Hand Pies (Pierogies, Burikitas)

This recipe is wonderfully flexible. For the filling, in place of feta, you could swap in Gouda, Swiss, cheddar or any hard cheese you’d like. Feel free to replace some or all of the cream cheese and sour cream with ricotta or cottage cheese. Burikitas can be assembled ahead of time and frozen. You can also bake them and then freeze; to reheat, thaw on the counter, then heat in a 400-degree oven. Thaw Puff Pastry according to package directions

Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, feta, sour cream, flour and 1 egg. It can be chunky. If the filling feels dry, add a little bit of milk. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 3 millimeters thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass to cut out circles 3-4 inches. Re-roll scraps and repeat. The dough may get sticky as it warms up. To prevent sticking, dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Pipe or spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon filling into center of each circle. Seal each circle by folding over to form a half-moon shape and pressing edges down lightly. Place burikitas on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush each pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Refrigerate burikitas 1 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake burikitas until light golden, 18-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

​4½ ounces (125 grams) cream cheese, softened
8 ounces (225 grams) feta cheese, crumbled
4 ounces (100 grams) sour cream
¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Milk, as needed
Sesame seeds, for sprinkling