Chorizo Jam & Charred Corn Empanadas with Cilantro Crèma

Chorizo Jam & Charred Corn Empanadas with Cilantro Crèma 

Bacon Jam is just so good. Lemme tell you. So why limit it to just bacon? No no no, that's no good at all. We gotta make more meaty jams. This includes Chorizo Jam, and eventually, Pancetta Jam. But today, we're gonna talk about chorizo. Oh, I do love chorizo so. It's super spicy sausage... what's not to love? Especially when it's shoved into Empanadas. I have never been particularly attached to empanadas. But, maybe it's because I had never had one that was yummy. And these my friend are yummy. I recently saw someone put chorizo and corn into an empanada, and it was an instant success, so I thought I would try my luck with it... but with Chorizo Jam of course. Well, it was perfectly sweet & spicy. I really liked the cornmeal pastry dough too. I thought they need some sort of sauce though, so I made a Cilantro Crèma, which you can chose to leave as is or make it creamy like I did. My Mountain Man preferred the herby sauce while I chose the other. Typical, right? Either way, these empanadas are sure not to disappoint and I know I'll be making them again. I think they would be perfect for a party, don't you think?? Well, enjoy :)

Look at that big plate of yummy empanadas :)

First, you gotta stuff some Chorizo Jam in the center...

Then, some corn and some cheese too (forgot the cheese picture though) 

Here are the two dipping sauces...

My Mountain Man's Batch of Empanadas

And mine...

For the Cornmeal Crust:

1 1/3C AP Flour

1/3C Yellow Cornmeal

1T Sugar

½t Sea Salt

1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Cut into Cubes & Chilled

¼C Ice Water (plus a little extra if the dough is too dry)

For the Chorizo Jam:

1lb Ground Chorizo

1 Large Red Onion, Sliced

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1t Dried Rosemary

½t-1t Red Pepper Flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)

¼C Dark Brown Sugar, Packed

¼C Freshly Brewed Strong Coffee

2T Coca Cola

¼C Balsamic Vinegar

¼C Maple Syrup

2T Bourbon

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Cilantro Crèma:

1 Bunch of Cilantro

3T Pine Nuts

3T Garlic, Chopped

1T Lime Juice

1t Lime Zest, Grated

½ Jalapeno, Diced

¼C Parmesan, Grated

¼C Olive Oil

Mexican Crema or Sour Cream, For Mixing

For the Chorizo Jam-Charred Corn Empanadas:

Prepared Cornmeal Crust, Chilled

Prepared Chorizo Jam, Room Temperature

Charred Corn, Room Temperature

Pepperjack Cheese, Shredded (you will need about 1T of cheese per empanada)

Cilantro Crèma, For Dipping

1 Egg Yolk + ½t Cold Water (for an egg wash)

Directions:

1. For the Cornmeal Crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Add ¼C ice water, stirring lightly with a fork until the flour is moistened, and then gently knead the dough 4-6 times in the bowl, until it comes together. You may have to add up to an additional 2T of ice water if the dough seems dry. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. For the Chorizo Jam: Bring a deep sauté pan or large pot to medium-high heat. Cook the ground chorizo while making sure to break the meat up into small pieces (I used two forks to break them apart). Do not overcook the sausage, just make sure that the sausage is cooked through and slightly browned. Drain the rendered chorizo fat by setting a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and spooning the meat and rendered fat into the sieve. Let it sit in the sieve while you caramelize the onions. Add the slices onions to the pot, then add in 1T of the rendered fat and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and starting to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, coffee, Coke, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup, stir, and bring a light boil. Add the drained chorizo and bring back to a light boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. You want to keep a low, steady simmer to reduce the liquid and thicken it without burning the jam. The process of the reduction can take as long as 1 hour. If the jam becomes too dry, add 1-2T of water. Remove the chorizo jam from the heat; add in the bourbon, and let cool for 20-30 minutes. Depending on your preference, you can use it as is or process the jam in a food processor to a less chunky consistency (we like our jam chunky). Once it has cooled, you can put the jam in an airtight container and store it for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Set the Chorizo Jam to the side while you begin to assemble.

3. To Make the Cilantro Crèma: Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, except for the olive oil and sour cream. Blend until it is a coarse mixture. Next, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it becomes smooth and creamy. To make the Cilantro Crèma, I mix two spoonfuls of Crèma with one spoonful of cilantro pesto until well incorporated. Serve on the side for dipping.

4. For the Chorizo Jam-Charred Corn Empanadas: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Remove the cornmeal crust from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes. Lightly flour your work surface. Using a rolling pin to roll the dough out 1/8inch thick. Using a 4inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles. We made roughly a dozen. Place 1T of Chorizo Jam, 1T of Charred Corn, and 1T Shredded Pepperjack Cheese in the center of each round (you will have leftover Chorizo Jam, which you can use to make more empanadas or use it for another recipe. If you do want to make more empanadas, just double the cornmeal crust recipe). Fold each dough round in half over the filling, making sure you don’t tear the dough or push the filling to the edges, and using your fingers, press the edges together, and then crimp them with a fork to seal them.

5. Place the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the empanadas from the oven and brush them with the egg wash, and then bake another 10 minutes or until they are golden brown (I also like the broil them at the very end just for a little more color).

6. Serve the empanadas warm with the Cilantro Crèma for dipping.