Nectarine Strawberry Crumb Hand Pies

I love it when I have so much stuff in my fridge, that a dessert just naturally comes together, seeming almost effortless. Yesterday I was lucky enough to find a couple pounds of pie dough, some frangipane, and a freezer bag full of cardamom -oat struesel. I also had a few super ripe nectarines and juicy strawberries from the farmer's market the day before, so these homey and craveable hand pies had almost built themselves before I even entertained the thought of turning on my oven on an already hot day.

My apartment gets so hot when I turn the oven on. The heat makes me do stupid things, like repeatedly stub my pinkie toes. I seriously hate them. They totally get in the way. My feet aren't even big, and I'm constantly stubbing the smallest part of them on anything and everything. Yesterday, it was a grand total of 3 times in the 15ish minutes that it took to throw these things together.

Now, the only reason it took such a short time for me to make these, is because I already had everything. My refrigerator is always full of different kinds of doughs and fillings, quite obviously because this is what I do. But everything that it took to make these can be made ahead, frozen or refrigerated for quite some time, and used in countless different preparations. The struesel recipe can be easily doubled or even tripled and thrown in the freezer to use as a topping for a fruit crisp for when those mythical "unexpected guests" just pop in and expect you to have some fine baked good just lying around.

Nectarine and Strawberry Crumb Hand Pies makes 12

1 recipe Perfect Pie Dough

Cardamom Oat Struesel

3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp instant oats

3/4 c.+ 2 Tbsp a.p. flour

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 c butter, melted

Mix together all ingredients with a fork until they are blended and form small clumps. This can be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen.

Frangipane (almond cream)

1/4 c + 1 Tbsp butter, room temperature

1/2 c +2 Tbsp sugar (use vanilla sugar if you have it)

1 1/4 c toasted sliced almonds, or 4 1/2 oz. toasted almond meal

1 Tbsp. flour

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

If using the sliced almonds, which I prefer, because it makes for a more toothsome almond layer, put the almonds into a Ziploc bag and using a rolling pin, crush the almonds. Leave them as large as you'd like, or crush them small. I go pretty small.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Add both extracts and then the nuts or almond meal. Beat until incorporated, add flour. This can be refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen.

For the fruit:

3-4 medium nectarines, sliced

1 # strawberries, rinsed, hulled and quartered

1/2 cup sugar (or vanilla sugar if you have it)

3 Tbsp honey

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp a.p flour

2 tsp cornstarch

Mix all ingredients together and allow to macerate for 10 minutes.

To assemble and bake the Hand Pies:

Conventional oven 400, Convection 375

Divide pie dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 4x4ish square-ish shape. Put 1 tbsp frangipane and 1 large handful of fruit in the center of the dough. To fold up the edges, tuck and turn the dough while enclosing the fruit. Repeat with all 12 hand pies. Set on parchment paper lined baking sheets, allowing 2 inches on all sides of each pastry. Freeze for about 10 minutes. If there is any remaining juices from fruit, slowly pour into the center of each pastry, being careful not to overflow. Using cream or an egg wash made from 1 yolk and 2 Tbsp milk, brush the edges of the pastries and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Top with the struesel topping. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning around half way through. Cool on wire racks before eating.