Empanadas de Coco Yucatecas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Box grater or food processor for the coconut
• •Heavy 2-quart saucepan for the syrup and filling
• •Wide bowl and rolling pin for the dough
• •4-inch round cutter or a drinking glass
• •Heavy 4-quart pot or wide cazuela for frying
• •Candy or fry thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Crack and grate the coconut

   Pierce the coconut eyes and drain the water. Save it, drink it cold later. Bake the coconut at 375F for 15 minutes until the shell cracks. Hit the cracks with the back of a heavy knife to free the meat from the shell. Peel off the brown skin with a vegetable peeler. Grate the white meat on the medium holes of a box grater. You want about 4 cups of loose, snowy shreds. Coco fresco is the filling. Bagged dried coconut is sweetened, dyed, and stale. No me vengas con atajos.

   If you can find frozen grated coconut at a Latin or Asian market, that is acceptable. The point is fresh, unsweetened, with the natural fat still in it.
2. 2

   Cook the piloncillo syrup

   Combine the chopped piloncillo, water, canela stick, cloves, lime zest, and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium until the piloncillo dissolves completely. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the syrup thickens to the consistency of honey. The piloncillo carries molasses notes that white sugar will never give you. La caña de azucar es el alma del dulce yucateco. The cane sugar is the soul of Yucatecan sweets.

3. 3

   Build the coconut filling

   Strain the syrup to remove the canela, cloves, and zest. Return the syrup to the pan over medium-low heat. Add the grated coconut and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, scraping the bottom, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and holds its shape on the spoon. The coconut should be glossy, golden, and tender. If it looks dry, add a splash of the reserved coconut water. Cool the filling to room temperature on a sheet pan. Warm filling will tear the dough.

4. 4

   Mix the dough

   Whisk the flour, masa harina, granulated sugar, and salt in a wide bowl. The masa harina is not a substitute for flour. It is a deliberate addition that gives the dough the faint corn aroma that marks the yucateca version, the same masa that goes into the kibis and salbutes sold from carts in Merida. Cut the cold lard into the dry ingredients with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Beat the egg with the milk and vanilla, then pour into the well. Stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out and knead briefly, just until smooth, about a minute. Add a teaspoon of milk at a time if the dough feels dry. Wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

5. 5

   Roll and cut the rounds

   Divide the rested dough in half. Keep one half wrapped. Roll the other on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick, no thinner. Yucatecan empanadas de coco are not delicate French pastries. They have body. Cut 4-inch rounds with a glass or biscuit cutter. Stack the scraps, do not knead them again, press them together gently and re-roll once. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

6. 6

   Fill and seal

   Place a heaping tablespoon of cooled coconut filling on one half of each round. Leave a clean border of dough around the edge. Wet the border with a damp finger, fold the dough over into a half-moon, and press the edges firmly. Crimp with a fork or pinch into a repulgue, the rope-edge pleat. A loose seal opens in the oil and the filling escapes. The empanada deflates and you have wasted good coconut. Set the sealed empanadas on a sheet pan lined with parchment.

   If your kitchen is hot and the dough turns soft, refrigerate the filled empanadas for 15 minutes before frying. Cold dough holds its shape in hot oil.
7. 7

   Fry until golden

   Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350F. Use a thermometer. Guessing the temperature is how you get greasy, pale empanadas. Fry in batches of three or four, never crowding. The oil temperature will drop the moment you add them. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden and blistered. Drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan, not on paper towels. Paper towels trap steam and soften the crust.

8. 8

   Dust while warm

   While the empanadas are still warm, but not searing hot, toss them in the canela-sugar mixture until well coated. The warmth sets the sugar against the crust without melting it into a glaze. Cool on the rack for 10 minutes before serving. Eat the same day they are fried. Tomorrow they are still good but the contrast between the crisp edge and the tender coconut center is at its best in the first few hours. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •If you cannot find piloncillo, dark muscovado is the closest compromise. Brown sugar is a last resort and you will taste the difference. La caña de azucar es el alma del dulce yucateco.
• •Mexican canela is Ceylon cinnamon, not the cassia sold as cinnamon in most American supermarkets. Cassia is harsh and one-note. Ceylon is delicate, citrusy, and floral, and it is what these empanadas need. Buy it at a Mexican grocery or Latin market.
• •Lard in the dough is what gives the crust its flake and its character. Vegetable shortening will work mechanically but the flavor will be flat. The lard is the recipe.
• •These travel well. Stack them between sheets of parchment in a tin and they will keep for two days at room temperature. Past two days, they soften and lose the contrast. Eat them or share them.

Advance Preparation

• •The coconut filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Bring to room temperature before filling the empanadas.
• •The dough can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling so it does not crack.
• •Empanadas can be filled, sealed, and frozen raw on a sheet pan, then transferred to a bag. Fry directly from frozen, adding a minute or two to the cook time. This is how cooks in Merida prep for Hanal Pixan ahead of the rush.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 95g)