variations

While my last "creation" still remains unnamed; although "dinosaur claws" or "dinosaurio garras" is something random that I am considering, the outcome of the pastries was larger in size than I expected. (The pastries were as big as chicken breasts) While that may work, I was looking to make something a little smaller. Also I decided I wanted to try more of a variety of options for the filling rather than just sweet potatoes/oranges (mostly fruits). I decided I wanted to try bananas, grapes, oranges and blackberries. Last night I wound up starting with grapes and blackberries (plus using some left over sweet potato filling I had in the fridge). The ingredients I chose were all pretty much just on the fly :/ so I hope this is at least a good first attempt at making a pastry filling on my own.

I started by making the "pie crust" recipe again. I scooped 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of vegetable shortening, some salt, and 1/2 cup of water into a mixing bowl and let the mixer go to work. Trabajo! Then scooped the dough into two separate balls and put them in a zip-lock and put that in the fridge for an hour and 1/2.
Next I began washing and peeling the red grapes. Yes, very tedious but I figured it would be worth it.

I now realize I didn't measure how many grapes I used. I'd say I used enough to fill half of a small mixing bowl or to fill a small pot half way while still intact.

 Once all the grapes were peeled, I threw them all in a small pot/saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat. I mashed the grapes up with a hand-held potato masher and then added 1 tbs of milk, 1 tbs confectioner's sugar, 2 tbs of flour, 1 tbs of white cane sugar. I stirred it all together and let it simmer for a few minutes until it got thick and saucey.

mashing the grapes! (and milk)

adding confectioner's sugar (1 tbs)

the thickened "grape sauce"

I then put that saucepan to the side. I washed 6 oz of blackberries and dumped them into a saucepan and proceeded with the exact same steps and ingredients as the grapes. 

blackberries & milk

mash them!!!!

the mixture

adding confectioner's sugar (1 tbs)

the thickened blackberry sauce

By now it was time to pull the crust dough out of the fridge and roll it out. I rolled it out to probably 1/4 of an inch thick. I looked around for something I could use to cut the right size of circular pieces I needed.. hmm.. what to use? oh, the Crisco lid from the shortening that's now empty and headed to the trash. Recycling too, wink ;]

So I used the lid to cut out perfect little circles of dough.

the return of the sweet potatoes

Once they were rolled up and pinches closed inside the pastry, I rolled that in a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, white cane sugar, and light brown sugar.

Baked them in the oven @ 370 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.

 They came out the size I was looking for, although I think I need to try rolling the dough even thinner because it's pretty fluffed with crust, yet hard to stuff a nice amount of the fruits inside. Still a work in progress I suppose..

I had extra dough so I made a slightly bigger version with blackberries & oranges. Yumazing!

After these were finished and I was throwing away the empty shortening can, I thought to myself "shortening is pretty gross and unhealthy, huh? Is there a better option to shortening?" So of course I asked Google what can I replace shortening with? and there were a few different options but one of them was bananas! Yummieee yum yum yummers! So later on today I will be attempting to make the crust dough with bananas instead of shortening. Mmm I hope it works out the way I hope it to.