Well, this post was meant to be published on the overly commercialized holiday of "love" and material objects, but my busy schedule and lack of time management got the best of me and pushed this post back about a month. My deepest apologies, I had wanted to bring you something warm, ooey-gooey, original and from the heart because we all know the fastest way to someones heart is with fresh baked goods. May I present to you all.......drum roll please.....Heart shaped mini fruit pies. They are delicious, easy to make and you are able to customize them, based on personal taste and seasonal available fruits. The pies in this demonstration use frozen fruit from whole foods because it's February in Vegas, there is NO good fruit right now. I also used boxed crust instead of home made because A)I had neither the time nor patience to go at a mass quantity of home made crust. Crust is a bitch to master and I had to make 20 mini pies, which is about 3 batches of crust. Not happening B) Pilsbury makes a damn good crust, and most people don't know the difference anyway.
Happy belated V-day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Makes approx 8 mini pies

1 box Pilsbury Crust (or one batch home made crust, enough for bottom crust and shell)
3 Cups Strawberries or fruit of your choice
1/4 cup sugar ( I use half granulated, half brown sugar)
1 tbl Vanilla extract
1 tbl fresh orange juice
1 tbl butter
2 tsp all purpose flour
Egg wash or water for finishing
1 egg yolk
3 tbl water
Coarse sanding sugar
Medium sized heart shape cookie cutter- or any shape you like- simple shapes work best.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small dish combine the flour with the sugars and whisk to combine.
In a medium pan heat the fruit, OJ, sugar mix, butter and vanilla. Heat until fruit begins to break down.

Once fruit begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer. Mash the fruit together and continue to cook on low until the moisture cooks away and the fruit starts getting thick.

Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the juice into bowls, you can freeze this and save for later use- in cupcakes, frosting, cocktails....you get the idea. Put the strained fruit in a bowl and set aside to cool.

While the filling is cooling, roll out one crust. Use cookie cutter to cut out bottom crust. Lay them out on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Spoon filling into the middle of each crust. Be careful not to use too much filling, and don't put it too close to the edge, or your pies won't seal properly, and all the filling will bake out onto the cookie sheet.

Next, prepare the egg wash, roll out the second crust and cut out the crust tops. Use the egg wash or water and lightly brush around the edge of the bottom crust. Gently lay top crust down, and push down around the entire edge of the pie, sealing completely. Use a pastry brush, or your fingers :) and lightly coat the top of the pie with egg wash/water, and generously sprinkle with sanding sugar. Repeat until all pies are sealed.

Bake for approx 30 minutes, or until tops of pies are golden brown. Remove and let cool. Pies will store for up to 4 days in a sealed container.