Caramelized Vidalia Empanadas W/Goat Cheese Crema

• For the Empanadas:
• Empanada Dough (recipe follows)
• 3-4 ears of corn
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• Vegetable or corn oil for frying
• Chives, cut in half and tied in knots, for garnish
• For the Coulis:
• 3-4 large Poblano peppers
• 3/4 cup raw clover honey
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. White pepper
• 1/8 tsp. Black pepper
• For the Crema:
• 5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
• Empanada Dough Recipe
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup masa harina (tortilla flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
• Cold Water - approx. 1 cup

1. For the Empanada dough, sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Cream in shortening. Add water one tbls at a time, mixing thoroughly after each until dough forms. Knead twice on floured surface and form into 2 rounds. Cover and refrigerate 1/2 hour.
2. For the coulis, heat oven to 450 degrees, place peppers directly on top rack, with cookie sheet beneath to catch juices. Cook 25-35 minutes or until blackened. Remove and immediately place into a large Ziploc bag. Let cool for 15 minutes, then peel and discard skins, seeds and stems. Dice pepper meats and place in food processor with honey, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth and pour coulis into squeeze bottle.
3. For the crema, blend goat cheese crumbles with sour cream in food processor until smooth.
4. For the empanada filling, boil 6-8 quarts water, add sugar and corn. Cover and boil 15 minutes. Remove from pot and cool, then slice off corn to yield approx. 2 cups niblets.
5. While corn is boiling, slice Vidalia onion into thin rings, separating into long strands. Melt butter over medium heat in large saute pan and add onion strands. Saute 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dark brown.
6. To assemble empanadas, roll dough to 1/4" thickness and cut into 6" circles. Spoon 1 tbls, corn, 1 tbls cheese and 1/2 tbls onion strands in the center of each circle. Fold in half, press with fork to seal on both sides.
7. Heat vegetable or corn oil over medium heat. Fry each empanada 2-4 minutes per side or until golden, then place on paper towel to drain.
8. For final presentation, squeeze coulis in a spiral on each plate. Place 3 empanadas on each plate, slightly overlapping each. Squeeze a bit more coulis in a zigzag directly over empanadas, dollop the crema on each, garnish with a chive knot placed directly in crema and serve. Pairs well with a bottle of Vinho Verde.

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Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/caramelized-vidalia-empanadas-w-goat-cheese-crema-1208366 (may not work)