Apricot Hand Pies

Ah summertime, there’s nothing quite like it. Each day is a little longer, a little warmer, a little more magical than the one before it. It’s the perfect time for casual entertaining, trips to the beach, camping with friends, and these delicious little hand pies. Because just one of the many things that is great about this dessert is how portable they are, and they would be more than welcome at any of those places I just mentioned. Sure they take a little bit more work to put together than your average pie, but when you get to your destination with a container full of little packages of flaky crust and juicy fruit that need little more than a pair of hands to enjoy, you’ll agree that it’s well worth it.
Summer and pie just happen to go hand in hand (pun intended), and we here at Butter + Cream love our pie any way we can get it. Whether it be covered in a lattice top, filled with a creamy filling, topped with whipped cream, or folded up into a handy treat, they’re allll good. In fact, we love pie so much, this summer we are having what we like to call the Butter + Cream Pie Spectacular! We will be putting up piesignments twice a month and hopefully all of you will play along with us. Click here to catch up on all the details. So needless to say, pie is going to be a very good friend around these parts for awhile, and I can't think of a better way to kick of the summer of pie than with these portable tasty treats.
These hand pies are so good it's ridiculous. Imagine a big bite of your favorite fruit, encased in a buttery flaky crust that fits in the palm of your hand. This is definitely a dessert for anyone whose favorite part of pie is the crust (you know who you are), because there tends to be a higher ratio of it to the fruit. The pies are completely customizable and can be filled with whatever type of fruit or filling your heart desires. I’m a sucker for any fruit or vegetable with a short growing season as it seems to make every bite that much more extraordinary. Which meant that when apricots started showing up at the weekly farmer’s market, I knew I had to make something special out of them that would showcase the fleeting fruit, because blink and they’ll be gone.

Eclairs

I remember the first time I had an eclair.  I was about 10 at a friend's birthday party, and though I wasn't the pastry enthusiast that I am today, I knew that I was eating something special.  With its rich chocolate coating and a silky vanilla filling, a fresh eclair is downright luxurious.  The best eclairs come straight from the bakery, which is part of what makes them so special.  Cupcakes and ice cream cones are everywhere, but these bad boys are a bit harder to come by.  When you find a good one, you have reason to celebrate.  Now you have even more reason, since you can make them in your own kitchen.

My test drive of Tartine is winding down, and it has definitely earned a spot on my bookshelf.  It's full of easy and accessible recipes, but this isn't one of them.  While the final batch of eclairs was a delicious treat, this is definitely a labor of love.  There are a LOT of steps.  And ingredients.  And it's a bit of a mess.  Ok a huge mess.  But when all was said and done and the final pastry had been dunked in chocolate, and the boy took a bite and grinned from ear to ear, I knew we had a winner.