Easy Puff Pastry and Simple Empanadas

Author

Christian Leue

Servings

Makes 1 dozen

Category

Snack

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (290 grams)
• 3/4 pound salted butter (3 sticks), unwrapped and frozen
• 3/4 cup sour cream (must be the real full-fat kind to work)
• 1 pound lean ground beef (sirloin works great)
• 2 Tbsp Izak N37
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp Blue Grass N12
• 1-2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock (or chicken broth mixed with 2 tsp unflavored gelatin)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp vinegar (I prefer red wine vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp Shabazi N38
• 1 Tbsp Izak N37
• 2 tsp Blue Grass N12
• 1/2-1 tsp salt (to your tastes)
• 1/2-1 tsp sugar (to your tastes)

Directions

1. Blend together all of the ingredients
2. Food processor: Set up the bowl with a shredding disk and shred the butter. Switch to a regular blade, add the flour, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse just until the dough comes together in a ball.
3. Or by hand: Coarsely grate the butter using a box grater. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the sour cream and mix until the dough comes together, then turn out onto a floured board and knead just until it comes together in a ball. Do not overwork.
4. Flatten the ball of dough, cut in half, and wrap each piece tightly with parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight. If storing for longer periods in the freezer, place a piece of dough in a ziploc bag and flatten so the dough fills the bag. This is a much easier shape to roll out once it is defrosted.
5. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, set meat aside in a bowl and stir in the Izak. Add the olive oil to the skillet and sauté onions until translucent. Add the cooked meat, soy sauce, Blue Grass, and chicken stock to the skillet and cook on medium low, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste. Remove to a sheet pan and allow to cool, you'll want the filling to be cool to the touch before using.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F if you have a convection oven).
7. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/8" thick and cut out 6" squares. Excess dough can be combined into a ball and rolled out again, just keep it cool to keep the pastry flaky. Working with half the dough at a time will help keep it cool as well. 
8. In the center of each square place about three tablespoons of filling, then fold over diagonally and fold over and crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork to seal.
9. Arrange the empanadas on parchment lined baking sheets and leave some room between them. Six fit well on a half sheet tray.
10. Optionally brush the pastry surface with beaten egg mixed with a dash of honey to get a darker and glossier finish.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the sheet pan once halfway through your cook time.
12. Serve with sour cream and either fresh chimichurri or my dry version above.
13. Puff pastry is best served fresh, and if you don't plan to bake them all at once the uncooked empanadas freeze well. Simply freeze on a tray (make sure they are not touching one another), then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake them straight from frozen but add a few minutes to the time.