Muy Bueno: Fiestas 
Empanadas de Membrillo (Quince Empanadas)
Every time I look at my grocery list I am buying more Reynolds Wrap parchment paper, obviously the baking adventures haven’t ended in my home. It is very versatile – I use it to line baking sheets, cover countertops during messy tasks, and cover dishes in the microwave to make cleanup easy. Cookies and empanadas slide off the tray without any hassle and preserve the life of your baking sheets.
Nonstick parchment paper has been a wonderful baking assistant. Line your baking pans with a sheet and forget about scrubbing them afterward, and my mom recently taught me a new trick over the holidays — the parchment paper can be reused again and again.
Remember when I made homemade membrillo (quince) jam to top on baked brie? Well, I couldn’t wait to make it again and this time, use it as a filling.
Membrillo is delicious on its own, or paired with cheese, but even yummier when you take the time to encase it in a lightly sweet and flaky empanada. Floral quince makes a lovely deep orange filling for these little hand pies.
Empanadas de Membrillo (Quince Empanadas)
Ingredients
QUINCE JAM:
- 4 quince, rinsed, cored, and grated (leave peel on)
- 4 cups water
- orange juice and zest from 1 orange
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
EMPANADA DOUGH:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- ½ cup butter flavor shortening
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
GLAZE:
- 1 egg
Instructions
QUINCE JAM:
- Grate the quince, including the peel with a cheese grater.
- In a large stockpot bring water to a boil.
- Add the grated quince, orange juice, and orange zest.
- Reduce heat and simmer until the quince is soft, about 15 minutes.
- Add the sugar and cinnamon and bring to a boil again. Stir to dissolve sugar.
- Lower the heat to medium high. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until quince jam thickens to desired consistency and water evaporates, about 40 to 50 minutes.
- With a potato masher, mash the cooked preserves for a smooth texture.
MAKE EMPANADA DOUGH:
- In a stand mixer mix the first 5 dry ingredients. Add in the shortening. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and milk and combine with dry ingredients. Continue to combine until you have a soft dough. Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE EMPANADAS:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Divide empanada dough into 24 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out the dough pieces into small round circles. Place a small dollop of quince filling on one half of each of the rolled out circles. Wet the edges of the circles with water to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough and seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the edges or braid the edge.
- Brush each empanada with egg wash.
- Puncture the top of each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Place parchment paper on a large cookie sheet; place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and bake for 13 to 20 minutes on middle rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes, until golden brown.
Notes
This post is in partnership with Reynolds Wrap. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.
2 Comments on “Empanadas de Membrillo (Quince Empanadas)”
Hi Yvette, I want to share a recipe for quince marmalade that is very easy, I’ve made it for years. I just made my first batch of empanadas, Thank You. I use your recipes all the time, and I own the cookbook: Quince Marmalade, French Provincial Cooking, Elizabeth David:
“It was from ‘marmelo,’ the Portuguese name for quince, that the word marmalade came into the French and English languages.
“Rub the fruit with a cloth to remove the down; put it in a preserving pan and cover completely with cold water. Simmer until the fruit is soft enough to pierce with a thin skewer; don’t let it cook until the skins break. Extract the fruit, and when cool enough to handle, peel, slice and core it. Return the cores and the skins to the same water in which the fruit has cooked, and boil until reduced by about a third, when the juice will have just begun to take on the characteristic cornelian color of quince jelly.
“Strain this through a cloth. Weigh the sliced fruit; add its equivalent in white sugar. Put the sugar and fruit, together with the strained juice, back into the preserving pan and boil gently until the fruit is soft and translucent and the juice sets to jelly. Skim off any scum that has risen to the surface before turning off the flame. Put into sterilized jam jars, cover with a round of paper dipped in brandy and tie down when cool.”
I myself go to the trouble of a 10 Minute boiling-water bath for the filled jars.
They look delitous just like mom used to make. Its Quince season. Have to try them.