Chocolate Raspberry Hand Pies

My Mother's Pie Crust

• 8 ounces unsalted butter (the better the butter, the better the crust)
• 2-2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ice cold water

1. Cut the butter into small dice and freeze for an hour.
2. Cut the butter into the flour using your fingers, a pastry cutter, or by pulsing the mixture in the food processor until the butter is pea sized or smaller.
3. Add the ice water and mix until the dough comes together. In the food processor, it's easiest to know when it's ready, as the dough will just form a ball.
4. Divide the dough into two masses. Form into disks, wrap and refrigerate for an hour, or, preferably, overnight.

Making Starry Hand Pies

• 1 pint ripe fragrant raspberries
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• Egg wash - one egg beaten with 1 Tbls. water
• Turbinado sugar to sprinkle

1. Work quickly to keep everything cold. Roll out each pie crust into a rectangle-ish shape about 16 x 8. Cut out eight 4" discs from each. Stamp out round vents (stars or hearts are nice) from 8 of the discs. Set aside the cut outs.
2. Prepare a sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper or a Silpat.
3. Pick over the berries, but do not wash, as this reduces their essence (according to C. Ferber). Sprinkle the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice over the berries. Grate the chocolate over the berries.
4. Gently mix and without delay, divy up the filling onto eight of the discs, mounding it in the center. (Seriously, don't wait or the filling will get too wet.)
5. Top the disc with a cut out one, pressing the edges together, then crimping with a fork or making a pretty fold. Place the cut out on the top at a jaunty angle.
6. Brush the top but not the edges with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar. Freeze for one hour (or overnight) on the sheet pan.
7. Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the pies directly from the freezer for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350° and bake for 25-30 more minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Cool before serving.