I could wax lyrical about mango season in Jamaica for days. I’ve written countless pieces about how crazy Jamaicans become during mango season. We all raid each other’s trees and exchange varieties with one other. I am blessed to have two of the most prized growing in my garden, the kidney shaped East Indian and the majestic Bombay. I also have the smaller variety, black mango whose skin can also be eaten. I’m also a pie girl, that’s the Brit in me. I love making hand pies as each person can get their own rather than fighting for the biggest slice. This recipe makes a dozen hand pies.
Ingredients
- Dough
- 360g all purpose flour
- 1 tsp white sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 240g unsalted butter
- 120ml ice water
- Filling
- 6 mangos, peeled, flesh removed from seeds and chopped to bite sized pieces
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- Zest and juice of 1 large lime
- 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional, depends on sweetness of fruit)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 beaten egg mixed with a splash of milk
- Brown sugar, for sprinkling
Method
- In a food processor add flour, butter, salt, sugar and pulse until it resembles sand.
- Gradually add in ice water, then once sticking together, knead a couple times and form into a ball, cover with cling and chill at least an hour before using.
- In a large bowl add mango pieces, cardamom, zest and lime juice, sugar and cornstarch and mix well. Set aside.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Bring chilled down back to temperature and flour a surface. Cut dough in half and roll out into a rectangle and cut into 6 squares.
- Spoon mango mixture into the center of the squares, dip your finger in water and run around the edges to moisten them, then fold dough over the mixture and seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Brush each pie with egg mixture and sprinkle with brown sugar. Make a slit in each pie resembling a cross then place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Some fruit may burst through, but no worry that is part of the charm. Serve warm or room temperature.
Jacqui ‘JuicyChef’ Sinclair, founder of Nyam & Trod, is a British Jamaican award-winning chef, writer, and food culturist. She is a co-founder of Kingston Kitchen, an annual food event supporting food artisans. Jacqui has been an advocate of the Meatless Monday Global movement in Jamaica since 2011. Jacqui’s work has been featured in such publications as the Huffington Post, the Jamaica Observer, Saveur, The Jewish Post and numerous blogs. She has appeared on the Travel Channel’s ‘Bizarre Foods’ with Andrew Zimmern and Food & Wine’s Jamaica episode with Kwame Onwuachi.