Mexican Poached Guavas Recipes

Steps:

• Pulse the cream cheese, egg, sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a food processor until smooth.
• Put 1 tablespoon guava paste in the center of each empanada wrapper, then top with 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges with a fork to seal.
• Heat about 11/2 inches vegetable oil in a wide saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Working in batches, fry the empanadas until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Return the oil to 350 degrees F between batches.) Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Peel guavas, cut in half, scoop out the seedy center and leave the shells.
• Set aside.
• In a large saucepan combine the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, zest, juice and 2 1/2 cups water.
• Simmer and stir.
• cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• Uncover, strain, return syrup to pan and bring to temp over medium heat.
• Add the fruit.
• Poach to tender but firm.
• Around 8 minutes.
• Remove fruit and boil the syrup to reduced to 1 cup.
• Remove, stir in vanilla and pour over fruit-cool and serve.

Steps:

• 1. Put the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring, over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, peel the guavas and cut them in half. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Discard the seeds and put the guava shells in the syrup. When the syrup returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until the fruit is tender, but not too soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. 3. Transfer the fruit and syrup to a bowl and cool the fruit in the syrup. Stir in the vanilla. Serve cool in small bowls. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Remove from the refrigerator about 1 hour before serving.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Prepare an egg wash: In a small bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt and set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll one sheet of puff pastry into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper. (Keep the other puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator.) Dust off any excess flour and lay the rolled pastry sheet on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash, and paint a line in lengthwise along the center of the pastry sheet, followed by three crosswise lines, evenly spaced, forming a grid of 8 rectangles, each approximately 3 inches wide and 4 inches long. Brush edges with egg wash. Lay a slice of guava paste in the center of each rectangle (or dot with dollops of jam or preserves, if using). Spread some of the cream cheese, if using, on top of the guava paste (about 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese per pastry).
• Remove the second sheet of puff pastry from the refrigerator, and roll it out into an 8-by-11-inch rectangle, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Lay the second sheet of puff pastry on top of the first. Using the side of your palm, press around and between the mounds of filling, pressing out any excess air, and to glue the top pastry to the bottom, creating 8 even, rectangular pockets. Paint the top sheet of puff pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle the surface with sugar.
• Using a knife or bench scraper, cut out and separate the 8 pastelitos following the original grid in between the indentations in the dough. Trim the perimeter to neaten the rectangles. The dough should still be cool to the touch; if it is warm, return the pastelitos to the refrigerator on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to firm up before baking.
• Bake pastelitos until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.