SUNNY'S PUMPKIN AND CHICKEN BITES WITH SUNNY'S CREME FRAICHE DIPPING SAUCE

Sunny's Pumpkin and Chicken Bites with Sunny's Creme Fraiche Dipping Sauce image

Provided by Sunny Anderson

Time 1h45m

Yield 48 bites

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded or chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, grated on a rasp
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, 3 to 4 leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, 10 to 12 sprigs
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded Swiss or gruyere
24 empanada wrappers, such as Goya discos
2 eggs
Sunny's Creme Fraiche Dipping Sauce, to serve, recipe follows
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 scallions, cut into thirds
1 clove garlic, grated on a rasp
1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
For the filling: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, chicken, celery, garlic, sage, thyme, walnuts, scallions, dried cranberries and Hungarian paprika. Taste, making sure to get a bit of each ingredient in the sample. There should be a nice balance of sweet and savory; adding a nice pinch of salt can bring you to the right place. Stir before tasting again and adjust as needed. Once done with the salt, add a few grinds of black pepper. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Refrigerate until mix is firm and less sticky, about 20 minutes.
For the wrappers: Wrappers should be packed with paper between each. Remove one wrapper at a time along with the paper and roll and flatten each slightly with a rolling pin. If not packed with paper, roll on a sheet of wax paper. Cut each in half to create 48 half circles. Fill one side of each half with a heaping tablespoon of filling and fold the empty side over the filled side to create a triangle with a curved edge. Then, using the tines of a fork, close both open sides by pressing them together with the top 1/2 inch of the fork. Repeat for the rest.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs and 1 tablespoon water. Lightly brush one side of each bite and place the brushed side up on a parchment or nonstick aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 24 minutes. Serve with Sunny's Creme Fraiche Dipping Sauce.
In a food processor, add the creme fraiche, scallions, garlic and hot sauce. Taste the dip and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend again and taste, seasoning again if needed. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving cold.