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
- 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.
- Shape dough into one-inch-thick disk, wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 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)
- 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)
- 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
- Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Preheat oven to 425º
- Place one teaspoon of filling into each dough round. Crimp empanada closed with fingers or fork.
- Brush with beaten egg
- 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
- Preheat oven to 325º; prepare 24 muffin tins with butter and flour
- 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.
- Fill muffin tins 2/3-full. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Rotate pans halfway.
- 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.
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