• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Kitchen Wrangler | Melissa Guerra
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Kitchen Store
  • About

Home » Recipes » Sides » Pear and Candied Jalapeño Empanadas

Pear and Candied Jalapeño Empanadas

Published: May 24, 2017 · Modified: Sep 13, 2020

Pear and Candied Jalapeño Empanada Filling

Candied Jalapeños Confuse Me A Bit

What do you do with a gift of candied jalapeños?

Around Christmas time, a gift of candied jalapeños appeared in my refrigerator, and there they sat. Waiting. And waiting. What do I do with them? I had all my holiday menus planned, and the jar kept inching its way to the back of the food theatre that is my fridge. Finally, after Spring Break, I caught sight of them again. I really should put those to use.

Maybe it’s because candied jalapeños are a bit confusing for me. Are they savory or sweet? I am sure I will revisit this post and give you a recipe for candied jalapeños in the future. They are hot, sweet, tangy and delicious, but I can never find the right time to serve them. They always seem to dominate the palate, and never worked their way into a cheese tray, or a corn muffin, as they should. Oh well.

Pear Jalapeño Empanadas are Right on Target

I do think mixing them with pears was the right choice. Pears make friends with everyone. ( I could make a joke about pear shaped figures here, but it’s Sunday evening, and I’m too tired to be clever at the moment. Just think a bit, and something funny will probably pop into your mind. Ho hum.) The crisp clean sweetness of the pear calmed the heat of the jalapeños nicely, and the buttery dough of the empanada gives just the right amount of richness.

I would serve these empanadas with a chilled pink zinfandel, maybe some pasta de membrillo (quince paste) a fine aged manchego, some roasted salted Marcona almonds, and maybe even some cold thinly sliced lamb or beef tenderloin. Maybe switch to a white burgundy if you are going to add the red meats.  I immediately took my freshly baked batch on a picnic, and none returned home with me.

(What a lazy post. I should have tried harder to make a pear joke. Forgive me.)

 

 

Pears for Empanadas

Fresh, firm pears are the best for cooking

Sauteed Pears for Empanadas

Simply saute the pear bits with lemon, sugar and butter

Jar of Candied Jalapeños

A gift from Christmas, and its time to enjoy them

Freshly Baked Pear and Candied Jalapeño Empanada

Freshly Baked

Print

Pear and Candied Jalapeño Empanadas

Print Recipe

Candied Pear and Jalapeño Empanadas are great appetizers for lazy Sunday picnics

  • Author: Melissa Guerra
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 12 empanadas 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Latin Inspired

Ingredients

Scale

1 pkg.  frozen empanada crusts (12ct)

1 tbsp. butter (14gr)

2–3 regular sized pears, peeled, cored and chopped

1/4 cup sugar (50gr)

1 /4 tsp ground cinnamon (1gr)

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup candied jalapeños, finely chopped (26gr)

Instructions

Remove the empanada crusts from the freezer, and thaw for 30 minutes before use. Heat the oven to 400°F/204°C.

Meanwhile, is a medium skillet, heat the butter. Add the pear bits, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon and lime juice, and cook for another minute. Stir in the candied jalapeños and remove from the heat.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Fill the empanada crusts with the filling, fold over and pinch the edges together.  Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Sides Tagged With: appetizers, empanadas, Jalapeños, pears

Subscribe

for your weekly recipe fix.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to my Youtube Channel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWkY67gOnlQ&t=8s

Purchase My Books On Amazon!

New E-book available on Amazon!

cover Taco Nation book

Subscribe

Receive recipes and food history directly to your inbox. No spam. No sales. Just food!

Footer

About Melissa

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Melissa Guerra is an 8th generation Texan, born and raised on a working cattle ranch in South Texas. She is a self taught culinary expert and food historian, specializing in the food ways of the American continent, especially Texas regional, Mexican, and Latin American cuisine. Read More…

  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Kitchen Wrangler | Melissa Guerra