Miniature monte cristo w. raspberry-chipotle dipping sauce & spiced-beef empanadas w.

Ingredients

1)Miniature Monte Cristo w/ Raspberry-Chipotle Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients for the sandwich:

• 1 loaf of Pepperidge Farm extra THIN bread
• 3/4 libra deli sliced ham or turkey
• 1-2 eggs beaten (add a splash of milk if desired)
• 3/4 libra slices of American, cheddar or Swiss cheese
• 1-2 tablespoon butter for frying
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Ingredients for the Raspberry-Chipotle Sauce:

• Raspberry-Chipotle Sauce from Scratch
• 1/3 cup raspberry fruit jam
• 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
• 1-3 teaspoon lemon juice

2)Spiced-Beef Empanadas w/ Lime Sour Cream:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 1/2 libra ground beef or bison (80-85% lean)
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt and pepper
• 2 store bought refrigerated rolled-pie crusts
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2-1 tablespoon lime zest, and a little more for garnish

Preparation

• 1)Miniature Monte Cristo w/ Raspberry-Chipotle Dipping Sauce:
  In a sauce pan stir together the chipotle, fruit spread and 2 tablespoons of water. Simmer on low heat for about 2 minutes until hot and saucy. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Add more water if the sauce is too thick, add more lemon juice to taste.
  Slice crusts off of the bread using a long bread knife to make a square. Discard heels. I find stacking them and slicing many at once works just fine. Discard crusts of which a good use is bird feeding. Add once slice of cheese--you may need to crop to fit inside the bread depending on how your deli slices them. Top with meat, folding so meat fits inside the bread as well. Repeat until all sandwiches are prepped. Beat egg and milk in a square tupperware, or other type container that the sandwiches can be dipped into. Heat skillet on medium heat, add butter until melted and hot. Meanwhile dip your sandwiches in egg on all sides and fry in the skillet until golden brown (only a few minutes on each side). You can use a lid to ensure cheese melts if desired. Remove and cut cross-wise into small triangles, getting 4 tiny sandwiches out of each. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place on your serving plate and serve immediately. Sometimes we cook them as the party is going on, or you could pre-make them and place them in a very low temp oven (150 degrees) to keep them warmed slightly--you don't want the cheese getting too hot and runny.
  To serve: garnish serving platter with sliced high quality dill pickles, lettuce (not for eating!) and a bowl of raspberry sauce to dip.
• 2)Spiced-Beef Empanadas w/ Lime Sour Cream:
  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, stirring occasionally 5-6 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking it up into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink 4-5 minutes. Stir in the raisins, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using a 2 1/2in. biscuit or cookie cutter cut out circles from the pie crusts. Divide the beef among the circles. Brush the edges with water and fold in half. Then press a fork to seal. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with egg. Bake until golden about 20-25 minutes. Put sour cream in a small bowl and sprinkle with lime zest, adding a little water to thin and mix. Transfer to serving dip bowl. Sprinkle a bit of zest on top to garnish.
• 2 before serving-

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