Flaky Rhubarb Empanadas with Balsamic & Lemon

Introduction & Inspiration

Get ready to fall in love with a truly special and delightful way to enjoy seasonal rhubarb! These Rhubarb Empanadas feature a shatteringly flaky, buttery homemade pastry encasing a warm, sweet-tart filling of rhubarb cooked down with a surprising and delicious touch of balsamic vinegar and bright lemon juice. Finished with a sparkling cinnamon-sugar crust, these handheld pies are an absolute treasure.

My inspiration for this recipe comes from loving the versatile format of an empanada and wanting to create a unique dessert version that celebrates the best of spring and early summer produce. The rich, flaky pastry is the perfect vessel for the vibrant, jammy rhubarb filling, and the hint of balsamic adds a wonderful depth and complexity that will have everyone asking for your secret ingredient.

This is a fantastic baking project that yields impressive and incredibly delicious results. Perfect for a special afternoon treat, a picnic, or a unique dessert to share with friends and family. It is a perfect recipe for rhubarb season.

Nostalgic Appeal / Comfort Factor

Hand pies and turnovers hold a special place in the world of comfort food. They feel personal, rustic, and incredibly satisfying, often evoking memories of grandma’s kitchen or a favorite local bakery. The classic flavor of rhubarb, tangy and sweet when cooked down with sugar, is another powerful nostalgic note, synonymous with garden harvests and traditional pies and crumbles.

This recipe takes those comforting elements and presents them in the charming, portable format of an empanada. The process of making pastry from scratch, filling each one by hand, and baking them to golden perfection is a deeply satisfying and comforting ritual in itself. The warm, buttery pastry and the sweet-tart fruit filling are pure comfort.

Making these feels like creating a timeless treat with a unique, sophisticated twist. A perfect comfort food pastry.

Homemade Focus

This recipe is a true celebration of from-scratch baking, where every component is crafted with care for the best possible flavor and texture. You’ll be making a classic, incredibly flaky pastry dough yourself, using the fundamental technique of grating frozen butter into flour to create those coveted buttery layers.

The homemade focus continues with the delicious filling, which you’ll cook on the stovetop from fresh rhubarb, balancing its tartness with sugar and adding complexity with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. The final assembly – rolling, cutting, filling, and crimping each empanada by hand – is a hallmark of dedicated homemade pastry work.

It’s about taking fresh, simple ingredients and transforming them through traditional baking techniques into an exceptionally delicious and satisfying handheld pie. The homemade flaky pastry is key.

Flavor Goal

The primary flavor goal is a harmonious and exciting contrast between the rich, buttery, flaky pastry and the bright, sweet-tart, jammy rhubarb filling, all finished with a warm, sweet cinnamon-sugar crust.

The pastry should be light, tender, and shatteringly flaky with a savory butteriness. The rhubarb filling should be soft and thick, with a perfect balance of sweetness from the sugar and vibrant tartness from the rhubarb itself. The balsamic vinegar should add a subtle, complex tang, while the lemon juice provides a fresh, zesty lift. The cinnamon-sugar topping adds a final layer of warm spice and a delightful crunch.

The overall experience should be a sophisticated yet comforting handheld pie, with a perfect interplay of flaky, buttery, sweet, tart, and spiced notes in every single bite. A perfect balance between flavour and texture.

Ingredient Insights

For the Flaky Dough:

• All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the pastry.
• Granulated Sugar & Salt: Add a hint of sweetness and crucial flavor balance to the dough.
• Unsalted Butter (Frozen): This is the secret to an exceptionally flaky crust! Grating the frozen butter creates small, cold pieces of fat. When baked, these pieces melt and create steam, which separates the dough into many delicate layers.
• Ice Water: Using ice-cold water is essential. It keeps the butter solid and prevents the gluten in the flour from overdeveloping, ensuring a tender, not tough, pastry.

For the Rhubarb Filling:

• Unsalted Butter: For sautéing the rhubarb initially, adding richness.
• Rhubarb (Chopped): The star fruit! Its tartness is the main flavor profile.
• Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the tart rhubarb.
• Balsamic Vinegar & Lemon Juice: This combination provides a complex acidity. The balsamic vinegar adds a deep, slightly sweet tang, while the fresh lemon juice adds a bright, zesty kick.
• Kosher Salt: A pinch balances the sweetness and enhances the fruit flavor.

