AI-generated image
Pastelitos criollos
Fried quince pastries
Pastelitos: star-shaped fried puff pastries filled with quince or sweet potato paste and glazed in syrup
ArgentinianEvery 25 May, when Argentina marks the 1810 revolution, bakeries and school kitchens from Buenos Aires to Tucumán turn out trays of pastelitos: two squares of flaky dough stacked into a star, filled with dulce de membrillo or dulce de batata, fried until the layers fan open and then dipped in syrup. They are eaten warm with mate or hot chocolate, shattering crisp outside and sticky in the middle. Lard is the traditional fat in both the dough and the frying pan; this version uses butter or vegetable shortening for laminating and sunflower oil for frying, so it stays vegetarian. Expect a hard but rewarding job: the dough is folded like a quick puff pastry. Oil that is too hot is the classic error, browning the outside before the inner layers have opened, so keep it around 160 °C. Chef's tip: pinch the four corners of the top square down onto the gaps of the bottom one and press with a wet fingertip, or the star unfolds in the oil and the filling leaks.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ oz unsalted buttermelted (or vegetable shortening)
- 1 cup waterlukewarm
For the layers
- 5 ½ oz unsalted buttersoft, or vegetable shortening; replaces the traditional lard
- 2 tbsp cornflourfor dusting
For the filling and frying
- 10 ½ oz quince pastedulce de membrillo, or sweet potato paste; cut into 2 cm cubes
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor frying
For the syrup
- 10 ½ oz sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp lemon zestfinely grated
- 2 tbsp coloured sugar sprinkles (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, then add 1 ¾ oz unsalted butter and 1 cup water and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and soft like an earlobe. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Beat 5 ½ oz unsalted butter with 2 tbsp cornflour into a spreadable paste.
Step 3: Roll the dough into a 40 x 30 cm rectangle on a floured worktop. Spread the butter paste over it in a thin, even layer, leaving a 1 cm border.
Step 4: Roll the dough up tightly from the long side like a Swiss roll, then flatten the roll with the rolling pin and fold it in three. Chill for 10 minutes so the fat firms up.
10 minStep 5: Roll the dough out to 3 mm thick and cut it into 8 cm squares. You should get about 32.
Step 6: Put a cube of 10 ½ oz quince paste in the centre of half the squares. Brush the edges with water, lay a second square on top turned 45 degrees, and press the corners of the top square down onto the bottom one to make an eight-point star.
Step 7: For the syrup, simmer 10 ½ oz sugar, ¾ cup water and 1 tsp lemon zest over a medium heat until it coats the back of a spoon and two drops pressed between your fingers pull into a short thread. Keep it warm.
8 minStep 8: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 325°F. Fry 3 or 4 pastelitos at a time, spooning oil over the top, until the layers open like petals and turn pale gold, turning once.
5 minStep 9: Lift them out, drain for a few seconds on kitchen paper, then dip each one in the warm syrup and set it on a rack. Scatter 2 tbsp coloured sugar sprinkles over while sticky, and serve warm or the same day.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pastelitos criollos take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Basque burnt cheesecake
This crustless cheesecake was created in the early 1990s at La Viña, a pintxos bar in the old town of San Sebastián (Donostia) in the Basque Country, and is now famous around the world. It's baked very hot so the top caramelises almost black and the sides rise and crack, while the middle stays soft and creamy, almost runny. There's no base and no water bath, and the rough, rustic look is the point: it's lined with crumpled baking paper. La Viña uses a spoonful of wheat flour; cornflour does the same job and keeps it gluten free. Chef's tip: take it out of the oven while the centre still wobbles like a soft set custard; it firms up as it cools, and if it looks set in the oven, the middle will be dry instead of creamy.
Spanish
Almond cookiesOat, coconut and almond cookies
A big batch of crunchy cookies with rolled oats, coconut, chopped almonds and chunks of cooking chocolate. For a change, use cashew nuts instead of almonds.
Reform tortaWalnut meringue chocolate cake
Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.