Bacon & Egg Handpies recipe from ‘LUNCHBOX’ by Aviva Wittenberg

The following incredible breakfast themed recipe is excerpted from: LUNCHBOX: 75+ Easy and Delicious Recipes for Lunch on the Go by Aviva Wittenberg.

We entertain family and friends regularly, and while we usually end up having guests over for dinner, I actually love to invite people over for brunch even more. A weekend brunch is relaxed, the food is comforting and easy, and you can wear your favorite soft and stretchy clothes! Carry this carefree vibe over to the work and school week by packing brunch for lunch. These bacon and egg handpies are my youngest daughter’s favourite recipe, and one that she volunteers to sample for quality control regularly. They are one of many handpie recipes in this book—take a look at Handpies 101 (page 149) for an illustrated step-by-step guide, and get ready to stock you freezer with boxes of puff pastry.

RECIPE

3 eggs

2 Tbsp heavy cream Salt and pepper

2 tsp butter

3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar

1 recipe Handpies 101 (page 149 see below)

Note: Make these handpies vegetarian by leaving out the bacon and swapping in some diced sundried tomatoes or sautéed mushrooms instead.

Preheat the oven to 420°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the cream and a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk to combine.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Pour in the egg and cream mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir the eggs and cook until barely set—you want soft curds, but no liquidy bits (you will be baking the eggs later once they are wrapped in pastry to fully cook). Take the pan off the heat and mix in the crumbled bacon and shredded cheese.

Let the filling cool down for a few minutes as you prepare the pastry and set things up to bake. Turn to page 150 for the filling, wrapping, baking, and packing directions for your handpies.

See recipe for handpies excerpted from LUNCHBOX: 75+ Easy and Delicious Recipes for Lunch on the Go by Aviva Wittenberg.

HANDPIES 101 (makes 4)

The Queen of the Kitchen (aka puff pastry) is available in the freezer section of your supermar-ket and needs to be thawed in the fridge overnight before use. Warm puff pastry is difficult to work with—it gets sticky and frustrating to manipulate—so be sure to pull it out of the fridge just before use (and pop it back into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to cool down if it’s sticking to itself). To make vegan handpies, use kosher puff pastry—it will not have any butter—and substitute either a vegan egg replacement or some dairy-free milk for the eggs called for in the recipe. You won’t get quite the same shine on your pies, but they’ll still taste delicious.

Get Ahead: Handpies are definitely best the day they are baked, but you can prebake (and crisp them up again later) if you want to. Here are a couple of options for doing the heavy lifting ahead of time:

• PREPARE but do not bake (this is what I recommend):store in the fridge for up to 12 hours, or freezer for up to 3 months. To prevent unbaked handpies from sticking together in the freezer, freeze them first on a parchment-lined baking sheet; when frozen solid, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Bake unbaked frozen handpies on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 425°F for 20 minutes.

• PREBAKE: store, tightly wrapped in foil, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Crisp up your prebaked pies for 10 minutes at 200°F, if you can, before enjoying for lunch.

HANDPIE RECIPE

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but still cool

1 recipe handpie filling (pages 26, and 153 to 171)

1 egg, lightly beaten

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, unroll the puff pastry sheet. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut it into quarters so that you have four squares, and then cut each square into a set of two rectangles. One rectangle will be the bottom of each hand pie and the other one will serve as the top.

2. Scoop one-quarter of the filling mixture onto each of the bottom rectangles and spread it out evenly using the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula, leaving a ¼-inch border around all edges.

3.Using the point of a sharp knife, cut a few small vents in each of the top rectangles to allow steam to escape while baking. Feel free to get creative with the style of the vents!

4. Using a pastry brush, paint the ¼-inch border of the bottom rectangles with a little of the beaten egg. Carefully top each filled bottom rectangle with its corresponding top rectangle “lid.” Use your fingers or a fork to gently press down and seal all the edges. Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops generously with the remaining beaten egg.

5. Bake for 20 minutes (or at 425°F for 20 minutes if baking from frozen), until puffed up and golden brown (the pies will be crispy, and you’ll see the lovely layers of pastry have puffed up along the edges).

Allow the handpies to cool before packing as the pastry will get soggy if it is packed while still warm.

PACKING TIP:

Complement this rich pastry with a green salad tossed with a bright vinaigrette like the Bright Green Dressing (page 108) or White Balsamic & Parmesan Dressing (page 113).

Excerpted from: LUNCHBOX: 75+ Easy and Delicious Recipes for Lunch on the Go by Aviva Wittenberg . LUNCHBOX: 75+ Easy and Delicious Recipes for Lunches on the Go is published by Appetite by Random House ®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited, Copyright © 2022 Aviva Wittenberg, Photography by Aviva Wittenberg. Available at bookstores as of August 16, 2022.

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