Okay, let’s all check ourselves before we wreck ourselves: my cookbook is officially out next week, for real, in the flesh, etc. On 23 August. And at the end of this blog post there is a giveaway competition thing you can enter to win one of two copies for yourself! (COMPETITION CLOSED) But if you don’t read this entire blog post first – and it’s as long and self-indulgent as ever! – I will know and my ghost will hang around you and sigh heavily and say “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed”. And yeah, in this scenario I have a ghost while still being alive, it’s not entirely improbable, right? At the least, I’d read the heck out of a young adult lit book which had that plot.
Above: the morning after. Tim went to swoop in on the lone, remaining pie for a pre-breakfast snack, till I squawked “stop! The light is really great right now and I can salvage the terrible photos I took last night!” Oh, and that’s right, individual bowls for every snack and a commemorative teaspoon for the candy. Sure, we’re really messy, but we also have bizarrely specific high standards, you know?
So when I say hand pies I simply refer to what we might normally call pastries or turnovers or mini-pies. But ‘hand pies’ are deeply intertwined in the the cuisine of the American south, and I cannot resist a little culinary Americana. Or any Americana. As befits a kid who grew up in New Zealand but was obsessed with the Baby-sitters Club books and ensemble movies like Now and Then. Not that hand pies are mentioned in either of those, but let’s not get lost in semantics. My version is not strictly traditional, but what it is, is really very easy and fast and non-stressful. And delicious. I appreciate that there’s a bit of a cost at the outset in buying ready-rolled sheets of pastry, but sometimes it’s just as much looking after yourself to buy something pre-made as it is to make it from scratch.
Seriously, very little actual work gets you these fantastically good, gently spiced pockets of plummy sweetness. The the lemony warmth of the cardamom, the tear-jerkingly comforting scent of cinnamon and the toffee flavour of the brown sugar lends the tart juiciness of the plums some welcome richness. The fruit softens up but doesn’t collapse, and any juice is absorbed into the cornflour to give the filling a little heft. And they’re hand-sized! Who cares if they’re on-trend, as long as they’re on your hand and fast approaching your mouth.
plum, cinnamon and cardamom hand pies
a recipe by myself
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry (all-butter if possible, but I know only three supermarkets in the fanciest bits of New Zealand actually sell that, so just deal with the weird fake margarine stuff this time round – you can’t even taste it if you don’t think about it.)
2 plums
Set your oven to 200 C/ 400F and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Mix the brown sugar, cornflour, cinnamon and cardamom together in a small bowl.
Finely dice the two plums, discarding the stones, obviously.
Slice the pastry sheets into nine equal-ish squares, by making three slices downwards and three across. Maths! Finally useful. Spoon half a teaspoon – at most – of the sugar-spice mix into the middle of each square. Spoon a small teaspoon of diced plum over the top of that, then fold the pastry in half, pinching at the edges to form a snugly-filled triangle. Repeat with the remaining squares. You might have some plum or spice-dust leftover. Arrange the triangles on the baking tray (it took me an embarrassingly long time to work out how the triangles could all fit on there evenly, I guess maths is useful, sort of) and bake for about 20 minutes. They’ll be piping hot at first, so let them cool a tiny bit.
So, now you want to know how to win a copy of my cookbook, yes? I was going to interweave references to The Monster at the End of This Book throughout the blog post, but am too tired and so will cut straight to the point: I have two copies to give away. This competition is open to people in New Zealand only. Sorry, international admirers! However, I’m also giving away a copy on Instagram which anyone in the world can enter, so if you’re international and want in, follow me on there. (username: hungryandfrozen.) For everyone else…
here’s what you have to do.
1: Leave a comment on this post telling me a recipe from this blog that you like the look of. It can be from like, last week, I’m not going to give extra points for people who go deep into my archives, but who knows, you might like what you see once you start looking.
2: Be a person from New Zealand.
3: Wait till 10am Sunday morning (sorry for those with short attention spans, myself included) which is when I’ll do a post on here letting people know who won.
4: See if you’re one of the two people who got drawn at random! And either console yourself by baking hand pies, or rejoice in your winning by baking hand pies. And emailing me your address.
May the odds be ever in your favour!
title via: my guitar heroes Metallica with their joyfully sinister song Enter Sandman.
Music lately:
Joan Osborne, Right Hand Man. This song is so excellent and saucy and great. And, um, also has the word ‘hand’ in it, but this is entirely coincidental.
Lillias White, Don’t Rain On My Parade. Brilliant song, oh-damn-that’s-so-true lyrics, and Lillias White’s smashing voice. There are a million different renditions of this song from Funny Girl, and at least a hundred of them, this included, are my favourite.
