Guatemalan Dessert: Empanadas de Leche

Because today is a holiday in Guatemala (read the aside below), we are going to skip all the controversial stuff and just have Empanadas de leche as dessert, postre in Spanish. It was a little over year ago that Lucía requested “photos of some ‘empanadas de leche’ (las que tienen manjar adentro), pleaseeeeyyyy?”

See, sometimes I take a little while to get to your requests, but I always fulfill your petitions. My to-do list of photos and information to publish in AntiguaDailyPhoto is quite long, but I eventually get stuff off the list like today.

Perhaps, some of you will be kind enough to provide a recipe for Empanadas de leche; how about it Erin and other cooking lovers out there?. Also, we should ask Amanda from AntiguaFC.com to carry empanadas on her wonderful site of flavors and colors of Guatemala; I mean, why not she’s already carrying all kinds of Guatemalan pastries and bread. Today, I even noticed she has pepitoria (ground roasted squash seeds); no more excuses not have mango and other fruits with pepitoria. You should ask Amanda for chile cobanero en polvo too!

Día de la Revolución Holiday Aside:

Today, October 20, is observed as Día de la Revolución (Revolution’s Day) and everybody gets the day off. Well, almost everybody, I will be working.

Do you want to know more about Día de la Revolución holiday? Read this Political Aside.

Tags: empanada, empanada de leche, guatemalan desserts, guatemalan pastries

This entry was written by Rudy Girón and posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 9:11 am and is filed under Ephemerides, Food & Drinks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

http://SpringtimeInspired.blogspot.com Jennifer

Oh yummy; whenever I see empanadas I get flashbacks from Semana Santa and fresco de suchiles.
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @Jennifer, empanadas and fresco de suchiles? I didn’t think they would go together. Tell us more about the Semana Santa, empanadas and fresco de suchiles.
  - http://springtimeinspired.blogspot.com Jenn Klee
    
    The empanadas and Suchiles is a tradition started by my cucurucho cousins; they love having them after their turn on Candelaria for Jueves Santo. I rather have the empanadas alone because I don’t really like suchiles all that much.
http://www.mariposaenlapared.blogspot.com janna

Mmm, now what makes the masa that orangey color? Camote? Please, someone post a recipe! I’ve had those little fried plantains filled with manjar (rellenitos?), but never empanadas de leche. They look delish!
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @janna, I believe that if you read the recipe, you will find out what makes them orangy.
Erin

If you know about Guatemalan food, I am almost certain that you speak Spanish. I hope so, because here is the recipe in Spanish:

Empanadas de Leche
Ingredientes para las Empanadas
1 libra de harina de arroz o de maiz salpor
1 libra de harina de trigo
12 onzas de azucar
1 libra de manteca vegetal
½ cucharadita de sal
½ cucharadita de polvo de hornear
½ cucharadita de bicarbonato
6 huevos
½ cucharadita de achiote en pasta o en polvo (o unas gotas de colorante rojo para alimentos)
Ingredientes para el Relleno
1 litro de leche
2 rajas de canela
12 onzas de azucar
1 pizca de sal
6 onzas de arroz remojado y licuado muy finito (o ½ taza de maicena disuelta en ½ taza de leche)
Preparacion de las Empanadas
Mezcle los ingredientes secos y ciernalos. Este paso es importante para que la masa quede suelta, porosita.
Agregue la manteca (reserve un poco de manteca para disolver el achiote) y los huevos y mezcle con un tenedor, tratando de incorporar todos los ingredientes. Añada el achiote disuelto y amase con las manos hasta lograr una masa lisa. Cubra la masa con un paño humedo para que no se reseque mientras prepara el relleno.
Preparacion del Relleno
En una olla mediana, ponga a hervir la leche con la canela, el azúcar y la pizca de sal. Vigilela constantemente, revolviendo de vez en cuando y cuando empiece a hervir, agregue el arroz poco a poco (o la maicena) y revuelva vigorosamente para que no se formen grumos ni se pegue. Cocine sin dejar de revolver por 3 minutos, retire del fuego y deje enfriar.
Con la masa de las empanadas, forme bolas pequeñas y extiéndelas para formar circulos de entre 15 y 20 centimetros. En el centro, ponga aproximadamente ¼ de tasa del relleno, doble para formar la empanada (media luna) y presione los bordes con un tenedor para que sellen muy bien.
Colóquelas en latas para hornear previamente engrasadas y enharinadas, espolvoreelas con un poco de azucar pulverizado (glass) y horneelas a 350 grados Fahrenheit por 30 minutos. Tenga presente que el tiempo de horneado puede variar dependiendo de la humedad y otros factores ambientales. Las empanadas de leche guatemaltecas no se doran por encima, solo un poco por debajo.
Como dije antes, para hacerlas “a lo moderno” usen pasta de hojaldre y en lugar de espolvorearlas con azucar pulverizado, barnicenlas con huevo y espolvoreenlas con azucar regular. No son las originales pero resuelven el antojo.
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @Erin, thank you, gracias for the recipe. I am sure many people will benefit from it.
http://eaganDailyPhoto.blogspot.com leif hagen

