Recipe | Rillettes Hand Pie

Excerpt from the OP Cookbook:

MAKES 6 INDIVIDUAL PIES

2 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour,  plus extra flour for rolling

1⁄2 cup (120 g) cold unsalted butter, diced

1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1⁄2 cup (120 ml) cold water

3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon  heavy cream

1 egg

12 ounces (340 g) Pork Rillettes 

Gherkins, for serving

With these hand pies, we created what are essentially elegant Hot Pockets—haute stoner food to accompany the gourmet pot grown here in the Pacific Northwest. Food & Wine enjoyed them (the hand pies, not the pot) so much that they named them a 2010 dish of the year. These perfect little packages come to the table straight from the oven and are served with whole grain mustard and gherkins.

NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO SERVE MINI HAND PIES AS SMALLER BITES, JUST CUT EACH RECTANGLE IN HALF AND DIVIDE THE RILLETTES INTO TWELVE BALLS RATHER THAN SIX.

1 Combine the flour, butter, and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Add the water slowly while pulsing until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Shape it into a rectangle, packing it tightly, and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

2 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch by 12-inch (30-cm by 40-cm) square. Cut into six rectangles, each 4 inches by 6 inches (10 cm by 15 cm). In a small bowl, combine the mustard and the 1 tablespoon of cream, mix well, and divide among the six rectangles, placing it in a dollop near the shorter end of the rectangle about 1⁄2 inch from the edge. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and the remaining 1 teaspoon of cream in a small bowl and brush around the edges of the dough. This is the glue to hold together our pockets. Scoop the rillettes into six balls and place on top of the mustard. Fold the other end of the dough over the rillettes. Tuck the top left corner of the dough near the bottom right corner, and the top right corner into the bottom left corner. Crimp together the edges of the dough, sealing them. Brush the hand pie with egg wash and place on the prepared baking sheet. Shape the rest of the pies and refrigerate for 15 minutes or for up to 1 hour. Once chilled, the hand pies can be frozen for up to 1 month.

3 When ready to bake the hand pies, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake pies on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm with mustard and gherkins.