You may call these hand pies or turnovers, but the origin really is the from the Latin culture and their gift to us called the empanada. With rhubarb almost out of season I thought I’d share one last dessert recipe from their recent bounty, these killer Rhubarb Baked Empanadas!
The sweet, tart and delectable fruit juice that drips through the cracks of the flakey and tender empanada dough that’s been baked to a golden brown, is perfect bite after bite. These are just beyond tender, perfect for a dessert or a snack, too.
The other day I was reading this article on ‘Columbusing’: The Art Of Discovering Something That Is Not New by Brenda Salinas. The main photo showed a Hollywood celeb spraying a crowd at a Los Angeles run for charity event with colored dye (in powdered form) and it reminded me my recent trip to India. We went to Jaipur to experience and celebrate the coming of Spring and the Holi, a Hindu Festival of Colors this past Spring. Talk about magical and fun, wow! You can read all about it here in my post New Delhi or Bust – Memories from India, the Spicy Sub-Continent. I had seen this form of celebrating before and wondered if many people knew of it’s origin and how the use of that colored dye powder got started.
I had always wanted to attend the Holi Festival after seeing a Goldie Hawn interview on 60 Minutes. People were laughing and dancing, music pumping and colored dye filled the air. A great, exciting affair. I also saw it most recently used to great effect in a Coldplay video featuring Beyonce.
Anyways, back to Brenda’s article. In it she wrote something that struck a chord in me. “Buzzfeed Food published an article asking, “Have you heard about the new kind of pie that’s all the rage lately?” It’s a hand pie, a little fold over pie that you can fit in your hand. They have flaky crusts and can be sweet or savory. You know, exactly like an empanada, a Latin American culinary staple.
On face value, it seems stupid to get worked up over an empanada. I mean, it’s just a pastry, right? But “discovering” empanadas on Pinterest and calling them “hand pies” strips empanadas of their cultural context. To all the people who grew up eating empanadas, it can feel like theft.”
It got me thinking of the recipes I have made here that I have called hand pies. There’s my Pineapple Ham and Cheese Hand Pies, but they are more like the childhood Pop Tart I had years ago, so I felt OK about naming it that.
Then there’s my Rhubarb Apple Hand Pies and Cranberry, Apple, Ginger Hand Pies and seeing as those are round and look like mini pies I’m good there too. But these are straight up empanadas. The crescent shaped, Baked Empanada dough is buttery, flakey and so tender.
The sweet empanada dough I use here is my go to from Laylita, she is the Empanada Queen in my book. These Rhubarb Baked Empanadas are baked, not fried and the flakey dough is just perfect.
While you could refrigerate these Baked Empanadas for a day or two if there are any leftover after initial baking, I prefer to serve these up fresh and warm from the oven. Enjoy!
- Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 16 tablespoons cold butter cut into 16 pieces
- 2 eggs
- 2-4 tablespoons of cold water
- Filling
- 3 cups rhubarb chopped
- 1 cup strawberries diced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Dough: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter, eggs and water until a clumpy dough forms.
- On a floured work surface, knead the dough for a few minutes.
- Form dough into 2 balls, flatten into thick discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Filling: Cook the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a sauté pan over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer and begins to breakdown and thicken, 5 minutes. The rhubarb will start to break down, try to keep it a little chunky for a more rustic filling. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Assembly: Preheat oven 375° F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a thin sheet. Using a 6-inch cutter (See Note 1), cut out 8 circles per disc of dough. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper.
- Place the filling on the center of each empanada disc. It's easy to overstuff and tear the dough so be careful. I used a 1/4 cup scoop.
- Wet the rim of the empanada disc with a finger dipped in water to act as glue when you fold the disc in half. This seals the edges. Press the dough with your fingers and use a fork to crimp edges together. Refrigerate the empanadas for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Brush tops of pies with beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar (See Note 2). Score empanada tops, forming a small X in the center of each pie (See Note 3).
- Bake pies until crust is golden brown, 17-20 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.
2. I use a sprinkling of baker's finishing sugar, it's in small crystal form and can be found in most market baking sections.
3. The small "x" cut is optional, it allows steam to release so the fruit filling does not release from dough while baking.
Just finding this post.. going to attempt them Friday with the last of my rhubarb! I’m having a big dinner party and worry I don’t have time for all the cooling steps… could I make the dough and filling the day before and keep them in the fridge for 24 hours before baking/assembling?
I know you aren’t supposed to try out new recipes for guests… but… 😬
So sorry I just got to this. Found it in my SPAM folder while looking for a client’s email as well. I hope you made them and they were a hit. Let me know Teagan! Again, apologies for the late reply.
These Ruhbarab empanads looking so moist, flaky and oozing of jam-like filling. And oh I hate when people don’t give credit, how can we just rename thing to fit with our standards? I got agitated when I hear or read stuff like this. Empanads term is way better than hand pies!
There were exactly that, thanks Farida! Hope things are well over in your part of the world. Cheers!