For Assembly & Finishing:

• Egg & Water (Egg Wash): Beaten together, this is brushed on the pastry edges to create a strong seal, and on top to give the empanadas a beautiful golden-brown color and shine during baking.
• Cinnamon Sugar: Sprinkled on top before baking for a sweet, spiced, crunchy crust.

Essential Equipment

• Box Grater: For grating the frozen butter into the flour mixture. A food processor with a grating disk can also be used.
• Medium Mixing Bowl: For making the pastry dough.
• Plastic Wrap: For chilling the dough.
• Rolling Pin: To roll out the chilled pie dough.
• 4-inch Round Cutter: Or the rim of a wide glass or an empty can for cutting the dough rounds.
• Small Saucepan: For cooking the rhubarb filling.
• Parchment Paper-Lined Baking Sheet: Essential for preventing sticking and for easy cleanup.
• Pastry Brush: For applying the egg wash.
• Small Bowl: For the egg wash.

Ingredients

(Based on 1x column, makes about 8 empanadas)

Dough:

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
• ▢ ¼ cup ice water

Rhubarb Filling:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ 6 oz rhubarb, chopped into ½-inch pieces (about 1 ½ cups)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ Pinch of kosher salt

Assembly:

• ▢ 1 large egg, beaten
• ▢ 1 teaspoon water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for topping)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make the Flaky Pastry Dough:

• In a medium bowl, stir the all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt together with a fork or a whisk.
• Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the frozen stick of butter directly into the flour mixture.
• Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, quickly work the grated butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small, pea-sized bits of butter still visible.
• Stir in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, using a fork to gently incorporate it. The dough will still be rather shaggy and loose. Do not overwork it; visible bits of butter are key to flakiness.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to gently press and bring it together into a ball. When it holds its shape, form it into a flat disk.
• Wrap the dough disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight, to chill the butter and relax the gluten.

2. Cook the Rhubarb Filling:

• While the dough chills, make the filling. In a small saucepan, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
• Add the chopped rhubarb and cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb begins to soften.
• Stir in the 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and the pinch of kosher salt.
• Continue to cook, stirring, for another 3 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick and jam-like.
• Remove the filling from the heat, transfer it to a small bowl, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to cool completely.

3. Roll and Assemble the Empanadas:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough disk into a large circle or rectangle about ⅛ to ¼-inch thick.
• Using a 4-inch round cutter (or the rim of a wide glass), cut out as many dough rounds as you can. You should get about 6-7 initially.
• Gently gather the dough scraps, re-roll them once, and cut out at least one or two more rounds to get about 8 total.
• Place about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the cooled rhubarb filling in the center of each dough round.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg and 1 teaspoon of water together to create an egg wash. Lightly brush the edges of each dough round with the egg wash.
• Fold one side of the dough over the filling to meet the other edge, creating a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges together firmly with your fingers or press them with the tines of a fork to seal.
• Place the assembled empanadas onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Chill, Prepare for Baking, and Bake:

• Refrigerate the baking sheet with the empanadas for 20 minutes to firm up the pastry again. Refrigerate the remaining egg wash.
• While the empanadas chill, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack placed in the center.
• In a small bowl, stir together the 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon for the topping.
• Remove the chilled empanadas from the refrigerator. Lightly brush the tops of each empanada with the egg wash.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the tops.
• Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a small slit or hole on the top of each empanada to allow steam to escape.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and a beautiful golden brown.
• Remove the empanadas from the oven and let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Troubleshooting

• Pastry is Tough, Not Flaky: The dough was overworked, or the butter and water were not cold enough. Handle the dough as little as possible once water is added. Using frozen, grated butter is a great way to ensure it stays cold.
• Filling Leaked During Baking: Edges were not sealed securely enough, empanadas were overfilled, or there were no steam vents. Ensure a good seal with the egg wash and crimp firmly. Cut a steam vent in each one.
• Filling Too Runny: Rhubarb was very juicy or not cooked down long enough to a thick, jam-like consistency. Make sure the filling is properly thickened before using.
• Bottom Crust is Soggy: Filling was too wet, or empanadas sat too long before baking after being filled. Ensure filling is thick and chill the assembled empanadas as directed before baking.
• Empanadas Burnt on Top/Bottom: Oven running too hot. Check after 15 minutes.

