QUICK FIXES FOR HOLIDAY BAKING

 I wanted a holiday dessert that was quick and required no sugar. I had super-sweet dates, figs and raisins for a starting point. I bought a package of ready-made pastry that comes rolled and cut in discs for making empanadillas. A whirl in the mini food processor for the dried fruits and I had a filling for turnovers that baked in under 15 minutes. 

I didn’t use the whole package of 16 pastry discs for the turnovers. The remaining six, I tucked into muffin cups and baked them into shells. A day later, I filled these crispy cups with sautéed mushrooms for a delicious little appetizer.

The pastry discs were adaptable too—I used them to top a turkey pot pie and an apple pie. 

Turnovers are made with store-bought pastry dough, filled with chopped fruits and nuts.

Same pastry discs make cups, filled with sautéed mushrooms.

Turn the discs into crust for a turkey pot pie.

Or, an apple pie dusted with sugar.

The packaged dough comes in 4-inch discs (obleas), ready for filling and folding. The package has the same image as forever, but the brand de toda la vida, La Cocinera, has morphed to Buitoni (both subsidiaries of Nestlé). It’s a sturdy dough, meant to stand up to deep frying, but it bakes up nice and crisp. (Not for everyone, however, as the fat in the dough is pork lard.) 

Fig and Date Turnovers

Empanadillas de Higos y Dátiles

Fruit-nut filling for turnovers.

These fruit-filled turnovers will remind you of mince pies and fig newtons! The filling ingredients given in the recipe can be changed for raisins, prunes, or dried apricots. 

Keep the package of pastry rounds refrigerated. Remove the pastry 10 minutes before using. The discs are layered between no-stick paper. After filling and shaping the turnovers, discard the papers. Place the turnovers on a sheet lined with baking parchment.

Makes 10 turnovers.

Dates, figs, walnuts, apples.

10 (4-inch) pastry discs

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup stemmed and coarsely chopped figs

1/3 cup pitted and coarsely chopped dates

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup chopped apple

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon brandy (optional)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon

Grating of fresh ginger

1 egg, beaten

Confectioners’ sugar to finish

Place the walnuts, figs, dates and cornstarch in a food processor and process until they are finely chopped. Add the apple, lemon juice, brandy, if using, cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger. Process to chop the fruit and nuts. If you want a smooth paste, process longer. 

Fold dough over filling.

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Spread the individual pastry rounds, still on their paper backing, on a work surface. Place a spoonful of the fruit-nut filling on each round of dough, shaping it into a log that extends almost to the edges. Fold over the dough to make a half-moon empanadilla. Seal the dough either by rolling and pinching the edges together or by crimping them with the tines of a fork. As they are filled and sealed, place them on the baking sheet.

Crimp dough with fork.

Brush the tops of the empanadillas with beaten egg. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar to serve. The empanadillas keep up to one week stored in a tightly covered container.

Pastry Cups with Sautéed Mushrooms 

Tartaletas de Champiñones al Ajillo

Once baked, the pastry cups can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week. They do not need to be reheated before filling with the mushroom mixture.

Makes 6 (2 ½-inch) cups.

6 (4-inch) pastry discs

1 egg, beaten

8 ounces mushrooms (3 cups chopped)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 shallot, chopped

¼ cup diced red bell pepper

3 tablespoons dry Sherry

Pinch of thyme

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (1 ounce) diced serrano ham (optional)

Chopped parsley

Press discs of dough into muffin cups.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Remove pastry discs from the refrigerator 10 minutes before baking. Have ready six (2 ½-inch) muffin molds. (Use a silicone muffin pan or else lightly oil the molds.) 

Gently press a dough round into the molds, letting the dough pleat naturally to fit the mold. Brush the dough with beaten egg. Bake the pastry cups until golden, 12 minutes. Remove the pastry cups from the molds and cool them on a rack. If baked in advance of serving, once cooled, store the pastry cups in an air-tight container. 

Clean and chop the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the sliced garlic. When it begins to turn golden, add the mushrooms, shallot and red bell pepper. Sauté the mushrooms on high, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown. Add the Sherry, thyme, salt to taste and pepper. Cook off the alcohol, 1 minute. Stir in the ham, if using. Remove the mushrooms from the heat. Add the chopped parsley.

Shortly before serving the pastry cups, spoon the mushroom mixture into the cups. Serve warm or room temperature. 

Pastry cups can be baked in advance and stored. Fill them with the mushrooms right before serving.

Cut pastry to fit, brush with oil, sprinkle pimentón.

Turkey Pot Pie with store-bought pastry discs. Prepare your favorite filling for pot pie—diced turkey or chicken, mushrooms, carrots, etc, in sauce/gravy made with dry Sherry. Place the hot filling in an oven casserole. Top with discs of pastry dough. Cut the rounds to fit the casserole, as needed. Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with smoked pimentón and sesame seeds. Bake the pot pie in a preheated 400ºF oven, 15 minutes. If pastry is not browned, place under the broiler until lightly golden. 

Apple pie with store-bought pastry discs. Prepare your favorite apple pie filling. (I used sliced apples with honey, cinnamon, cloves, a spoonful of cornstarch.) As for the preceding pot pie, top with pastry discs cut up to fit the pie pan. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in preheated 375ºF oven 18-20 minutes.

More recipes for turnovers (empanadillas), including how to make your own pastry dough: 

Dough for Empanadillas I, II and III.

Fried Turnovers with Pumpkin Filling.

Turnovers with Sweet Potato Jam.

More recipes with dried fruits:

Apricot-Almond Bars.

Fig Pudding with Sherry Dessert Sauce.

My Mother's Date Bars.

Fig Brownies with Olive Oil.

Fig Roll (Pan de Higos).