Hors d'oeuvres

After trying out many different types of empanada doughs — most of them too dry — I found this recipe in an old Gourmet magazine (October 2004). It's perfect. The dough is easy to work with, pliable, and cooks up like a dream. Tastes great, too.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour and salt together and place in a large bowl or food processor. Add butter and blend until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size pieces.

Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated.

Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and gather together; then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces, and form each piece into a disk. You’ll roll the pieces out one at a time, so cover the ones you are not using and set them aside in the fridge to keep them cool (and the crust flaky). Take out one piece of dough and roll it into a 5-inch round, about ¹/8-inch thick.

Stuff the dough with about 2 tablespoons of your prepared filling, fold over, and press edges together with tines of a fork. Put the stuffed empanada on a cookie sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining 11 pieces of dough (you’ll probably need at least 2 cookie sheets, or work in batches).

Brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg wash and bake for 25 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Empanada recipes
• Chicken empanadas
• Spinach and mushroom empanadas
• Sweet-potato, chorizo, and goat-cheese empanadas

• Read and watch: Empanada story and Cowgirl Chef video