Recipe - Guava Empanadas

PIE DOUGH
2 cup All purpose flour
One half cup Lard
2 One half tablespoon Unsalted butter
One half teaspoon Salt
One half cup Iced water, approximately

FILLING
8 ounce Cream cheese, softened
4 ounce Cotija, Monterey Jack, or
Mexican manchego cheese,
grated
1 cup Guava paste
2 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lime juice
One half cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1 Egg, beaten

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 t he iced water. Lightly
knead, handling the 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 for 1 hour or as long as 3 days. The pie dough can be
frozen for as long as a week.

Mix together the cream cheese and grated cheese. Stir together the guava
paste and lime juice. Combine the sugar with the cinnamon. Set the three
mixtures aside.

On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 16 x 11
inches and 1/8inch thick. With the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut out six
5inch circles, using a pot as a guide. Remove the dough scraps. Spread the
cheese over half of each circle and then top with the guava, leaving a
1/2inch border along the edge. Brush the edges with some of the beaten egg
and then fold the dough over to enclose the filling. Seal the edges by
pressing the top to the bottom with the tines of a fork. Chill at least 30
minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the empanadas on a baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash.
Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. With a sharp knife, cut three small slits
in the top of each for steam to escape. Bake 30 minutes, or until the dough
is golden. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

From Too Hot Tamales Show # 6171

Recipe by: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Miliken Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1
#533 by "Master Harper Gaellon" gaellon@inch.com on Mar 21, 1997