Pear Empanadas Recipes

Steps:

• In a covered pot, simmer the pears in the water for 30 to 40 minutes, until soft. Drain and reserve the liquid. When pears are cool, place them in a blender with just enough reserved liquid to make a thick puree. Heat 1/2 cup of the leftover pear liquid in a saucepan. Stir in 1/2 cup of the sugar and cook for about 5 minutes, until the sugar begins to caramelize. Add the pear puree, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and cloves, stirring well. Remove from heat and cool. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Set mixture aside.
• Prepare dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour with the lard, butter and salt. Mix lightly with your fingertips until the dough forms grapesized pieces. You should still be able to see chunks of fat. Stir in the iced water. Lightly knead, handling dough as little as possible, until the dough forms a ball. Add a little more iced water if necessary. Transfer to a plastic bag and shape into a log. Seal the bag, pressing out any air, and chill 1 hour or as long as 3 days. The dough can be frozen for as long as a week. On a lightly floured board, roll out dough to 1/8inch thickness and cut 4inch circles. Brush the edge of each circle with the beaten egg mixture and place 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center. Fold dough over to enclose filling. Seal the edges by pressing the top to bottom with the tines of a fork. Chill for at least 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place empanadas on a baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. With a sharp knife, cut three small slits in the top of each for steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes, or until dough is golden. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool slightly and serve warm with crema or blue cheese.
• Whisk the cream and buttermilk together. Cover and set in a warm place (a gas oven with just the heat from the pilot is fine) for 8 hours. Crema may be kept in the refrigerator as long as a week
• Yield: 2 cups

Steps:

• Dough: Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl and make a well in the center. Place the butter, egg and yolk in the well. Rub the mixture between your fingertips until it forms a crumbly mass. Sprinkle with the water and knead in the bowl until it comes together into a dough. (If the dough seems too moist, sprinkle with additional flour, and knead it in briefly.) Divide the dough into 2 thick disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.;
• Filling: In a medium skillet, heat the walnut and olive oils over high heat. Add the pears and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and beginning to give off their juices, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cool completely. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Assembly:
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for glazing
• If the dough is too hard to roll easily, let it stand at room temperature to warm slightly. On a lightly floured surface, working with 1 portion of dough at a time, roll into a 1/16-inch thick circle. Using a small saucer as a guide, cut out six 4 1/2-inch rounds. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place equal amounts of the filling on the lower halves of the rounds. Fold over to enclose the filling, then crimp closed with the tines of a fork. Place on a parchment paper-lined (or lightly greased) baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the empanadas lightly with the egg mixture. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Simmer pears in the water for 30-40 minutes until soft; drain, reserving liquid; once pears are cool, purée them in a food processor or blender, stopping food processor occasionally and scraping down its sides and adding enough reserved pear liquid to make a thick purée about the consistency of mashed potatoes.
• Heat 1/2 cup of reserved pear liquid in saucepan; stir in sugar and cook for about 5 minutes until the sugar begins to caramelize; add pear purée, cinnamon, and cloves; stir well; remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter (using pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; beat egg yolks with 3 tablespoons ice water then add to flour mixture; stir, adding more ice water a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together and forms a ball; chill dough for 10 minutes.
• Divide dough into 16 equal-sized balls; on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 3-4" circle; brush edge of each circle with the beaten egg yolk mixture and place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center; fold dough over the filling to form a semi-circle; crimp edges with a fork to seal the empanada; pierce top of each empanada a couple times with fork and brush it with egg yolk mixture; carefully lift empanadas with a spatula and place onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with no-stick cooking spray; bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until empanadas are puffy and golden.
• NOTE: For a simple and quick treat, make these empanadas using your favorite flavor of canned pie filling.