Try this Cranberry Apple Empanadas recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter cut into cubes-chilled
- 1/4 -1/2 up ice water
- 2 apples-peeled and chopped into really small chunks
- 1 cup cranberries (i used frozen)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
- Carbohydrate 20.0697009424035 g
- Cholesterol 17.625 mg
- Fat 0.667249080843638 g
- Fiber 0.71083957363169 g
- Protein 3.10200766643937 g
- Saturated Fat 0.169326173433908 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -14 (41g)
- Sodium 4115.53851775312 mg
- Sugar 19.3588613687718 g
- Trans Fat 0.152795555661738 g
- Calories 101 calories
Step-by-step
- To make the crust in a large mixing bowl place flour, salt and sugar and mix to combine.
- Using a pastry blender incorporate chilled butter cubes into the flour mixture(the mixture should resemble coarse meal)
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water over the mixture and blend, repeat with another 2 tablespoons water. When you squeeze the dough it should holds together (you may have to add more water if the dough crumbles, add 1 tablespoon at a time)
- Flatten the dough into disc, pack with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
- To make the filling in a saucepan combine cranberries , sugar and corn strach, stir well and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Cook a few minutes until start thickening. Stir in chopped apples and cook for 2-3 more minutes, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Lightly dust working surface with flour, place chilled dough, dust the dough and the rolling pin, too. Turn the dough as you rolling to prevent it from sticking. Roll it out ?-inch thick.
- Cut into discs ( I used 4 inch cutter )
- Place 11/2-2 tablespoon filling on the center of each empanada disc. Fold the empanada discs and press the edges together using your fingers or a fork. Transfer empanadas to prepared baking sheet. There should be enough dough for 14 empanadas.
- Refrigerate the empanadas until ready to bake.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Brush each empanada with egg wash and sprinkle them generously with sugar.
- Bake the empanadas for approximately 20 minutes or until golden on top.
How do you keep pastry flaky without melting the fat? Keeping the butter cubed and thoroughly chilled is the primary mechanical step. Cold butter creates discrete steam pockets as water evaporates in a 375 F oven, yielding distinct layers rather than a dense crumb. Standard all-purpose flour provides the necessary structural gluten network without the excessive protein weight of bread flour. Cranberries supply natural malty and quinic acids, which lower the pH of the filling. This acidity activates cornstarch gelatinization properly at a simmer while contrasting the high sugar content required to offset the fruit tartness. Apples introduce pectin, aiding the thickening process as the mixture cools. Substitutions alter this balance directly. Margarine contains more water and less milk solids than butter, resulting in a tougher crust because the moisture prematurely hydrates the flour proteins. Water content matters intensely during dough formation; adding ice water incrementally prevents the gluten strands from organizing too rapidly. Chill the assembled pastries before baking to reset the softened butter fats. Brush the surfaces with a beaten egg to promote browning via the Maillard reaction. Bake until the pastry turns uniformly golden.
