Pear Empanadas

Photo: flickr user Mr. T in DC

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Dried pears - (abt ¾ lb)

2 1/4 cups Water

3/4 cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Ground cloves

2 cups All-purpose flour

1/2 cup Lard cold

2 1/2 tablespoons Unsalted butter cold

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Iced water (about ½ cup)

1 lrg Egg beaten, for egg wash

Crema see * Note

or Blue cheese

Preparation

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 grape-sized 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 1/8-inch thickness and cut 4-inch 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.

This recipe yields 16 empanadas.