Strawberry-Moonshine Fried Hand Pies

Ingredients:

Filling:

4 Cups Strawberries cut into quarters

1 Cup Sugar

3 TBS commercial Moonshine or Grappa

1 tsp Choped Orange Zest

1 TBS Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

3 TBS Cornstarch

1 TBS unsalted Butter

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Dough

480 Grams AP Flour

2 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 Cup Vegetable Shortening 

3/4 to 1 Cup Ice Water

Sugar Coating:

2 Cups Sugar

3 tsp grated Orange Zest

Additonal:

Egg Wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Peanut oil for frying

Recipe

Put the strawberries, sugr and two TBS of the moonshine, orange zest, juice and vanilla in a lare bowl. Mix gently to combine and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Transer the strawberry mixture to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium low heat. in a small bowl whisk together 2 TBS of water, the cornstarch and the remaining 1 TBS moonshine or grappa.

When the strawberries are tenter, after about 5 minutes stir in the conrstarch mixture, butter and salt and cook for seven to ten minutes until the mixture resembles jam. Transfer to a bowl and put in the refrigerator to chill.

To make the dough  bombine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives cut the shortening into the flour salt mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes together but is not too sticky. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

To make the sugar coating combine the sugar and zest. Set aside

Pie Assembly:

On a floured surface, roll half the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick and cut into 6 inch rounds. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 10 Rounds. You may have to use the dough scraps as well. Wet the outer ring of the dough circles with the egg wash, you can use your finger or a pastry brush. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling in the center, then carefully fold the dough over the filling, making sure no filling touchens the rim of the dough. Crimp the edges together firmly to make a seam.

To fry the pies, fill a Dutch over with one to two inches of oil and insert a frying thermometer. Heat oil over medium high heat until the temperature reaches  375 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently fry two to three pies at a time while carefully maintaining the temperature of the oil. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes turning occasionally until the dough is crisp and lightly browned. Use a spider or slotted spoon ot remove from the pan, place on a paper towel to remove any excess oil and let cool slightly.

Place each pie in the sugar coating and toss gently to coat. Store cooked pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.