Categories

RS Dinner Recipes

Empanadas

Cream Cheese Pasty Dough (as taken from King Arthur Flour Baking Companion, 459)

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese [room temperature]
  • 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter [unsalted, room temperature]
  • 1/4 teaspoon [table] salt
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) unbleached, all-purpose flour [using the spoon and sweep method]
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  1. Cream together cream cheese, butter, sugar and salt until smooth. [Can use food processor, hand, counter mixer, hand-mixer]. Add flour and mix on low until dough has formed loose ball. 
  2. Shape dough into one-inch-thick disk, wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Roll to 1/8-inch thick and cut into sizes desired (3″ circles for empanadas) [or, form empanadas by hand for a rustic-style]

Beef and Cheese Empanada Filling [The Best Make-Ahead Recipe, 26]

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • pinch ground cloves
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 pound (85% lean) ground chuck
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
  1. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic, paste, cumin, oreganio, cloves and cayenne; cook until fragrant (30 seconds). Stir in beef and cook, breaking up clumps, until no longer pink (4 minutes)
  2. Stir in broth, reduce heat. Simmer until moist, not wet. Off heat, add sugar and season with salt/pepper to taste. Transfer to medium bowl. Refrigerate about one hour. Stir in cheese and continue to chill until needed (up to three days).

Assembly

  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. 
  2. Preheat oven to 425º
  3. Place one teaspoon of filling into each dough round. Crimp empanada closed with fingers or fork. 
  4. Brush with beaten egg
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

 

Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil Dip with Blanched Veggies (from America’s Test Kitchen)

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained & rinsed, chopped fine
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Stir all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate up to two days.

 

Buttermilk Cupcakes (from Cook’s Country)

  • 3 cups cake flour [using the dip and sweep method]
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 12 tablspoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  1. Preheat oven to 325º; prepare 24 muffin tins with butter and flour
  2. Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk eggs and vanilla together. Add sugar slowly to egg mixture, whisking. Whisk in butter, then buttermilk. Add one-third of dry ingredients, mix gently. Repeat two times.
  3. Fill muffin tins 2/3-full. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Rotate pans halfway.
  4. Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then cool to room temperature for about one hour before frosting

Buttercream (from KitchenNut)

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tablespoons liquid (milk, lemon juice, lime juice, etc)
  • 2 teaspoons flavoring (vanilla extract, lemon zest, lime zest, etc)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Using mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Add flavoring and mix well. Add sugar, one cup at a time, until well mixed. Reduce speed, add liquid, and mix on high until fluffy. Keeps in fridge up to three days. Beat prior to using, to re-fluff.

 

Check out more tips and tricks for all sorts of tips and ideas to help you have better success in the kitchen at the KitchenNut Blog!