Sage & Butternut Squash Pithiviers (Savory Hand Pies)

To make the pastry, combine the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the food processor running, slowly add the ice water through the feed tube and run just until a dough ball forms. Pat out the dough on a floured tray, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 400 F.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it’s approximately 10″ around. Use a circular cutter to cut out dough rounds. Re-roll the scraps to get more rounds. I used a 4 1/2″ cutter and got 8 rounds but you can make them smaller to be more appetizer sized.

Combine the squash pieces, cheese and sage in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Place a heaping mound of the squash filling, about 2 tablespoons, on each of 4 dough rounds. Top each with one of the remaining dough rounds and press the sides together with your fingers or a fork.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and score the tops. Pithiviers typically have spiral designs on top but I just made a few horizontal and vertical lines with the tip of a sharp knife.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the rounds are a light golden brown.