Strawberry Basil Spelt Hand Pies

Finally, a second post!  So I totally intend on updating more regularly than every three weeks, but soon after launching the site, I went on a week long camping trip with my sister (Zion, Grand Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands...swoon).  Hopefully I'll get better at balancing adventuring, blogging, and working (did I mention I'm also sick?)  When I get my film back from the trip, I plan to post some photos along with a camp recipe.  But for now, another dessert!

My Saturday mornings consist of sleepily rushing around the Farmers' Market before work, wishing I hadn't hit the snooze button so I could spend more time gawking over all of the fresh produce, trying to decide what to get (or, what I can carry).  This past Saturday I walked away with a few things, including this beautiful carton of strawberries and some hydroponic basil.  After bouncing around a few ideas I knew what I wanted...pie!  This is my first time trying spelt in a pie crust, and I must say, it came out delicious.  I love adding basil in with my fruit pies and jams so I did so here.  If you want a bolder basil flavor, use 2 Tbsp instead of 1.

The Recipe (yields 6 hand pies)

For the crust:
2 cups spelt flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp organic sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup almond milk

For the filling:
1 heaping cup sliced strawberries
1-2 Tbsp fresh basil
3 Tbsp organic sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cornstarch


Method:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, salt, and sugar.  Cut in the margarine.  I do this by breaking the margarine into tablespoon sized pieces, then working it in with my hands until the margarine is evenly distributed and the mixture looks like wet sand.  You could also use a fork.

Next, mix in the apple cider vinegar and almond milk.  Knead the dough a few times until you can form it into a ball.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

In the meantime, slice your strawberries, chop the basil leaves, and zest the lemon.  Toss all of your filling ingredients in a small bowl and place in the fridge until the dough is ready.

When the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 400° F and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sprinkle all purpose flour over a clean surface and roll out dough.  I was able to make 6 3x4 inch hand pies.  To do this, cut dough into 6 rectangles about 5x7 inches in size (or any size rectangles you'd like).  Spoon a small pile of the strawberry mixture in the center of each rectangle, dab water along the edges, and fold pies in half, crimping the edges together with a fork.  Make sure the pies are properly sealed, trim up the edges to make them look neater, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet and cut 2-3 slits in the top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  After 20 minutes, I brushed the pies with margarine and sprinkled the tops with sugar.  Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.  Don't devour them all right away, these are awesome cold the morning after!

Notes:
-I used 1 Tbsp of basil, but for a bolder basil flavor, up it to 2 Tbsp
-Add more or less sugar depending on your taste/how sweet your strawberries are
-I placed my rolled out and cut rectangles in the fridge to firm up a little bit before filling, folding, and crimping
-Use this crust for other fruit fillings.  Try substituting sliced peaches for strawberries.