When my calendar suddenly tipped into the second half of August, I felt a pang: Could summer be nearly over? I still haven’t enjoyed a weekend by the seaside, or eaten enough ripe peaches and plums, or had any lazy park picnics.
Every year, I forget how this feeling of diminuendo settles over the dog days; how the goodbyes start before the season even ends. If I sound reflective, that’s also inspired by this month’s beer: Queer Brewing’s Hot Girl Summer Sour. This beer was one of the London brewery’s final three releases before it sadly closed down in July. Founders Lily and Charlotte Waite-Marsden leave behind an extraordinary, seven-year legacy of making the beer world a brighter, more welcoming queer and radical place. It’s always painful when a favourite brewery closes down, but this one hurts in a different, deeper way.
I was lucky enough to try this beer for the first time at one of the brewery’s closing parties and was thrilled to get my hands on one of the final cans afterwards. Vividly tropical and full-bodied but pleasingly tart, with a zing of passionfruit that prevents it from ever feeling too sweet or cloying, it is a truly ideal beer for these late-summer days.
It’s easy to enjoy this beer on its own, but it’s particularly delicious alongside these mini coconut empanadas, which I last made as a student 20 years ago. These are moreish, bitesized treats that tow a pleasingly sweet-savoury line. The pastry is scented with orange juice; the filling marries desiccated coconut with evaporated milk, egg yolks and a bit of sugar. They might seem a bit fiddly at first glance, but the dough is pliable and forgiving, and once you get into a rhythm, they feel satisfying to fold and pleat. They’re just the right sweetness level for the beer, too: Neither unbalances the other; together they both seem to emphasise their fruity, tropical notes.
Grab your can then, throw some empanadas in a Tupperware and bring them with you to the park or the beach or that friend’s BBQ. Summer may be winding down, but it isn’t quite over yet...
Mini Coconut Empanadas
Makes approximately 25 mini coconut empanadas
For the dough:
320g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
115g unsalted butter (fridge-cold)
90ml orange juice
For the filling:
40g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
125g desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon cornflour
70g caster sugar
200ml evaporated milk
Pinch flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
1. First, make the dough. To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and fine sea salt, and whisk to combine.
2. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, pinch the butter in quick motions to integrate it into the flour mixture, ensuring you don’t heat it up too much with your hands. Continue working the butter into the flour mixture until there are no large pieces left, and the mixture resembles sand.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture, and pour in the orange juice. Using a wooden spoon, stir together until a rough dough forms. You may need to use your hands to work the dough until most of the floury pieces are incorporated; it will initially be relatively dry and crumbly.
4. Turn out onto a surface, knead once or twice to bring it together if necessary, then pat into a flattened disc. Wrap in clingfilm and transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour. This period of rest helps the dough hydrate and become more pliable later on.
5. While the dough rests, make your filling. First, melt the butter: Transfer to a heatproof bowl and microwave on 30-second bursts until it melts. Set aside. Next, separate the eggs; reserve the whites in one bowl for later and lightly beat the yolks in another bowl.
6. Add the desiccated coconut, cornflour, caster sugar and evaporated milk to a medium saucepan, and place over medium-low heat. Once hot, stir frequently for 5-6 minutes, or until the coconut has softened and the mixture has thickened.
7. Turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Add the melted butter to the mixture and stir to combine. Next, add the egg yolks and stir continuously to incorporate, to prevent them from scrambling. Remove the saucepan from the heat and season to taste with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge to cool.
8. Once ready to bake your coconut empanadas, lightly flour your work surface. Remove the dough from the fridge (it may need to warm up for a few minutes) and use a knife or pastry cutter to cut it in half. Loosely wrap one half in clingfilm to prevent it from drying out while you work with the other.
9. Using a rolling pin, roll half the dough into an even sheet that’s roughly ⅛ inch (3mm) thin. Cut rounds out of the dough using a roughly 3 ½-inch (9cm) cookie cutter. (If you don’t have one, a 1-cup measure almost certainly works.) Repeat, rolling out the dough again with any scraps, until you’ve used it all; cover the rounds of dough with clingfilm to prevent them from drying out. Next, repeat using the other half of the dough.
10. Once you’re ready to assemble the empanadas, remove the coconut filling from the fridge (it should be completely cooled) and preheat the oven to 220°C. Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Take one of the rounds you’ve cut out, and using a few turns of the rolling pin, further roll and flatten its edges; this will make the crimping easier. Place a small ramekin of water at your workstation.
11. Add roughly 2-3 teaspoons of coconut filling to the lower half of the first dough round, being careful to leave a margin around the edges. Dip your finger in the ramekin of water and lightly wet the outer edge of the dough round. Bring the top half of the dough over the filling, and gently seal, being careful not to squeeze any of the filling out. Crimp by pinching together and folding small sections of dough along the edge (or seal using the tines of a fork if you’re not as confident in your crimping ability). Transfer the empanada to your baking tray.
12. Repeat with the remaining empanadas. Once they are all prepared and arranged across the two trays, brush them with the reserved egg whites. Transfer both trays to the oven and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the empanadas are very lightly golden-brown (you may need to rotate the trays halfway through if your oven has hotspots).
13. Remove from the oven and transfer the empanadas to a wire rack to cool slightly. Eat while still warm; store the rest in an airtight container and consume within a few days, before they get stale.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our HB&B All Killer No Filler beer subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings, plus expert tasting notes, with 10 world-class beers like this one every month.
