Crab and Shrimp Empanadas

My family and friends fell in love with these tasty seafood pastries the first time I made them and they are now a regular item around our meal table. The smaller size empanadas (see note below) are great as appetizers and the larger version works out very well as a lighter lunch or dinner entrée.

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup green onions - chopped
1⁄4 cup parsley - finely chopped
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup half and half
1⁄4 pound grated Swiss cheese
1-1/2 tsp sherry wine
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 pound shrimp cooked, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound cooked crab meat
1 box Puff Pastry Dough – 2 Sheets

Preparation

Melt butter in heavy pot and sauté onions and parsley. Blend in flour, cream and Swiss cheese, continuing until cheese is melted. Add sherry wine, cayenne, salt and shrimp, gently fold in crab meat. This is placed in the middle of your pastry dough.

Thaw pastry dough. Lightly flour surface and roll out dough to measure 12 to 14 inches each direction. Using a large cookie dough cutter (or large-mouth mason jar ring) cut dough into circles.

Place a teaspoon of mixture in the middle of each circle. With pastry brush, dampen edges of pastry circles lightly with cold water. Fold and press edges closed with fork. Brush top with egg wash.

Preheat oven to 350⁰ and bake 30 minutes.

Note: If you might prefer a larger serving portion. Roll out dough until 12” each direction and cut into quarters to make eight larger empanadas.