we spent this past weekend up in door county, at the upper eastern tip of wisconsin, where looking out over lake michigan feels like you’re at the edge of the world.
we skiied, relaxed in hot tubs, read books by the fire, and ate lots of northern wisconsin specialties. having never been up to door county in the wintertime, i very much enjoyed how the little towns go from being summer vacation destinations to the perfect snowy sanctuary for those that want to embrace winter, if only for the weekend.
and of course, no trip to door county is complete without door county cherries. and while cherry pies may not be as prevalent at every store as they are in the summer, you can still purchase a nice looking jar of the fruit at roadside markets.
these particular cherries came from wienke’s market. i didn’t have a plan for what these cherries would become. pie seemed like the obvious choice, but since jason is traveling this week it felt silly to make a whole pie, eat a slice, eat another slice, and then stare at it on the counter.
thus came the idea of little hand-pie-esque pastries, filled with a similar (but less sweet) cherry filling. eating only one feels totally manageable and since they’re self contained, they lend themselves to sharing and/or awaiting jason’s arrival back home (if he’s lucky).
but why stop with just a cherry filling when you can add brandy to the mix? so there you go. door county cherries, a little brandy to spice things up, and a pastry crust that never fails.
slap on a little egg wash and throw them in the oven. breakfast and dessert in one. so efficient.
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, right out of the fridge, cut into chunks
- ¼ cup ice water
- 1 cup Door County cherries, no sugar added (or similar product)
- ¾ cup cherry juice from jar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 egg, beaten
- In a food processor or bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Add in butter and pulse (or use pastry cutter) until small pea-sized clumps form.
- Add water, and pulse (or use hands) until dough forms. Remove from bowl and knead with hands for a minute, making sure all dough sticks together.
- Cover in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour, up to overnight.
- In a small pot, heat cherries, cherry juice, and sugar until just starting to boil. Stir in corn starch and let thicken, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add in brandy and stir. Let cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Roll out dough to about ¼ inch thick. Cut into 4 squares, about 4 inches each side.
- Scoop cherry filling in the middle, dividing evenly among 4 squares.
- For each pastry, pinch corners into center from all four sides, and use your fingers to pinch together and seal in the filling.
- Brush pastries with egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cherries are oozing out those sides just a tiny bit.
- Let cool before serving.
These look delicious! I always end up wondering what to make with the jar of cherries I get from Trader Joe’s.
writes JessicaThank you Jessica!
writes Vicky[…] with whatever it is you’re in the mood for (we happened to be in the mood for the last of the Door County cherries we had left […]
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