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I didn't know exactly what a mooncake was, but I instantly pictured a very traditional Brazilian treat, that if made with this mold, could turn out really cute.
"Mooncake" is a Chinese pastry, usually filled with lotus seed paste and a duck egg yolk in the middle, which symbolizes the moon. These pastries are eaten at Mid Autumn Festival,when the people worship the full moon.
There are many different versions of this cake and these recipes certainly don't have anything to do with the Brazilian "empadinhas". But then, I visited Charlotte's Blog "AMBITIOUS BUBBLE" and she had made something so similar to what I had in mind! At this moment I didn't have any more doubts whether to buy the mold. She totally inspired me!
To mold the "mooncake", take a piece of dough and shape it like a bowl, using your hands.
Add the filling of your choice and seal the dough, forming a ball.
Insert the ball into the mold and press it on your counter or table.
Lift the mold and press to release the mooncake.
My mooncakes lost some of their shape and design after baking, just like Charlotte's, but the rose pattern can still be seen and I loved the new looks of my Asian "empadinhas".
Here is the recipe for the pie dough I use for making "empadinhas". I'm not posting the filling because it was only an improvisation, with leftover chicken, for testing my new toy :o)
PIE DOUGH
100g butter (chilled and diced)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
Put all ingredients in a food processor or knead by hand to form a ball. Do not overwork the dough. Put the dough in a plastic bag and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Mold the pies, fill with your choice of filling, brush some egg yolk on top and bake on medium (190ºC) for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
looks so delicious!:) i bet even if your filling was improvised, it's still very yummy.. it actually made me hungry looking at your post!:) So what would a traditional empadinhas shape like?:) in Philippines we have something called empanadas, and it's shaped in a half circle mini pie with savoury fillings.. wonder if it's similar to empadinhas :)
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, the empadinhas are shaped in individual mini pans very similar to muffin pans. Take a look at this pic from the Internet: http://www.brasilvitrine.com/ilheus/administracao/Fotos/empadinha-de-colombo.jpg
ReplyDeleteThe most popular fillings are chicken, shrimp and palm. There is also an open version similar to a mini cheese quiche, delicious!
The empanada is probably more similar to the Brazilian "Pastel", which I miss terribly here in Korea. But this is subject for another post! ;o)
I love that mould! Everytime a friend or member of family goes on holiday, I tell them to get me a mould as a souvenir. My latest is a maamoul mould from morocco. Cant wait to make something with it! The rose shape on your empadinhas are so pretty and cute and can imagine all the possibilities with the fillings!
ReplyDeleteExcellent....... I heard first time about moon cakes through this post.. your Asian empadinhas looks so cute!!!
ReplyDeleteCiao I'm Manu from http://cookingmanu.blogspot.com I like your blog, your recipes and your pics. If you'd like to shere some recipe you can jump into my blog! LOL
ReplyDeleteJust love the rose pattern of the mould... and the baked-to-perfection golden brown is just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSawadee from Bangkok,
Kris
Uau! lindos esses bolinhos da lua. Adorei a receita. Tudo o que vc faz é tão bonito. A gente ve o capricho e o carinho que dedica a cada produção. Parabéns.
ReplyDeleteAre you in Korea? Where? I used to be a Daring Baker, but have no oven now (I moved and now my place is too small for the fullsized oven I had before). I have been baking a bit more lately because of a Korean friend who has an oven and likes baking too. I'd love to meet up with another baker sometime and maybe even bake together
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, I do live in Korea, have lived there for 3 years and will still be there for the next 2 years. I'm in Brazil (my home country) right now, though. I'll be back in January and I'd love to meet you there! I live in Geoje Island, hope you are located near me. Feel free to email me anytime!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cute! I like the mold you have, because it's probably easier to get the cake out after you press it! With the wood ones, you really have to bang hard to get it out...
ReplyDeleteWhat is the filling you used for these?