Holiday Fruitcake/Pie

Serves 12

• Fruit pie filling (recipe follows)
• Pie dough (recipe follows)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• vanilla sugar, as needed to taste
• 4 ounces Gouda cheese, shaved with a peeler
• 4 ounces dried fruit (i.e. raisins, craisins, dates)
• 4 ounces walnuts, toasted and halved

For fruit pie filling:

• 1 quart simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, dissolved)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, sliced
• 1½ cup red wine
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 2 pears, peeled and quartered
• 2 apples, peeled and quartered

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Cook until fruit just starts to soften, approximately 30 minutes. Strain off the fruit and reserve the poaching liquid for another use. Dice fruit for pie filling.

For the pie dough:

• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1½ pound unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups water

Combine dry ingredients. Mix well. Cut butter into cubes, and cut into flour mixture. Add heavy cream and milk until a dough is formed.

Roll out the pie dough to about a ¼ inch thick and cut into 4-inch by 4-inch squares. (If you want the pies bigger, just cut bigger squares and add more filling.)

Place the 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each square and fold the square of pie dough into a triangle so that the filling is now covered. Crimp the edges with either a fork or roll them with your fingers into a half-moon shape.

Freeze the pies on a sheet tray that has been floured so that they don't stick.

Whisk the heavy cream with an electric mixer or by hand, adding vanilla sugar before it reaches stiff peaks to your desired taste. Place whipped cream into a piping bag and refrigerate.

Place the dried fruit into a cup or other container, and cover with about 2 inches of hot water. Steep fruit for 10 minutes. Drain the rehydrated fruit and reserve until ready to plate.

Set up a deep fryer at 350ºF. (If you don't have a deep fryer, you can set one up using a pot filled halfway up with oil. Alternatively you can bake the pies instead at 350ºF, with an egg wash, for about 10–15 minutes.) Fry the pies until golden brown, about 3–5 minutes. (Pies can be fried fresh or frozen.)

Once the pies are cooked, sprinkle them with powdered sugar. Split them in half and serve with whipped cream and the rehydrated fruit, walnuts, and a few shavings of Gouda sprinkled on top.