DELICIOUS photo! Yumm, yumm! I gotta go have some breakfast now…
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @Leif, me too, I needed breakfast after posting the entry.
Eric

I second Janna … receta, por favor ! I may have to move my travel plans back a few months, those empanadas look so good. Mmmmmmm!!!
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @Eric, I will take you for empanadas next time you come… and Mozas too.
http://www.facebook.com/sheila.fernandes Sheila Fernandes

Love it! haven’t had these in a long time. Thanks for the recepie Erin. I also found another recipe for empanadas de ayote in Quetzalnet.com under recetas chapinas, in case anyone wants to try ayote. It’s i season here in NY.
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @Sheila, under what name do you find ayote in NY?
http://threeriversdailyphoto.blogspot.com Christine

Yummy photo!

It’s a rice pudding inside? Or a dulce de leche? The red must be from the achiote.

I’ll have to watch for these.
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @Christine, this is manjar which I believe translates as custard.
Eric

@Erin – muchas gracias ! If I did not understand Spanish, this recipe would be a good reason to learn. A la cocina …… !!
Erick

@Rudy – Dia de la Revolucion is way beyond my time, but I’ve always been very intrigued about the events that took place in 1944 as well as those in 1954 when Arbenz was the President. My parents were not alive during this time either, but my grandpa would often talk about it and I loved to hear his stories about what went on during these times. I’ve read about it, and I’m no expert on the issue, but I can definitely see how the events that took place during these decades have affected Guatemalans several decades after. I see that you found a new friend in Mark. =)
- http://antiguadailyphoto.com Rudy Girón
  
  @Erick, actually, I believe he found me.
http://GuateLiving.com Mark

Erick: Apparently my joke missed the target. I was writing ‘tongue in cheek’ because I have previously accused Rudy of not offering much commentary, here was an old post in which he offered some-and linked to the same source I did yesterday-and then jokingly referred to himself in a critical but rather mild way, to which I added the perjoratives readers use for me on a daily basis when I offer commentary.
http://www.facebook.com/sheila.fernandes Sheila Fernandes

Rudy i believe and i hope i am not wrong, Ayote is squash.
http://yhst-19456752500479.stores.yahoo.net/ Amanda

Those empanadas look deliciosas!!
Gracias Rudy I really appreciate your comments. I would love to carry Empanadas de Leche on my website, AntiguaFC.com. The reason why I don’t do so is because, unlike the Pan Mixto and the other edible products I offer in my website, Empanadas de leche are stuffed with manjar (custard). Since we don’t use any preservatives or artificial ingredients, I can’t guarantee freshness when shipping due to the custard. However, next month I will be adding 3 different kinds of Panes Navidenos, so please stay tuned.
El chile cobanero se los debo para la proxima.
Dawn

I do not really understand alot of written spanish but I love Empanadas so can you post it in English Please….. Thanks