Tips and Variations

• Keep Everything Cold: For the flakiest pastry, make sure your butter is frozen and your water has ice cubes in it. Chilling the dough thoroughly before and after assembly is key.
• Don’t Overwork the Dough: Mix just until the dough comes together. Seeing small pieces of butter in the dough is a good thing!
• Cool the Filling: Ensure the rhubarb filling is completely cooled before placing it on the pastry dough to prevent the butter in the dough from melting prematurely.
• Strawberry Rhubarb: For a classic pairing, substitute half of the rhubarb with finely chopped fresh strawberries in the filling.
• Add Spices: A pinch of ground ginger or cardamom would be a lovely addition to the rhubarb filling.
• Savory Empanadas: This flaky pastry dough would also be wonderful for savory fillings, like spiced meat, cheese and onion, or mushroom and potato. Just omit the sugar from the dough recipe.
• Air Fryer Option: You could try cooking these in an air fryer. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, then air fry at around 375°F (190°C) for about 8-12 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Serving and Pairing Suggestions

• Serve Warm: These are at their absolute best when served warm from the oven, when the pastry is flaky and the filling is gooey.
• A La Mode: A small scoop of vanilla bean or ginger ice cream would be a fantastic accompaniment.
• With Cream: A dollop of crème fraîche or lightly sweetened whipped cream would also be delicious.
• Perfect for Picnics: Once cooled, these are sturdy and make a wonderful portable treat for picnics or lunchboxes.
• Afternoon Tea: Serve with a cup of hot tea or coffee for an elegant afternoon snack.

Nutritional Information

(Note: Estimated, per empanada, assuming 8 are made. This is a buttery pastry.)

• Calories: 200-280
• Fat: 12-18g
• Saturated Fat: 7-11g
• Cholesterol: 40-55mg
• Sodium: 150-200mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 20-28g
• Dietary Fiber: 1-2g
• Sugars: 8-12g
• Protein: 2-4g

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Recipe Summary and Q&A

Summary: These Rhubarb Empanadas are made with a from-scratch flaky pastry dough, created by grating frozen butter into a flour-sugar-salt mixture and bringing it together with ice water. The dough is chilled. A sweet-tart filling is made by cooking chopped rhubarb with butter, sugar, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice until thick and jam-like, which is also chilled. The dough is rolled out, cut into 4-inch rounds, filled with the cooled rhubarb mixture, sealed with an egg wash, and crimped. The assembled empanadas are chilled again, then brushed with more egg wash, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, vented, and baked at 400°F until golden brown.

Q&A:

• Q: Why use frozen grated butter for the pastry?
  • A: Using frozen butter and grating it creates very small, cold, flat pieces of fat. When these pieces are distributed throughout the flour and baked, they melt and release steam. This steam creates tiny pockets of air between layers of dough, which is what results in an exceptionally flaky and tender pastry crust.
• Q: Can I use store-bought pie dough instead?
  • A: Yes, for a shortcut, you could use a sheet of refrigerated store-bought pie dough and follow the steps for cutting, filling, and baking. The texture will be different from the homemade flaky pastry, but it will still be delicious.
• Q: Why is it necessary to chill the dough and the assembled empanadas?
  • A: Chilling the dough after making it allows the gluten to relax (making it easier to roll out) and keeps the butter very cold. Chilling the assembled empanadas before baking re-chills the butter in the pastry after you’ve handled it. This ensures the butter doesn’t melt out immediately in the hot oven, which is key to creating those flaky layers.
• Q: Can I use frozen rhubarb for the filling?
  • A: Yes, you can use frozen rhubarb. There’s no need to thaw it first. Add it to the saucepan frozen; it may release a bit more liquid, so you might need to cook the filling for a few extra minutes to ensure it thickens to a nice, jam-like consistency.