While in Breckenridge on a couples get away my husband ordered some tamales from a Mexican restaurant we ate at. It was smothered in this sweet corn purée and although I hate tamales I was caught stealing more than a couple bites of this crazy delicious sauce. When we got home all I could think about was this corn sauce and how and when I was going to recreate it. I knew I wouldn't be making tamales with it (masa is not my favorite) so I decided on empanadas. The night before we had grilled corn and the leftovers would prove perfect for my corn sauce. I had rotisserie chicken and some ground beef leftover from various meals a couple nights before. We had picked up a mango peach salsa from the store and although the flavor was good the texture left something to be desired and it needed a bit of heat to bring it up a notch. I roasted 3 jalapeños over my gas stove until charred on the outside. I peeled the skin of two and threw them in a blender with the mango peach salsa. It came out perfect. The sweetness from the mango and the peach still lingered while the jalapeños added just enough heat. I took the left over beef and the rotisserie chicken (it was about 4 cups shredded) and split the salsa between the two, making sure all the meat was covered.

     I usually use my mother in law’s pie dough recipe for empanadas but was all out of Crisco and needed a dough recipe that utilized butter. When it comes to baking I use recipes, I may tweak a couple things here and there but baking is a science and I just don't mess with science. I used the easy empanada dough from laylita.com. Make sure to work in batches and keep the not used portions in your fridge so the butter remains cold. It is important for the butter to melt in the oven and not on your counter, the fat melting and spreading out during the cooking process is what forms the flaky layers we've all grown to love in pies and dough. Roll out the first part of dough until about 1/8” thick. You don't want it to be too thin or it will break. Cut the rolled dough into circles using a biscuit cutter or alarmed glass. Once you have the circles formed fill each circle with approximately 1-2 tablespoons of the filling. At this point you can add a bit of cheese on top of the filling, any good melting cheese like Cheddar or Asadero will work. This is a step that I completely forgot about and the empanadas still turned out delicious. Fold one end of the circle over to meet the other, forming half moons. You can then seal the edges using your hands or using a fork you can crimp the edges. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash, which is just 1 egg and 1 tablespoon cold water whisked together.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Continue the steps until all dough and filling is done.

     For the sweet corn sauce combine the kernels from 6 grilled cobs with 1/4 cup milk into the bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth.

Set aside in a small bowl. I then took the last jalapeño, peeled the skin, and placed it in the bowl of the food processor. I added a dash of salt, the zest and juice from one lime, and 1 cup of sour cream. Blend until smooth and you've got an amazingly easy jalapeño lime cream to go with the empanadas.

     We dipped our empanadas in the sweet corn sauce and the jalapeño lime cream and the combination of sweet and spicy, tangy and rich yielded a result that was nothing short of vacation worthy. So although we weren't in Breckenridge, I had managed to transport us back with that one component and I didn't even have to steal any bites.

 

 

 

Sweet Corn Sauce

6 ears of corn grilled and kernels removed

¼ cup milk

 

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor combine corn kernels and milk and purée until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

 

Jalapeño Lime Sour Cream

Juice from 1 lime

Zest from 1 lime

½ cup sour cream

1 roasted jalapeño, skin and seeds to removed

Dash of salt

 

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor combine all ingredients and purée until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.

 

Chicken and Beef Empanadas

4 cups sweet salsa not chunky, divided (you can use any sweet salsa that you have on hand).

4 cups ground beef, cooked

4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1 recipe empanada dough from laylita.com

 

Directions

In a large bowl place beef and 2 cups of the sweet salsa. Mix until combined. In a second bowl combine the chicken and the remaining 2 cups of salsa. Mix until combined.

 

Empanada Dough

From www.laylita.com

 

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ to 1/2 teaspoon salt

6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)

1 egg

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water or milk, adjust as needed to obtain a soft and smooth dough

 

Directions

Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.

Add the butter and pulse

Add the egg and the water or milk (in small increments) and continue pulsing until a clumpy dough forms.

To make the empanada dough by hand, follow the same instruction but use your hands to mix the ingredients together.

Split the dough into 2 large balls, flatten slightly into the shape of disks. The dough can be used immediately or refrigerated until ready to use (1-2 days max).

Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). You can also make small individual balls with the dough and roll out each individual ball to a round shape (doesn't need to be perfectly round) - if you have a tortilla press you can use it to flatten the dough balls.

Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator/freezer to use later.

 

Assembling and baking the empanadas

To assemble the empanadas or turnovers, place a spoonful of the filling on the middle of each empanada disc. The amount of filling will vary based on the size of the empanada, but in general, it’s easier to seal an empanada that isn’t overstuffed. Also, the more you make empanadas, the easier it becomes to stuff them to the max and still seal them properly.

To seal the empanadas, fold the disc and seal the edges by pressing the dough with your fingers. If you’re having a hard time sealing the edges, you can use brush the inside edges with egg white, it will act as a glue for the empanadas. You can also use a fork to help seal the edges, just press the top of the fork against the edges. To do the repulgue or churito, the curl type seal, use your fingers to twist the curl the edges. There are also empanada molds that you can buy and will help seal the empanadas.

For best results, I recommend refrigerating the empanadas for at least 30 minutes before baking – this also helps them seal better and prevents the filling from leaking out.

If you want your empanadas to have a nice golden finish, then you can brush them with egg wash (a whole egg whisked or egg yolk plus a few drops of water whisked).

Bake the empanadas in a pre-heated oven. I usually bake them at 350 the temperature will vary based on the oven and the size of the empanadas.