Pocket Pies

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First, I would consider myself to be a pretty good cook/baker, but for some reason pastry dough hasn't been my forte. That said, this dough was very simple and easy to work with. I made them the first time for a picnic with a meat filling. I made all the dough rounds ahead of time and "test-cooked" one using the pan fry method. It turned out great, so I decided to bake the rest. They also turned out great. I was so impressed I decided to make another batch with the chocolate filling. That didn't turn out quite so well; they leaked, but thankfully I was using sheet pans with 1/2 inch sides and parchment paper, so all was not lost. The outsides of the pies had some chocolate on them, but they still tasted great. Everyone loved them, especially my nephews.

Anyway, I would like to try deep frying them when I have the time and the oil. I'm sure they'll be great, and the chocolate filling will probably turn out better when fried than baked. I also want to try a raspberry-cream cheese filling, and a caramel filling.

Thank you, Alton, for helping me overcome my pastry problem! :D

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I made many pocket pies with a variety of fillings. My favorite by far, was the pan fried with mashed potato and pork roast filling. They turned out so hearty, that you only need 1 small pie to be full.

I also really liked a peanut butter, and chocolate chip filling. It isn't overly sweet, but is sweet enough that the peanut butter doesn't feel too heavy.

I was also one of the people whose chocolate filling doesn't work. For all of you people who tried instant pudding mixes, and when you cooked it, it turned liquidy, try using the cook type of pudding. Instant is not heat stable, and will always turn back into liquid. The cook and serve kind is very heat stable. Just make sure you cook it first (so that you aren't trying to fill with liquid.

Thank you Alton Brown, and everyone at Food Network, for bringing us this fantastic recipe!

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I found the dough easy to work with. I made chocolate, pizza and breakfast (egg & cheese pies. My first chocolate pies exploded like mini volcanoes in the oven. My second batch I used less filling and really sealed the sides well so the chocolate only leaked through the slits in the top. The pizza ones came out a little hollow and dry, but still good. The breakfast pies turned out the best--I cooked the egg & cheese together on the stovetop with salt & pepper until it was like a paste, then used it as filling. I brushed the tops with the leftover egg wash and it really made them shiny and crisp. No leakage in the oven, and the egg practically falls out when you bite into it. Great, versatile recipe. Time consuming, but worth it.

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Elton,
Love your show and watch as often as I can. I was thrilled this evening to see you tackle the Cornish Pasty in your show of 'pocket pies".
My Granny, Maude Bickle Sowden, of Penzance, England, was married to a coal miner who eventually left England, like so many "Cousin Jacks" and settled in Arizona where he went to work in the copper mines. I never new my great grandfather but my Granny had very English ways till the day she died at age 106, over 20 years ago. One of the many things she imparted to me was the love of her wonderful Cornish Pasties and how she made them. Her recipe for the crust or pastry was a more like a basic pie crust recipe and only filled with savory filling of meat, potatoes & onion. Though, she did talk about the pudding or fruit combined with "meat and potatoes" version of a pasty. At age 103, she still continued to help made hundreds of pasties, along with several of her English friends, for church fundraisers in our small town, Globe, Arizona.
I must offer one last remark to you. We never called them Pasties with a long a (something an exotic dancer might wear but have always known them to be called Pasty as in "not the future but the past".
Thank you for the new recipe ideas for pocket pies but, more so, for the memories.
My best wishes for your continued culinary success!
A devoted fan always anxious to learn more new food facts!
Liz Schnoll

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I made meat pies that were simple baked pies made with ground beef. I added the usual onion, celery, garlic, carrots, and herbs to make the base. With a little gravy base and chili sauce the taste was right on. I may put Jack cheese or Swiss cheese into the pockets next time. Using the recipe for a first time was not a mistake........it is a keeper. The dough was so easy to use. Thank you.

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I need to work on my techinque, as a few of my toaster pastries leaked, so I can't toast them without risking mayhem, fire, and destruction. But the curried mango filling is absolutely incredible! I like it so much, I'm thinking about pureeing it and serving it as a sauce for grilled chicken or something like that....

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Great fan of the show and when I saw it I decided I'd give it a shot.
Unfortunately I really didn't have enough time to do it so I shouldn't have attempted it...but I did anyway.

I rushed and ended up not rolling the dough out thin enough (I was making the toaster pies. When he says 1/8th inch, he means it!

Also if you're going to use chocolate filling, don't use instant mix pudding because apparently it doesn't like the oven too much.

I also should have compensated for the dry winter weather with the moisture content of the dough as it was quite difficult to work with when rolling it out (dry, dry, dry dough doesn't like to roll.

I will attempt this recipe again, on a day when I have plenty of time to make sure everything is correct. And I think I'll try jelly next time.

Thanks Alton for another great episode and another multi-tasking recipe.

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I used a bacon, egg, and cheddar cheese filling and these were a hit for breakfast. I'll try the fruit filling next and probably the chocolate too. Thanks Alton!

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My wifes fav fruit is mango so when I saw this episode I was eager to make the pies for my sweetpea. My practice run was lets just say,...educational. The mango filling was too watery so this made it extremely difficult to get enough filling in the pie with out the juice interfering with proper and ease of sealing. It was also apparent that the recipe turned out too tart for my taste so I reduced the vinegar to 1/3rd cup and the lime juice to 2 tbls. I aslo melted 2 tbls of butter into the filling before the cooling/setting step to solidify the filling easier placement. The second batch came out ABsolutely delicious. I used the baking and deep frying methods and we liked them equally. The dough is so simple and forgiving and just perfect. We are going to try a tortilla press on the dough to speed the rolling procedure. It just might work. Thanks for another fun and delicious recipe AB!!!

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I tried making the chocolate version of these, and they just plain didn't taste good. The filling was very grainy and way too sweet. Maybe, if the sugar was dissolved, or, as another viewer suggested- confectioner's sugar, it would have been better. Probably less butter, too. As for deep-frying them- they turned out really greasy, despite having them on racks to drain/cool. It might be better to pan fry or just bake them.