Pastel de Navidad (Christmas nut cups)
5 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
pinch of salt
I tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll pastry thin and cut into 4inch circles. Fit each round into muffin cup and press in gently. Beat eggs until they are light; add sugar and mix well. Add butter, salt, and vanilla; mix well. Combine walnuts and raisins and fill each cup 1/2 full. Add egg mixture to fill each cup three-quarters. Bake filled cups 20-25 minutes.
Pastry sufficient for 1 pie shell
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening, plain or butter-flavored (see Cook's Note)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
- 3 tablespoons ice water
- Mix flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles the texture of tiny split peas. Do not use your hands to try and mix it, the heat from you hands will melt the shortening, causing the pastry to be "heavy", not light and flaky.
- Once mixture is the right texture, add the ice water and combine with a fork. It may appear as if it needs more water, it does not. Quickly gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Remove dough disk from refrigerator. If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but malleable.
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough disk on a lightly floured surface from the center out in each direction, forming a 12-inch circle. To transfer dough, carefully roll it around the rolling pin, lift and unroll dough, centering it in an ungreased 9-inch regular or deep-dish pie plate. (Or you can fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of pie pan and unfold dough, whatever is easiest for you.)
Makes 1 (9-inch) pie crust. Recipe can be doubled for a two-crust pie.
Makes 8-12 nut cups. |
