Each bite of a savory empanada erupts with the delightful flavors of crispy dough, roasted poblano peppers, and the exquisite savoriness of Monterrey Cheese.
Taste - Salty and savory, the buttery baked dough perfectly complements the savoriness of the poblano peppers and Monterrey Cheese. Mouthfeel - The empanada offers the taster a double surprise. The empanada is pleasantly crispy, as one should expect from a baked good. However, the cheese and pepper filling is ooey-gooey delicious—a delicate and tasty balance of crisp and gooey. Aroma - As the empanada was baking, appetizing aromas filled my kitchen and tantalized my olfactory.
Techniques
I roasted the poblano peppers under a broiler and baked my empanadas in a dry convection oven. I applied the “biscuit making” method to form the dough using the prescribed cake and bread flour portions below. In addition, I used my knife skills to dice the poblano peppers.
Mise en Place
(French for “gathering,” “putting gathered things in their place,” or “organizing required ingredients”)
First, I assembled and sanitized my kitchen tools, ramekins, cutting boards, equipment, and food production aids. Next, I roasted eight poblano peppers. I placed two ounces of bread flour and one ounce of cake flower in ramekins. I put a half-ounce of lard, one-quarter teaspoon of Diamond Krystal salt, one and a half ounces of warm water, two diced poblano peppers, one egg, and two ounces of Monterrey Jack cheese in individual ramekins.
Grocery List (Serves 4)
2 oz. bread flour
1 oz. cake flour
1/2 oz. lard
1 1/2 oz warm water
1 roasted, seeded, and small diced poblano pepper
2 oz. Monterrey Jack
Vegetable oil as needed for shallow pan frying
Recipe Instruction
1. Sift and combine the bread and cake flour in a mixing bowl.
2. Add lard to the mixing bowl and thoroughly mix the lard with the flour.
3. Dissolve salt in water, add it to the mixing bowl, and work it into the flour until it becomes dough.
4. Knead the dough by hand until the dough becomes smooth.
5. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
6. While the dough is resting, mix and combine the Monterrey Jack cheese and small diced roasted poblano pepper.
7. After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, divide the dough into eight equal parts. I like using my digital food scale to portion the dough, but you can also eyeball it. Roll each portioned piece into a ball, cover, and let the dough balls rest for 30 minutes.
8. To form the empanada, flatten the dough ball and roll it out to a 4-inch diameter circle.
9. Lightly brush or damp water on the edge of the entire circle.
10. Scoop 1/2 ounce of the Monterrey Jack and poblano pepper mixture onto the one-half side of the circle (This is the empanada’s savory filling).
11. Fold over the other side of the circle to make it the shape of an empanada. Use your washed and clean finger to press the dough in and around the savory filling to form a good seal. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges of the empanada.
Oven Cooking Method:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Place the empanadas on a pan lined with baking parchment paper
Bake until golden brown
Shallow Pan-fry Cooking Method:
Shallow pan-fry the empanadas in vegetable oil (~375F)
Immediately after frying, place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.