Herb and Walnut Pie Crust Leaves

Did I ever mention how much I love pastry?  To me, the crust is the best, most important part of a pie or quiche.  I'd even be willing to scoop the filling out if it meant more crust.  Well... almost.  But it does make sense that I love to make savory appetizers out of my favorite crust recipe.

Since we're right in the middle of holiday entertaining season and, with Thanksgiving just a few days away, my food processor has been working overtime producing dough.  Pies, crumb toppings, crackers...it's a baking production line in my kitchen.  These adorable little leaves get a slight crunch from chopped walnuts and a kick of flavor from fresh herbs.  Bring on the cocktail parties and enjoy!








Ingredients
1 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1/4 Cup ice water
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
1/4 Cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the butter, flour and salt in a food processor with a steel blade and pulse just until it resembles course crumbs. Slowly pour in the ice water and pulse just until combined and a dough ball forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Combine the chives, chopped walnuts and grated cheese in a small bowl and set aside.

When the dough has chilled, cut it in half and roll each half out on a well-floured surface.  The filling will be sandwiched between each half so they need to be rolled out pretty thin.  Sprinkle the chive, walnut and cheese mixture over one of the dough layers and top with the second layer.  Using your rolling pin, roll over both layers to compress the filling and seal the edges.  Cut out shapes with your favorite leaf cutter and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the pastry is a light golden brown.  I used a 3" leaf cutter and got a dozen finished pastry leaves.