Christmas Macadamia Apple and Rhubarb Hand Pies

If you grow rhubarb in your vegetable garden you probably have lots of it, have made your favorite recipes and are now looking for new recipes to use it.  If you do not grow it, it is in season and makes a lovely addition to the holiday table.

Using produce from your garden as part of your festive entertaining menu is a wonderful way to:

• Reduce the costs of Christmas
• Include and enjoy seasonal food
• Highlight the special quality of home grown food
• Celebrate with your family a successful harvest, the bounty of your work

Get into the kitchen with this simple recipe that is made festive by the shaped pastry wrapping, or keep it simple with individual pies, or one large one.

Rhubarb is abundant when it is in season. Last year I reduced my plants from  4 to 2 as there was way too much rhubarb for my family.

This year I am using a wire frame to force the stalks up and keep them contained so that that the space they take up in the garden is reduced.

This method of growing rhubarb is a new one for me and I am impressed with the results. It certainly has kept the plants well contained and the stalks are lovely and straight.  The leaves also seem to be smaller than they tend to be when allowed free reign in the space they are allocated.

We harvested the first of this years crop late last week. It inspired this festive Christmas recipe, along with my fast diminishing supply of creamy, buttery Australian grown Macadamia nuts. I was gifted the nuts from Australian Macadamias. Macadamia’s have long been one of my pantry staples. I adore the flavor. If a packet is left in my vicinity and there is no recipe calling for them they do not last very long!  Macadamia nuts add a special quality to any food created to celebrate an occasion or family meal.

Print

Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Rhubarb Pie Recipe. Christmas Macadamia Apple and Rhubarb Pies. This simple recipe is made festive by the shaped pastry wrapping, or keep it simple with individual pies, or one large one

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6 people

Author: Kyrstie Barcak - A Fresh Legacy

Ingredients

• 6 rhubarb stems - chopped
• 3 apples of choice - peeled and chopped into cubes
• 1 lemon - juiced
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 cup macadamia nuts - processed or chopped roughly
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• Defrosted ready made puff pastry sheets (number is dependent on the size/type of pie being made so use your judgement!)
• 1 egg - whisked (optional - for brushing the top of the pastry)
• Plain yogurt to serve

Instructions

1. Add the rhubarb, apples, lemon juice and cinnamon to a pot, cover and bring to simmer
2. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes
3. Set the oven to heat to 170 degrees Celsius
4. Cut the pastry sheets into the desired shapes. I used cookie cutters to make the Christmas tree shaped hand pies.
5. When softened add the macadamia nuts and sugar and stir
6. Remove from the heat
7. Place the base of the hand pies on a non heated baking tray, scoop the pie filling mixture onto the pastry and then cover with the top piece of pastry and seal the edges. Repeat until all the mixture is used.

Recipe Notes

I was running short of time when making these hand pies. I made 7 of them and decided that they would be perfect for the kids and then proceeded to use the rest of the mixture using individual pie tins (5 of them). I estimate that I could have made an additional 18 more....
The size of the hand pies, or pies will determine the required cooking time. The trees took 15 minutes, the individual pies 30 minutes.
Brush the top of the pastry with whisked egg if you wish (optional)

As mentioned in the recipe notes, I ran out of time (or maybe patience!) to continue making the trees so I finished off the filling mixture by making individual pies. This recipe is designed to be enough for entertaining a crowd so halve it if you wish.

Are you growing rhubarb in your vegetable garden? Will it be a part of your festive menu?