dough and wrap in a plastic wrap. Form a rectangle and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You’ll return to these scraps later to make 2 more pies.

Make the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water and sugar until well combined.

Form the hand pies: Remove the first baking sheet from the freezer. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of each rectangle (about ½ inch all around) with the egg wash.

Spoon about 1 to 1¼ heaping tablespoons of the filling in the center of each pie, leaving a ½- to ¾-inch gap around the filling.

Remove the second baking sheet from the freezer, and place each piece gently on top of a rectangle with filling. Use your fingertips to gently press around the filling to seal the pie. Using a fork, press the edges of the pie to make a pattern and further seal the pie. Brush the top of each pie with egg wash.

Use a spatula to place the pies on a baking sheet and freeze until ready to bake.

Take the scrap dough from the fridge. Roll it out into a rectangle with a thickness of 1⁄8 to ¼ inch, and cut into 4 rectangles. Repeat the steps of filling and forming pies, applying egg wash on top, to form 2 additional hand pies. Place on the same baking sheet as the other pies and freeze for an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the pies from the freezer and apply one more layer of egg wash to the tops. Cut an X with a sharp knife in the middle of the top layer of dough of each pie so that steam can escape while it bakes. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown in color.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Decorate the pies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, strawberry powder, vanilla extract and milk until it is a thick yet spreadable consistency.

Spread about 2 teaspoons of icing on each pie and decorate with some sprinkles, if using. Let the pies sit for 30 minutes so the icing sets. Serve.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days.