Green Chile Apple (Hand-Held) Pies

The first time I tried a green chile apple pie was in Vermont, of all places. We were visiting a friend who insisted we bring him some Hatch green chile from New Mexico so he could make a pie. I was intrigued at what it would taste like and fell completely in love after one bite. Unfortunately, the rest of my family didn't really care for it and I'm sorry to say that I never had it again...until now.

I always thought about green chile apple pie and wanted to make it several times, but every time I mentioned it people, (my husband) looked at me like I was crazy. A few months ago I came across a recipe for these hand-held pies (turnovers, really), and I decided to finally make them. I think you either like green chile apple pie or you don't. Personally, I love the sweet heat combo and could eat them all day long...which is exactly what I did.

If you make these, and I really hope you do, play around with the amount of chile you use. Chile from a can tends to be on the mild side, so you can probably get away with using a full cup. If you're using fresh chile, taste it first and judge the heat. We used one cup of VERY hot chile and I was afraid of the outcome, but I think cooking it and combining it with the sweet apples actually helped simmer the spiciness. If you're timid about chile, add it to a few pies and see how they taste—the outcome may surprise you!

Green Chile Apple (Hand-Held) Pies

adapted from Bless Her Heart

Ingredients:
4 sheets of puff pastry, thawed according to manufacturers instructions
3 cups apples, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup green chiles, roasted, peeled and diced.
1/2 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (1Tbs sugar; 1Tbs cinnamon)
flour for dusting the workspace
egg for egg wash

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix lemon juice with the apples to keep them from browning. Stir in green chile. In a small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients into the apple mixture. Set aside; mix occasionally. In a small bowl beat egg for eggwash.

Lightly flour a work surface for cutting out puff pastry circles. Using a bowl as your cutter, you should be able to get 2-3 circles from each sheet of puff pastry sheet. The circles should be around 5-6" in diameter (we used the lid from our flour container—get creative with your cutter!).

Fill in half of the circle with apple filling, around 2-3 full tablespoons of filling depending on the size of circles. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of filling. Brush along half of the edge of the circle with egg wash. Fold in half, tucking the filling inside as you go along and pinch closed, or seal with the tines of a fork. Cut a 1" slit in the top for a vent. Brush the top with the egg wash; sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining hand pies. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.