Cajun Fried Apple Hand Pies

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Pastry blender or your two hands
• •Rolling pin
• •5-inch round cutter or bowl
• •Large heavy skillet or Dutch oven for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Spider strainer or slotted spoon
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry dough

   Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and cold lard. Work the fat into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry blender, pressing and smearing until you have a shaggy mix with pieces ranging from pea-sized to flat shingles. This unevenness is what creates flaky layers. My grandmother Evangeline never touched a food processor for pastry, and neither do I for hand pies. Your hands tell you when the dough is right.

   Cold fat is everything. If your kitchen runs warm, freeze the butter cubes for fifteen minutes before starting.
2. 2

   Add buttermilk and form dough

   Drizzle the cold buttermilk over the flour mixture. Toss with a fork until the dough starts clumping together. Turn it onto your work surface and gather it into a rough mass, pressing just enough to bring it together. The dough should look rough and streaky with visible butter. That's what you want. Flatten into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes or up to two days.

3. 3

   Cook the apple filling

   Peel, core, and dice the apples into pieces no bigger than your thumbnail. Smaller pieces cook faster and fold into the pastry without tearing it. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally, until they just start to soften at the edges.

4. 4

   Season the filling

   Add the brown sugar, cane syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cayenne, and salt to the apples. Stir well. That tiny pinch of cayenne won't make the pies spicy, but it wakes up every other flavor in the pan. That's the bayou way: a whisper of heat that makes you pay attention. Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring often, until the apples are tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick, glossy sauce that coats everything.

   The filling should be jammy, not wet. Excess liquid will make your dough soggy and cause the pies to burst during frying.
5. 5

   Cool the filling completely

   Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer the filling to a shallow dish and spread it out so it cools quickly. Refrigerate for at least thirty minutes until completely cold. Hot filling melts your pastry dough before you can seal it. Patience here saves heartache later.

6. 6

   Roll and cut the dough

   On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about one-eighth inch thickness. Cut rounds using a five-inch cutter or the rim of a bowl. Gather scraps gently, press together without kneading, re-roll, and cut more rounds. You should get twelve circles. If the dough warms up and becomes sticky, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for ten minutes.

7. 7

   Fill and seal the pies

   Place about two tablespoons of cold filling on one half of each dough round, leaving a half-inch border. Brush the edges with egg wash. Fold the empty half over the filling to create a half-moon shape. Press the edges firmly with your fingertips to seal, then crimp with the tines of a fork. This double seal keeps the filling inside where it belongs. Place assembled pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for fifteen minutes while you heat the oil.

   Work with cold dough and cold filling. If either warms up, the seal won't hold and you'll have a mess in your frying oil.
8. 8

   Heat the frying oil

   Pour three inches of oil into a heavy Dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet. Heat over medium until it reaches 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer. At Lagniappe, we fry in lard for the richest flavor, but vegetable oil works fine for home cooking. The temperature matters: too cool and the pies absorb grease, too hot and they brown before cooking through.

9. 9

   Fry until golden

   Carefully lower two or three pies into the hot oil using a slotted spoon or spider. Don't crowd the pot. Fry for two to three minutes per side until deep golden brown and the pastry looks blistered and crisp. The pies will puff slightly as steam builds inside. Adjust your heat to maintain 350°F throughout frying. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

10. 10

    Coat in cinnamon sugar

    Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. While the pies are still hot (but not dripping oil), toss each one gently in the cinnamon sugar until completely coated. The warmth helps the sugar stick and creates that signature sparkly crust. Let cool for at least five minutes before eating. The filling holds heat like lava, and I've seen too many burned tongues from impatience.

Chef Tips

• •Steen's cane syrup is a Louisiana treasure, dark and complex with notes of molasses and caramel. Look for it in the syrup aisle or order it online. Dark corn syrup works in a pinch, but it's not the same.
• •If you've never fried at home, use a deep-fry thermometer and watch it constantly. Temperature control is the whole game. Too hot burns the outside while the inside stays raw. Too cool makes greasy, heavy pastry.
• •These pies travel well. Pack them in a single layer for picnics, tailgates, or any gathering where folks need something sweet to hold in their hands.
• •For a Louisiana twist, add a quarter cup of chopped toasted pecans to the cooled filling before assembling.

Advance Preparation

• •Pastry dough can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
• •Apple filling can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. It actually improves as the flavors meld.
• •Assembled unbaked pies can be frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to a freezer bag for up to one month. Fry directly from frozen, adding one to two minutes per side.
• •Fried pies are best eaten within a few hours. They lose their crispness overnight but can be revived in a 350°F oven for five minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 115g)