Whole Wheat Peach Hand Pies and a Farmers' Market Picnic. Two of our favorite things packed in one marvelous day: a summer farmers' market and a picnic with friends. On the menu, some light and tasty fares, and for dessert, delightfully buttery and flaky whole wheat peach hand pies.
We try to take advantage of every outdoor activity in this side of the world as the summer can be short and moody. Definitely, not like the Italian summers I'm used to, with sunny skies and high temperatures for days -or months- in a row.
Picnics, as well as afternoon tea picnics, have become a recurrent and very pleasurable pastime with our dear friends Margaret and Raymond Kitchen Frau. Today, on our agenda, two of our favorite things packed in one memorable day: a summer farmers' market and a picnic in the park.
Scenes from a Farmers' Market
As a gift from the heavens, the day of the picnic starts bright and promising. With comfy clothes and shoes, a hat to shelter the sun, and a basket in hand, we head to one of Alberta's largest outdoor farmers' market. It is located in the city of St. Albert, just north of Edmonton. There, we meet our picnic buddies and start our market stroll and shopping. Afterwards, we are going to a nearby park along the river to enjoy our farmers' market picnic.
Summer market produce
Undeniably, there is not a better scene than a farmers' market in the summer. It is bustling with people, energy, and color. Produce is abundant and cheerful this time of the year. Neat rows of vegetables and fruits at their peak, joyful flower arrangements, canned goods, and other homemade delights and crafts are a pleasure to the eye and attract the market shoppers.
A Farmers' Market Picnic
At a short distance from the farmers' market, alongside the lazy Sturgeon river, there is a beautiful park that we sometimes use as our walking grounds, with an old wood railway bridge in the backdrop. A more modern glaring red cable bridge connects the two shores and you can find picnic tables and plenty of picnic spots on each side.
A blanket on the ground or a table setting?
We spot an empty table on the other side of the river. It has a large tree for shade and a beautiful view of the bridge. We gather up all our gear and head to our picnic ground.
The set up
Setting up for a picnic is always fun and we all pitch in, excepts for some coffee breaks, lol. Firstly, we lay down a washable plastic-backed canvas, and over it, a tablecloth. If on the ground, a tarp underneath a blanket is a great option to keep the moisture away from the setting. Secondly, we like to bring one or two flower bouquets that dress the table beautifully. A bunch of seasonal blooms from our gardens does the trick. After, we arrange the plates, cutlery, napkins, and glasses. We opt for a combination of melamine, plastic, and vintage enamel that fit perfectly in a wicker picnic basket. As for the drinks, we transport them in mason jars and thermoses. Lastly, we take out the food, which stays in the coolers until ready to serve. We also set up a "washing station" with a cooler filled with fresh potable water on a small folding table and a compostable bag for the waste.
We normally divide the menu between the both of us, so as to share the work load.
Since this is a farmers market picnic, some of the items on the menu are bought at the market. We can't resist fresh peas and cherry tomatoes, sweet apricots, locally made cheese, focaccia, and homemade ham sausage.
For us, we prepared Loreto's mom and dad's Green bean and potato salad and placed it in a plastic container with a lid. Then, into a cooler bag with some ice packs, together with a thermos of hot coffee, and a tin box full of freshly made Whole wheat hand pies.
The Farmer's Market Picnic Menu
Zucchini Frittata Loaf
Green Bean and Potato Salad
Cherry Tomato, Cucumber, and Spicy Olive Skewers
Focaccia and Black Olive Tapenade
Slices of Ham Sausage, Aged Cheddar Cheese, Fresh Peas in the Shell
Whole Wheat Peach Hand Pies
Sweet Ripe Apricots
Iced Mint Tea with Honey, Lemon Water, Hot Coffee
Whole wheat Peach Hand pies
Is there anything better than ripe, juicy peaches at the height of summer? These peaches come from our neighbouring province of British Columbia, renowned for its tasty fruit. Deciding to make peach hand pies is a no brainer. Hand pies, or turnovers, are a perfect picnic treat, being easy to transport, and most of all, a hand-held affair. For the dough, I decide to add some whole wheat flour to the mix and to follow the suggestion I found on the cookbook "Pie Academy" for a combination of egg and milk instead of water. I couldn't be happier with the result. The hand pies are tender, flaky, and crisp, and perfectly sweet and juicy.
Let's make whole wheat pie dough in a food processor
- Combine both flours, cornstarch and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix.
- Add the cubed cold butter and pulse a few times to mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces.
- Pour the egg and milk mixture in and pulse until the mixture is still crumbly but starts to gather in large clumps.
- Turn the dough onto a work surface and pack it into a ball. Flatten it into a thick disk, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or overnight.
Peach filling and assembly
Take the dough out of the fridge and get all the ingredients ready for the filling.
Combine the peaches and cane sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
While the filling is simmering, stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl, then add to the peaches. Increase the heat slightly and cook the fruit, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 and half minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Cool thoroughly (it can be made ahead and refrigerated).
