Pastry cream dumplings

Yes, you read that right! Pastry cream and empanadas together in the same preparation. A divine bite that is hard to beat. Especially if they are homemade. They can be prepared with wafers from the supermarket, a passable solution for a moment of need. But incomparable with homemade empanadas. With their butter, a little sweet wine and a lot of love.

This is a recipe that my grandmother used to make. Well, I don't know if her empanada dough is exactly the same. But the fact is that she made exquisite cream empanadas that blew our minds as a family. She lived a block from my parents' house and when she made them she would call us to come and pick up a tray. Once we got home, the cream empanadas lasted a newscast. The same amount of time they lasted in mine and they will last in yours if you make them.

Le Creuset Everyday Cast Iron Cocotte and Egg Pan

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 110 g sweet white wine (also water or milk)
• 110 g melted lard (also olive oil)
• 350 g of wheat flour
• 40 g of sugar

• 500 ml of milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 85 g of sugar
• 50 g refined corn flour (cornstarch)
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick

• Vegetable oil in abundance for frying
• Icing sugar for sprinkling

You will get 25 to 30 empanadas.

Every Le Creuset Cast Iron Cocotte and Eggnog Mold

Preparation

1. For the pastry cream, place the milk and cinnamon stick in a saucepan .
2. Using a very sharp knife, peel the half lemon very carefully and very finely, only the yellow part of the skin is needed, and add it to the milk (a curved knife is ideal for this).
3. Place the milk on the stove and heat gently for a couple of minutes without letting it boil.
4. Separate the egg whites from the yolks . In a deep bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar and fine corn flour. When the milk is hot, remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel, pour half of it over the previous mixture and stir with a whisk until incorporated.
5. Pour into the saucepan and return to the heat.
6. We heat it over low heat for about five minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk.
7. When the cream thickens, pour it into a bowl and cover it with cling film, touching the surface so that a crust does not form. Once it has cooled, put it in the fridge where you can let it cool completely before using it.
8. To make the empanada dough, put the sweet wine and melted butter in a deep bowl and add the sugar. Beat with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
9. Add the flour, little by little, and mix well until smooth. You should obtain a soft dough that does not stick to your hands. If it sticks too much, add a little more flour.
10. We wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
11. To assemble the empanada, take portions of dough and roll them out with a rolling pin. The thinner they are, the better. But be careful not to overdo it.
12. Cut the dough with the bottom of a dumpling mould (preferably a small one). Place the cut disc on the surface, fill with a teaspoon of pastry cream, brush the edges with a little water and close with the mould.
13. We repeat the operation as many times as necessary until we finish the dough and/or the pastry cream.
14. We heat plenty of oil in a deep pot (I have used the Every cocotte , which is perfect for this task) and fry the empanadas two by two at a high temperature.
15. Remove when golden and drain excess oil onto a plate covered with absorbent paper.
16. Sprinkle with icing sugar just before serving. They are delicious hot or cold, but always made on the day they are made.