Pastelitos Little Fruit Pies Southwest Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the pre-made mini shells inside a greased 24-count mini muffin pan.
• In a large bowl add the yams, cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar and caramel sauce. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer until well combined. Dollop 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pie mixture into each shell. Bake until the custard sets, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• For the Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese:
• Add the cream cheese, cream, sugar and cinnamon to a large bowl. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the cream cheese mixture until you reach a frosting consistency. Transfer the mixture to a disposable pastry bag with a star tip. Pipe a small amount of whipped cream cheese on each mini sweet potato pie. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.

Steps:

• FOR THE FILLING: In a saucepan, put apricots in cold water & simmer gently until fruit is soft, about 30 minutes, then drain.
• In a food processor or blender, puree the apricots, then return the puree to the saucepan, add the brown sugar & cook until puree is very thick, about 8-10 minutes.
• Remove puree from heat, then add raisins & nuts, & set aside to cool.
• FOR THE DOUGH: While the puree is cooling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt, then cut in the butter & shortening until pea-size pieces form.
• Add just enough ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make the flour stick together, then shape into a flattened ball, wrap in plastic & refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, then cut the flattened ball in half & roll one of the halves out on a GREASED baking sheet.
• Spread the fruit mixture on top, ALMOST to the edge.
• Roll out the second half of the dough large enough to cover the fruit mixture, then place it on top, before pressing the edges together all around to seal.
• In a small container, whisk together the 1/3 cup of sugar & 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, then sprinkle that on top of the prepared pastry. Finally, with the blunt edge of a table knife, mark the pastry into small squares & prick each square with a fork ~ There should be about 30 small squares marked off.
• Bake about 20 minutes, or until pastry is lightly browned, then cool & cut into the marked squares.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly flour a baking sheet.
• Roll puff pastry into a thin sheet on a floured surface. Cut into squares about the length of your hand and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Beat egg and water together in a bowl; brush each pastry square with egg wash. Stab each square a few times with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes.
• Mix guava paste and jam together in a bowl until smooth.
• Cut a large, vertical slit into each pastry. Spread 1 tablespoon guava mixture into each slit, making sure guava doesn't squeeze out when closed.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Layer corn, onions and beans in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Stir Bisquick mix, milk, 1/2 cup salsa and the eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Steps:

• To make the filling, combine the dried fruit and 1 1/2 cups water in a pot over medium-low heat and simmer until fruit is almost mushy, 20 to 30 minutes. Add a little water if needed. Drain the liquid. Working in batches if necessary, put fruit and orange juice in a blender and purée until smooth. Return to the pot, add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and cloves or nutmeg, and simmer over medium-low heat until thick and jammy.
• To make the crust, heat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Using your fingertips, rub in the shortening or lard. Make a well in the center and add 4 to 6 tablespoons water, a small amount at a time, and work it into a dough.
• Divide dough in half and roll each half on a lightly floured board to fit a shallow square or rectangular baking pan, about 9 by 12 inches. Line the pan with one sheet of pastry. Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a half-inch border. Place second sheet of pastry over the fruit mixture. Cut the pastry edges to just fit inside the rim of the pan. Press the edges of pastry together to seal around the edges. Brush top with milk. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the pastry. Poke holes in pastry with a fork. Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into square.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into two 1/8-in.-thick circles; transfer to two 9-in. pie plates. Trim crusts to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plates; flute edges. Refrigerate 30 minutes., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, vanilla, lemon extract, nutmeg and salt; beat in sweet potatoes. Pour into crusts. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes longer. Cool completely on wire racks. If desired, serve with whipped cream. Store in the refrigerator.