Divide the dough into four -more or less- equal pieces. Flatten each one.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Working one piece of dough at a time, with a rolling pin, roll it to a thickness of ⅛-inch. Cut a round with a 5-inch (13cm) cutter.
Repeat for each piece of dough to make the rounds. Gather the scraps and do the same rolling and cutting to make more rounds.
Spoon about two teaspoons of the cooled filling over half of the round. Dot the top with a little butter. Moisten the edge of the pastry with a touch of water, then fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon shape. Pinch the edges and crimp with a fork to seal. Repeat for all the rounds. Place on the baking sheet.
Refrigerate the hand pies for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Brush each hand pies with egg wash and cut 2-3 slits on the top with a pointed knife.
Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375F (190C), rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees, and bake for additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges and top.
Transfer the hand pies to a rack and let cool completely before icing.
The icing is optional, but oh-so-good
To make the icing, in a small bowl or measuring cup, combine icing sugar an lime juice and whisk. Adjust to achieve the right consistency adding a little more juice or icing sugar accordingly.
Place a baking sheet underneath the rack to collect the excess icing, and with a small whisk, or a fork, drizzle the icing sugar on each hand pies. Let harden in the fridge before storing them into a tin and transport to the picnic site.
Here's to another great picnic and more memories made. Head to Margaret's blog and check out her post with her version of the day and the lovely recipe for the Zucchini frittata loaf.
Don't be afraid to take your picnic experience to the next level!
More Picnic ideas
Cheese Gougères for a Blue and White Afternoon Tea Picnic
Shortbread Cookie Wedges for a Scottish Picnic
Nectarine Tomato Salad and a Fun and Games Picnic
Egg salad sandwiches for a perfect Tea Picnic
Spinach Frittata Rolls for a Fall picnic
Italian Panini for a late Fall lakeside picnic
Walnut stuffed Chocolate Dipped Dates and an Afternoon Tea in the Orchard
Happy summer and happy picnicking!
Whole Wheat Peach Hand Pies and a Farmers Market Picnic
Whole Wheat Peach Hand Pies and a Farmers Market Picnic. Two of our favorite things packed in one marvelous day: a summer farmer's market and a picnic with friends. On the menu, some light and tasty fares, and for dessert, delightfully buttery and flaky whole wheat peach hand pies.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 hand pies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: North American
Ingredients
Pie dough:
- ¾ all-purpose or 00 flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, sifted (or whole wheat pastry flour)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 ¼ sticks salted butter, cold, cubed
- 1 large egg mixed with milk up to ⅓ cup
Peach filling:
- 2 heaping cups peaches, peeled, pitted, cut into chunks
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Lime icing:
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
For the pie dough:
- Combine both flours, cornstarch and sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix.
- Add the cubed cold butter and pulse a few times to mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces.
- Pour the egg and milk mixture in and pulse until the mixture is still crumbly but starts to gather in large clumps.
- Turn the dough onto a work surface and pack it into a ball. Flatten it into a thick disk, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or overnight.
Filling and assembly:
- Take the dough out of the fridge and get all the ingredients ready for the filling.
- Combine the peaches and cane sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- While the filing is simmering, stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl, then add to the peaches. Increase the heat slightly and cook the fruit, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 and half minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Cool thoroughly (it can be made ahead and refrigerated).
- Divide the dough into four -more or less- equal pieces. Flatten each one.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Working one piece of dough at a time, with a rolling pin, roll it to a thickness of ⅛-inch. Cut a round with a 5-inch (13cm) cutter.
- Repeat for each piece of dough to make the rounds. Gather the scraps and do the same rolling and cutting to make more rounds.
- Spoon about two teaspoons of the cooled filling over half of the round. Dot the top with a little butter. Moisten the edge of the pastry with a touch of water, then fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon shape. Pinch the edges and crimp with a fork to seal. Repeat for all the rounds. Place on the baking sheet.
- Refrigerate the hand pies for 15 minutes. Then, preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Brush each hand pies with egg wash and cut 2-3 slits on the top with a pointed knife.
- Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375F (190C), rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees and bake for additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges and top.
- Transfer the hand pies to a rack and let cool completely before icing.
- To make the icing, in a small bowl or measuring cup, combine icing sugar an lime juice and whisk. Adjust to achieve the right consistency adding more juice or icing sugar accordingly.
- Place a baking sheet underneath the rack to collect the excess icing, and with a small whisk, or a fork, drizzle the icing sugar on each hand pies. Let harden in the fridge before storing them into a tin and transport to the picnic site.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Margaret@Kitchen Frau says
This was such a fun picnic and we so enjoyed doing it with you - an absolutely wonderful day, and what great memories we made. Spending this time having picnics together is a highlight of our summer!
(And those hand pies! So tasty with that fresh, peachy filling and the amazingly crisp and flaky crust - a really great picnic food - I'm still licking my lips thinking of them!)
So true, Margaret, our picnics and afternoon teas have become the highlight of our summer, and fall. Such a great time with wonderful friends, and always delicious food! Thank you!