Mini Roasted Rhubarb Pies with Buttermilk Pastry
filling:
3 cups diced fresh rhubarb
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup jam or preserves (I used my own homemade strawberry rhubarb jam, but just plain strawberry jam would work, too)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
6-8 tablespoons buttermilk, cold
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons coarse turbinado sugar
Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with non-stick spray. Arrange the diced rhubarb in a single layer and sprinkle with the sugar. Roast for 20 minutes. In a bowl, combine the roasted rhubarb, jam and cinnamon. Set aside.
While the rhubarb is roasting, make your pastry. This is my all-butter pie crust recipe, with buttermilk instead of ice water to bring the dough together. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in until pea-sized lumps remain. Stir in the buttermilk, then use your hands to work the dough, being careful not to overwork it, just until you can gather it together into a ball.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 4x4 inch squares. Gather the scraps and repeat until you've used up all the dough. You should be able to get 15-16 squares.
Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray. Gently fit the squares of dough into the cups, so that the corners are sticking up. Spoon the filling into the dough, about a tablespoon for each cup. Bring the corners of the dough together and squeeze together gently. Freeze pies for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425. Take the chilled pies, brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until a deep golden brown, the filling is bubbling and the edges are caramelized from the juices. Use a spoon to remove the pies from the muffin tin and cool uncovered on a wire rack. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Yields 16 mini pies.
Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen