Goat Cheese and Portobello Empanaditas

Recipe by Joanne Chang
3 Reviews 4.7 out of 5 stars

These filled pastries are a favorite of James Beard award-winner Joanne Chang, who owns and runs Boston's very popular Flour Bakery & Café restaurants. She says, "I love these bite-sized empanadas for entertaining because you can very easily make them ahead and pop them in the oven right before your guests arrive. The filling is a wonderful balance of tangy and earthy and spicy; the pastries are flaky and buttery and perfect with a glass of Champagne!"

Prep
40 mins
Bake
35 to 40 mins
Total
1 hr 30 mins
Yield
about 24 empanaditas
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Goat Cheese and Portobello Empanaditas

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Wipe the mushrooms clean and use a spoon to scrape out the gills on the underside of the caps. Roughly chop the mushrooms into 1" pieces.

  2. In a medium skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft (4 to 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

  3. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and let cool to room temperature. When cooled, chop finely and place in a medium bowl.

  4. Stir the goat cheese and cumin into the mushrooms. Set aside.

  5. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

  6. On a well-floured surface, roll the puff pastry 1/8" thick, making a rectangle about 28" x 12". Using a 3 1/2" to 4" round cutter, cut out 24 circles, re-rolling the scraps as needed.

  7. Brush the edges of the pastry circles with the egg wash. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling on one half of each circle, leaving the edge of the circle uncovered. Carefully stretch and fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon. Press the edges together firmly and seal with the tines of a fork.

  8. Transfer the empanaditas to the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to allow the dough to rest.

  9. Brush the tops of the empanaditas with the egg wash and bake them for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges where the pastry has risen are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for at least an hour before serving. Pico de gallo or salsa verde are nice partners for these pastries.

  10. Store leftover pastries, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Instead of buying puff pastry, our Fast and Easy Puff Pastry is ideal for these empanaditas.

  • Empanaditas can be filled and shaped, then frozen before baking, well wrapped, for up to 2 months. If you're baking them frozen, increase the baking time by 5 minutes.

  • Looking for other pastry options? Choose one based on what you're looking for:

    • Blitz Puff Pastry: The traditional "rough puff" dough, where the butter is added to dry ingredients and a series of folds ensures lots of layers in the final product. 
    • Flaky Pastry: A cross between puff pastry and pie dough, this recipe uses both butter and lard (or shortening) and is especially nice when used as a tart crust.

    • Rye Puff Pastry: Slightly nutty from the rye flour, this pastry is ultra-tender and ivory in color.

    • Or for a more advanced option, try making the "inverse puff pastry" used as a base in our Maple Cream Napoleons.

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