Fried Quince Empanadas Food

QUINCE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Combine water and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm through, stirring until salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Combine sifted flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until crumbly. Add egg and pulse until just combined. Add salt water gradually to the food processor and pulse until a soft dough ball forms that easily separates from the edge of the bowl. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, only if needed. Press dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Cover a baking tray with aluminum foil and grease with sunflower oil. Set aside.
• Dust a work surface with flour and knead dough for 1 minute. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll 1 piece out thinly and cut into 3-inch discs. Repeat with the second piece.
• Put a couple of cubes of quince paste in the center of each circle. Fold over and seal borders together by pressing between your fingers. Working from one end to the other, gently fold the edge over on itself to create a fanned look. Alternatively, you can press the edges together with a fork. Transfer empanadas to the baking sheet, brush with beaten, egg and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 10 minutes.

BISON EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the pastry: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gradually add enough ice water to the mixture while mixing with a wooden spoon to form into a ball of dough.
• Pour the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of plastic wrap and form into a disc. Lightly flour the top of the dough and place another sheet of plastic wrap on top.
• Rolling from the center, roll until the dough is about 1/8-inch thick. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap and cut out circles with a 4-inch round cookie cutter. Refrigerate the dough circles until ready to use.
• For the bison filling: Sautee bison in a skillet until cooked, then drain meat and return to the skillet. Add dried cranberries, onions, garlic and jalapeno and sautee until onions are soft.
• Add tomatoes and chiles, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and lime juice and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each circle of pastry, then fold pastries in half, and fold and crimp edges. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the half-rounds with the beaten egg.
• Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the chipotle mayo: Whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, chile powder and lime juice in a bowl. Serve with the empanadas.

GUAVA AND CREAM CHEESE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the empanada dough: Mix all empanada ingredients in a mixer. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
• For the filling: Put the guava paste and cream cheese in a bowl and use a potato masher to mash the two ingredients until they are incorporated.
• To form the empanadas, use half of dough (save remaining dough for another use). Knead the dough. Roll the dough out by hand or with a commercial sheeter. Cut out circles of dough 6- to 7-inches in diameter. Place a dough circle in an empanada mold if you have one, but it?s not necessary; fill empanadas with guava mixture. Wet the edges of the dough with your fingers. Close the mold to seal, or fold dough over filling and use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Use a pastry brush to paint empanadas with an even coat of egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar.
• Preheat convection oven to 450 degrees F, or regular oven to 400 degrees F. Place empanadas on greased baking sheets. Bake for 3 minutes in convection oven or 10 to 15 minutes in regular oven.

FRIED EMPANADAS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender, or pinching into small pieces using your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Use a fork to stir in water a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. Pat into a ball, and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Crumble in the beef, and season with salt, paprika, cumin and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until beef is browned. Drain excess grease, and stir in the raisins and vinegar. Refrigerate until chilled, then stir in the hard-cooked eggs.
• Form the dough into 2 inch balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out into a thin circle. Spoon some of the meat mixture onto the center, then fold into half-moon shapes. Seal edges by pressing with your fingers.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place one or two pies into the fryer at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning once to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.

FRIED QUINCE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a lengthwise slit in each plantain and set on a baking sheet. Bake until the flesh is thoroughly soft and oozing through the slit, 40-50 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the stuffing: Peel, core and finely chop 3 of the quinces. Peel and core the remaining 2 quinces and cut each into 8 wedges. Drop the wedges into a bowl of cold water to cover and squeeze in the lemon juice.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar has melted. Add the finely chopped quinces, ginger, orange zest, cloves and cinnamon and stir to combine. Add 1 cup of water and continue cooking until most of the liquid is gone, about 15 minutes. Add the orange juice and rum and cook until almost all of the liquid is gone, about 5 minutes. Drain the quince wedges and add to the pan. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the wedges are just soft, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the walnuts and let cool. (The stuffing can be make a day in advance and refrigerated).
• Make the dough in a food processor with a paddle attachment: Peel, trim and discard any tough ends from the plantains. Combine the plantains and salt and pulse until a smooth puree is formed, or mix until just blended. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about 2 hours.
• To assemble: Roll 2 tablespoons of the dough between your palms to form a ball. Line the bottom of a tortilla press with a small plastic bag and place the ball of dough in the center. Place another plastic bag over the dough and press to form a 3 1/2inch circle. Place a quince wedge on half of the dough circle and top it with a teaspoon of the sauce. Fold over to enclose the quince and press the edges to seal. Place the stuffed empanadas on a platter and chill at least 30 minutes.
• Heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees F. Gently drop the empanadas into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve hot.

FRIED QUINCES, IN THE MANNER OF THE COUNTESS

Steps:

• Heat the clarified butter in a skillet over low heat, and place the quince wedges into the pan. Cover, then gently cook the quince wedges until softened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Mix the flour, white sugar, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the beer with the vanilla extract and lemon zest; gradually mix the flour mixture into the beer mixture until it becomes a smooth batter.
• Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, dip the quince wedges into the batter and place them in the hot oil; fry in batches until golden brown. Remove fried quinces to a warm platter while you finish frying. Sprinkle the fried quinces with demerara sugar to serve.