I love dulce de leche. I love ice cream. I love apples. I figured they can only be more delicious when combined (sort of a holy triad, if you will). I felt what some might describe as inappropriate joy upon eating these gooey, creamy and sweet creations...*content sigh*.
Maybe these are better described as turnovers, but as I am using frozen empanada wrappers (not as homemade, I know, but it saves SO much time, I highly recommend them in a pinch) to create empanadas de dulce de leche con manzanas y una bola de helado: dulce de leche and apple empandas with good old fashioned vanilla ice cream.
To make 10 empanadas:
1 pack frozen Goya empanada shells
5 small to medium sized apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup dulce de leche
Vanilla ice cream
Defrost empanada shells in fridge until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 400.
Slice apples into 8ths and then once again horizontally. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon over apples and add lemon juice. Stir mixture.
Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add apples and stir until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Use a rolling pin to flatten empanada shells, one by one. Add about 1/2 of an apple to shell and a scoop of dulce de leche (a bit less than a tablespoon).
Fold dough over and pinch shut. Use a fork to create ridges along edge of dough. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon and brown sugar over the empanadas.
Bake empanadas for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
4 large eggs
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 thick slices bread (Challah is good)
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup dulce de leche
4 apples
Whisk together milk, eggs, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl.
Lay bread slices in a 9 by 13 glass baking dish.
Pour mixture over bread, cover and and refrigerate overnight.
To cook:
Heat butter in a large pan over medium high heat.
Preheat oven to 350° F. and bring bread to room temperature.
Slice apples thinly and toss with butter and remaining tablespoon sugar. Place above bread slices.
Bake bread and apples on middle oven rack, uncovered, until bread is puffy and golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Drizzle with dulce de leche and serve immediately.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt (or, if using salted butter, omit extra salt)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter (Buy Irish or other high quality butter to ensure the most delicious cookies)
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
I jar of la Salamandra dulce de leche (the best I have tried-and the Stop & Shop in Jamaica Plain carries 7 brands from 5 countries, and none come close to this!)
1 cup grated and sweetened coconut (optional)
Melted semi-sweet chocolate (optional)
Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl. Cut the butter into ¼ inch thick chunks and then incorporate into dry ingredients using your hands until the mixture has a meal-y texture. Add the egg yolks and extracts. Divide the dough into two balls, flatten them to make discs, and wrap in saran wrap to chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Roll out each ball of dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (use a little extra flour to avoid the dough from sticking to the surface). Cut into 2-inch diameter circles. Bake on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet for about 8-10 minutes, if they are turning golden, take the cookies out!
Let cookies cool on cookie rack. Then spread dulce de leche on bottom side of a cookie and push the bottom side of another cookie to the filling. Press together gently as to not crush the cookies. If using coconut OR chocolate, roll edges of cookies over flakes/melted chocolate. Note: coconut OR chocolate, not both together.
