cook: hatch chile cheddar apple hand pies

Ever since Pi Day, I hanker for food with a crust. And so inspired by Cybil, I made my own version of an apple green chile cheddar pie, but portable. While the prepared pie dough was defrosting, I peeled 2 Granny Smith apples and squeezed lemon juice. The New York Times recipe for the filling called for brown sugar, white sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice too to be added.

I also bought a pound of ground pork because I thought the same ingredients minus the apples and the spices would make a delicious empanada. I chopped a white onion and garlic and added adobo sauce as well as green chilies and oregano. I was thinking that some gifted spiced pear butter would make a nice addition.

However, there was not enough pie dough for both kinds of hand pies. And so into the fridge the pork went with plans to get more Hatch chilies and also use Habanero cheese when I get to making the empanadas. In the meantime, the fruit pies baked in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes after I rolled a circle, filled with the spiced apple, folded over and crimped to close, cut slits for steam to escape and brushed with egg wash.

I think the pies looked GBD (golden brown delicious).

They were good, but honestly they needed more spicy heat and more cheddar cheese. Next time.