Empanaditas de Lechecilla Oaxaqueña

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy saucepan for the lechecilla
• •Wooden spoon
• •Rolling pin
• •4-inch round cutter or overturned cup
• •Two baking sheets
• •Cotton servilleta for covering the finished pastries

Instructions

1. 1

   Infuse the milk

   Pour 3 cups whole milk into a heavy saucepan and add the Mexican cinnamon stick. Warm it over medium-low heat until the milk is fragrant and small bubbles gather at the edge. Do not boil it. Boiled milk tastes tired, and lechecilla should taste clean, sweet, and round.

2. 2

   Thicken the lechecilla

   In a bowl, whisk the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, flour, and salt until smooth. Slowly ladle in about 1 cup of the warm milk while whisking constantly. Return everything to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to hold a clear line when you drag the spoon across the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the vanilla.

   The filling must be thicker than pastry cream. If it runs, it will break the empanaditas open in the oven. Keep stirring until it mounds softly on the spoon.
3. 3

   Cool the filling

   Scrape the lechecilla into a shallow dish and press a piece of parchment directly against the surface. Let it cool completely. Warm custard melts the lard in the dough and makes a heavy pastry. The women who sell these at Oaxaca's atrios know this because they have made thousands. Learn from them.

4. 4

   Make the dough

   Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Rub in the pork lard with your fingertips until the mixture looks sandy with a few pea-sized pieces. La manteca es el sabor. Add the egg yolks, milk, mezcal, and vanilla. Mix just until the dough gathers. It should be smooth, not sticky.

5. 5

   Rest the dough

   Knead the dough lightly 8 to 10 times on the table, then wrap it and rest it for 30 minutes at room temperature. Do not work it like bread. Wheat dough gets tough when you bully it. These empanaditas should bite crisp at the edge and then give way to the custard.

6. 6

   Roll and cut

   Heat the oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Roll the dough on a lightly floured table to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut 4-inch rounds with a cutter or an overturned cup. Keep the scraps covered and reroll only once if you can. Too much rerolling makes a hard pastry.

7. 7

   Fill and seal

   Put 2 teaspoons of cold lechecilla slightly off center on each round. Brush the edge lightly with egg wash, fold into a half-moon, and press the edge closed. Crimp with a fork or make a small rope edge with your fingers. Do not overfill. Generosity is good at the table, not inside a pastry seam.

8. 8

   Bake until golden

   Arrange the empanaditas on the prepared sheets and brush lightly with egg wash. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are golden and the tops feel dry and crisp. A little custard may show at the seam. A flood means you overfilled them. Now you know.

9. 9

   Dust with sugar

   Let the empanaditas cool for 10 minutes, then dust them with granulated sugar while they are still faintly warm so the sugar clings. Serve at room temperature with chocolate de agua or cafe de olla. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use real pork lard from a butcher or a Mexican market, not hydrogenated shortening. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade. The texture will tell on you.
• •The lechecilla must cool before filling. If you are cooking for a holiday, make the custard the night before and refrigerate it. Bring it just to cool room temperature before using so it spreads without melting the dough.
• •Mexican cinnamon is softer and more floral than cassia. At the mercado, ask for canela de Mexico, the brittle rolled sticks that break easily in your fingers.
• •Do not add chile to this because someone told you all Mexican food is hot. This is a Oaxacan sweet for religious festivals. Respect the dish in front of you.

Advance Preparation

• •The lechecilla can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated with parchment pressed against the surface.
• •The dough can be mixed and rested in the refrigerator overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling.
• •Baked empanaditas keep for 2 days in a covered tin at room temperature. Do not refrigerate the baked pastries or the crust will soften.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)