We may not have entered Latin America just yet on our South American travels (we’re still in Brazil), but something tells me we won’t be stumbling on anything like these rhubarb empanadas when we do. What a shame, as I really want to try them!
Thanks John! Looks like you two are having a wonderful adventure with lots of tasty goodies to inspire.
Sounds like that was a very interesting article! It’s true too…there really is very little under the sun that’s new and it’s important to give credit where credit is due. And I’m still in awe of the beautiful experience you had in India!
These empanadas…no words! Love their naturally sweet/tart profile with rhubarb, and I wish I had one (or three 😉 ) right now.
Thanks Faith, as quite the traveler yourself I hope one day you are able to go to India, if you have no already. Amazing country and one I wish to go back to, but this time in the South. These were quite edible! The playful tartness of rhubarb plays well with sweet strawberries and peach I think.
Wow, these are looking amazing!I would love to try them:)
I hope you are able to get rhubarb and give these a try, thanks so much Natalia!
The Southern boy in me still embraces the term hand pie, but I’ll happily call them whatever you like as long as you’re willing to share. I’ve always been fascinated by the Festival of Colors… GREG
See, if we lived closer you could stop by and snack on one as we talk about recipe post calendars and such. Have a good one Greg! If you ever get the opportunity, you will not be disappointed by going to India and experiencing the Holi, it’s a memory for a lifetime. Cheers!
I remember seeing your photos of the Holi Festival! I have it marked in my memory as something I MUST do one day before I die! And I totally hear what your saying about hand pies stealing empanadas thunder! Someone should start a protest. 😉 Anyways, these empanadas look FAB! Flaky crust and rhubarb glory! This is one heck of a dessert, buddy! You should be a friend and send me some, because I’m not sure I can still find rhubarb here. Womp womp. You better bet I’ll be on the look out though! Cheers!
Thanks Chey! Empanadas, pies, tarts, crisps and crumbles are all fruit desserts I love, plus it was a fitting last way to use up the end of my rhubarb haul. 🙂
I didn’t have a chance to enjoy rhubarb this summer (It wasn’t growing well in our garden this time), but I always support a good rhubarb pie (or a dozen). These empanadas…or hand pies look fantastic, Kevin! Love these little cracks and the juice coming through – so beautiful and appetizing!
Oh no, no rhubarb… that’s not a summer Ben! If we were neighbors I’d invite you two over for one or three… and coffee of course. 🙂
p.s. Knock-out photos, Kevin. Absolutely mouthwatering…
Now that really makes me smile, thanks so much Marissa!
I just got an education. I had no idea that empanadas were anything but savory – I’m very glad that you’ve cleared up that misconception. And, in my opinion, empanada is so much more fun to say than ‘hand pie’. 🙂 But whatever they’re called these look divine. I love the tartness that rhubarb brings to dishes sweet and savory and that crust look flaky wonderful….
Glad I was there to assist! The name itself holds more intrigue for me and rhubarb always put a smile on my face. 🙂
Hey Kevin! What wonderful desserts, or snacks or breakfast…! I know I’ve mentioned that we can’t grow rhubarb here, this TN “topsoil” (a/k/a red clay) just chokes it out! I did finally find some in one store here, but I refused to pay $8.99 a pound for it! I’ll have to sub in mixed berries.
It’s one of those grab and go snacks for anytime, right?! Berries will do just fine here, I see blackberries as I day dream… 🙂
Hey Kevin! I’ve made blackberry cobbler twice this month! 🙂 It’s really good in the middle of the night!
Nothing wrong with a little midnight snacky! 🙂
Oh. My. Word. Love your story here (I’m going to always call an empanada an empanada!). And these pictures, my mouth is literally watering for this treat. Rhubarb is a favorite of mine ever since my grandma used to make Strawberry Rhubarb pies up at the family cabin. She’d take one to a friend at the ranch to bribe him into letting us borrow one of his horses for a day. It ALWAYS worked. Anyway, another beauty that I can’t wait to try.
Thanks so much Sally, appreciate you comments here. Yes, my grandmother got me going on rhubarb and apple crisp! Great Summer memories of her. 🙂
An empanada filled with a delicious, tangy rhubarb filling? Oh yes, count me in on this one! In fact, count me in for two!
This dough always delivers on flakey and tasty. Not too heavy, but good enough to hold up to being packed with all this delicious fruit. I had three. 🙂
I do love the term ‘hand pie’ Kevin; I think it’s just so cute, but empanada sounds much more fitting 😉 I love that these are baked and all that pretty rhubarb colour…just gorgeous! And so are your photos! Great job!
Unfortunately, my rhubarb has disappeared for the year, but I do know that the grocery store still has some so I could definitely whip up this recipe 🙂 Pinned, of course.
Have a fantastic weekend, my friend!
Thanks Dawn, appreciate the kind words. I actually got the last of the rhubarb, at least that’s what the produce guy said at my market. My hopes are it’s still available, anyways, we’ll see. 🙂