Pastelitos de Cabello de Angel, Candied Pumpkin Fiber Almond Turnovers
Thanksgiving is two days away and I haven’t seen it coming. Blame it on the warm weather, or on recent travels, or on the busyness of life. Blame it on the elections, still fresh. Thanksgiving is in two days, and I had better get ready.
We have this tradition, my friend Shelby and I, where we take turns hosting Thanksgiving. Her house or my house, splitting duties and dishes, the host roasts the turkey, and the rest of the dishes are split. Some dishes are personal specialties of each one of us (hers the coconut cake, mine the fruit and nut stuffing, as examples) and at the end, a feast happens. And no matter who hosts, the children will read the prayer, the tablescape will be gorgeous, and the conversation lively. We’ll catch up on events and activities, and take pictures to commemorate the event, and to keep a graphic report of our children’s growth. We have celebrated together since our older children were babies, and they are both now in college. How time flies.
But I just came back from some travels, and when I left, Halloween was in full swing. When I left, pumpkins spread out throughout our house and our yard were looking beautiful, and I want to remember it that way. See, in my absence, the squirrels and the deer have made the most of them, I’m sure to their delight, and my dismay. I’m sure they had a feast of their own, of which trails of chewed up pumpkin and seeds are the only evidence.
Pastelitos de cabello de ángel, candied pumpkin fiber almond turnovers, are my Spanish response to the abundance of pumpkins and squashes. The soups, and the roasted ones, are delicious. But cabello de ángel, candied pumpkin fibers, are a Spanish specialty used as filling in many desserts and tarts, and I had to introduce it to my American table. In Valencia, we call these turnovers pastissets, in the Valencian language. and in my hometown of Onteniente, they’re a specialty of Pastelería Mora, of which I talked about in the post of coffee meringues (check it here). Located in my hometown of Onteniente, Pastelería Mora is an official provider of the royal house of Spain, and we have the privilege of enjoying their specialties right in my hometown. I made the candied pumpkin almond turnovers in two steps. First I made the cabello de ángel, the angel hair filling, the candied pumpkin fibers, which keeps very well in glass jars in the fridge for at least two or three months (click here for the recipe, or find it in the HOW TO… section, under FUNDAMENTALS ). Next, I made the pastissets, the turnovers. Each made by hand, one by one, they’re a labor of love, but, what very special treat is not?
CANDIED PUMPKIN FIBER ALMOND TURNOVERS
Pastelitos de Cabello de Angel
Ingredients:
For approx. 3 dozen
3 cups almond flour
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
3 medium eggs
1 Tbs fresh lemon zest
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups “angel hair”, candied pumpkin fibers (click here for recipe)
1 Tbs granulated sugar
In a mixing bowl, add the almond flour, icing sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and 2 eggs. Mix well with a whisk. The mixture will turn crumbly, like curd. Switch then to your fingers, and kneed until the dough comes together in a ball (it will be slightly sticky).
Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a small bowl with water.
Form small balls of dough, about 1-inch in diameter, and lay them evenly on the cookie sheets, leaving about two inches between them. Working one at a time, spread each ball of dough with your fingers to form a small circle, about 3-inches in diameter (you can slightly wet your thumb to make the dough less sticky and more manageable, but use the least amount of water needed).
Fill one half of the circle with 1/2 tsp “angel hair”, fold over the other half, and slightly press with your fingers to close. Lay on the cookie sheet and continue making the pastelitos, one at a time.
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Beat the egg and brush it slightly over each pastelito. Sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar.
Bake the pastissets for about 12 to 14 minutes, but start checking after 10 minutes, to make sure they don’t brown (I like to bake one tray at a time, to keep better control).
The pastelitos will keep for about 15 days in a cookie tin or box. You can wrap them individually in pre-cut wax paper for a more professional presentation, or to give as gifts in tin boxes.
Hilgers Farm, Fort Wayne
