Mini Mushroom Pies

Makes 12

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 16 ounces mushrooms, rough chopped
• 1 cup (4 ounces) onion, small diced
• 6 cloves garlic
• 6 sage leaves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fine ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 rolls Pillsbury mini pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat saucepan over moderately high heat. Add oil and toss mushrooms in oil to coat. Sauté mushrooms until golden brown. Reduce heat to moderate, add onions, and cook until translucent. Add garlic, sage, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Blend in corn starch, removing all clumps. Deglaze pan with stock, whisking to incorporate. Bring to a simmer and cook for an additional 2 minutes to thicken. Press pre-cut pie crust dough into each of the 12 muffin cups in a muffin pan. Divide the pie filling among each of the 12 cups and place pan in oven to bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown.

Serve warm.

RECIPE AND PHOTOGRAPH BY KRISTEL MATOUSEK
WWW.PHOTORICALFOOD.COM

Ham & Swiss Hand Pies

Makes 12

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 ounces ham, small diced
• 8 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup half-and-half, or equal parts milk and heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 rolls puff pastry
• 1 egg beaten, for egg wash
• Bagel seasoning mix as needed, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a sauté pan over moderate heat. Add oil and sauté ham until golden brown. Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain off excess oil.

In a food processor, combine Swiss cheese, cream cheese, garlic, half-and-half, then season with salt. Whip everything together until smooth. With a spatula, fold in the ham and chopped parsley.

Unroll each pastry sheet and cut into 4 equal squares. Make 4 slits, 1 centimeter apart, on one half of each square. Brush the other half with egg and fold egg-washed side over the half with slits. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling onto folded pastry. Brush both the long edges of pastry with egg. Fold opposite corners over the filling, slightly overlapping dough in the middle to seal, creating a triangle at both ends of the pastry. Press the sides of dough together, being careful not to let filling escape. Turn pastry over and brush with egg. Sprinkle with bagel seasoning, if desired. Place in preheated oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.

Serve warm.

RECIPE AND PHOTOGRAPH BY KRISTEL MATOUSEK
WWW.PHOTORICALFOOD.COM

Cranberry Cream Pie

Makes 1

• Crust (recipe to follow)
• ½ cup (2 ounces) frozen cranberries
• ⅔ cup sugar, divided
• 4 fluid ounces water
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 8 fluid ounces heavy cream
• 1 ounce shaved chocolate, for garnish
• Frozen cranberries, defrosted and rolled in sugar, for garnish

Crust

• 8 ounces ginger snap cookies, crumbled
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare the crust by combining the cookie crumbs with brown sugar and butter. Lightly press the crumbs into a pie dish, starting with the sides first, then the bottom to form the crust. Place in the preheated oven and bake until lightly browned, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool fully.