Ground Cherry and Pistachio Hand Pies
Ground cherries are completely under-appreciated. You would probably recognize them for their natural paper-encasing, beautifully tuliped to protect the fruit inside. Peel back that papery shell and you will find a golden round bulb that tastes a bit like a pineapple but with the texture of a tomato.
Are you curious yet?
I love snacking on ground cherries, or making a quick jam. But I had never really made them a star on my blog. When I tried my hand at homemade hand pies, flavoured with ground cherries, chopped pistachios and a touch of cardamom, I was thoroughly impressed! Not only do the ground cherries melt beautifully into pie filling, the pistachios add a bit of crunch and a nice flavour pairing.
Best enjoyed on a weekend, either as an afternoon snack or a late morning breakfast, these hand pies ensure you make the most of the late-summer early-fall harvest.
Yields 3 hand pies
20 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
40 min
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 scant cup ground cherries, shells removed
- 2 tbsp amber maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
- 1 pre-made puff pastry (225 g)
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp milk
Instructions
- In a small saucepan bring the ground cherries and maple syrup to a boil, crushing the cherries with the back of a spoon as you cook them. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until it becomes syrupy and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tbsp chopped pistachios.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out the puff pastry, and slice into 6 rectangular pieces. Divide the ground cherry mixture into three, piling the filling into the middle of three puff pastry pieces. Brush a bit of egg white around the filling, and top with another puff pastry pieces (making 3 hand pies). Gently press down the edges of the pies with a fork to seal them.
- Place the hand pies onto a baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes or until puffed and golden. Allow to cool slightly (3-5 minutes) then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Once the pies are fully cooled, mix together the glaze (which includes the icing sugar, cardamom, lemon juice and milk) and brush or drizzle over each hand pie. Enjoy!