Next time: I don’t even know, especially as I’m going to be out of the house most nights this week, but we’ll see, we’ll see. Maybe even one of the recipes from my own book. If nothing else the words “my cookbook” will probably appear a lot, accompanied by a palpable air of smugness.
Hungry and Frozen 
Oven Risotto! So easy and comforting. Love you blog and your book looks good!
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Mine is cakes… you introduced me to ginger beer cake, chocolate guinness cake, honey cake.. and tofu balls. And beetroot bread!
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Cappuccino chocolate cake – simple and delicious!
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Christmas pulled pork- I made pulled pork for the first time recently and it was amazing! Not sure I can wait til Christmas though…
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I'll be making the caramel pretzel ice cream as soon as I'm back in New Zealand. (also, my cousin eats hand pie by just putting a slice of pie in his hand and covering it with whipped cream. It's not pretty to watch, but it's delicious. And more authentically Americana.(
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Definitely the payday pasta – prob tomorrow I hope! Love your blog.
Liz.
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Gingerbeer scones! Yum
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Oops meant to put Jenny
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LOVE the dark chocolate mousse with just chocolate and water (and juice and honey if you feel like it). Not an ideal bedtime snack due to caffeine content (chocolate has caffeine, right?); weirdest dreams, worst sleep.
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Strawberry Icecream Cake! YUM
Alex Lines X
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My latest yummy baking treat from your foody blog is Fejoa, Apple and Ginger Cake. It combined three of my favourite foods (fejoa, crystallised ginger and shredded coconut) and throws in an additional piece of fruit (apple) to appease my conscience about using butter and sugar and other delciously empty carbs. The recipe is a great combination of flavour and texture and foolproof to make and the end result was a visual and taste treat that went well with coffee.
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Earl Grey and Maple Syrup Cake, because if that glorious sounding flavour combo didn't entice me enough, the words “Glittery Nipple” just sealed it.
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Cinnamon bars, baking is good!
I like licking the spoon too but I will do it in front of other people!!
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mmmmmm ginger crunch slice sounds like a little piece of paradise – will be making this!!!
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I liked Aunty Daisy's Kisses post, it reminded me of my home science classes and my mothers baking! The 'Kisses' are so simple but so nice. I am in the middle of sorting out a box of my mother's things I collected when she passed away a few years ago. (Some of her old recipe books made hilarious reading). I used to sit and listen with my Nana to Aunt Daisy's 'good morning, good morning everybody' report on the radio. Lovely recipe and lovely memories for me.
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My first experience of your lovely foody music-y blog which I have now favourited and will also recommend to my two daughters who are ex Welly girls. For me the sound of your ginger crunchy slice will be the first baking to be done in my new home next week in my new Falcon range – excitement plus. Oh and I enjoyed reading about Hudson and Halls which I was drawn to because I saw the beautiful love story on TVNZ Heartland about them. Your book will be fabulous!
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My first experience of your lovely foody music-y blog which I have now favourited and will also recommend to my two daughters who are ex Welly girls. For me the sound of your ginger crunchy slice will be the first baking to be done in my new home next week in my new Falcon range – excitement plus. Oh and I enjoyed reading about Hudson and Halls which I was drawn to because I saw the beautiful love story on TVNZ Heartland about them. Your book will be fabulous!
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Yummmmmm! Your lemon cake with white chocolate butter cream looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Made dad go to the store to get all the ingredients so i can make it tomorrow. Thanks for this recipe keep em coming!! 😀
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I really have to try roast beetroot soup. Roast beetroot are such a treat if you grew up on preserved beetroot.
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Oh Wow your Ginger Crunch Slice – Who wouldn't love that
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Hey Laura. I have never read a food blog before in my life before I read about you in this morning's Dom Post, but now I think I might be hooked. There are lots of your recipes I will be trying, but your payday pasta looks like a good start.
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Hey Laura. I have never read a food blog before in my life before I read about you in this morning's Dom Post, but now I think I might be hooked. There are lots of your recipes I will be trying, but your payday pasta looks like a good start.
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Hello Laura – I love the look (and sound)of Lemon Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream. I know I will love the taste too 🙂 Congratulations on the launch of your cook book!
Anne(onymous)
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I have made the oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies. They are divine. And I can convince myself that they are healthy. Sort of. Congratulations on the book!
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I like the oatmeal cookies from 2010
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pear and almond cake with pear caramel sauce. I have made this one about 10 times for different occasions/birthdays and it's always a hit. And the pulled pork. mmmm pork.
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Congratulations Laura. You are one photogenic great cook – and … I love your take on ginger slice. Memories of the '70's – walking home from school, suburbia, the ginger slice a-bakin'- my favourite … delish.
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