Ricotta and quince turnovers (robiols)

These turnovers are typically made with pumpkin jam and eaten at Christmas and Easter, but I love using ricotta and quince paste, especially at Christmas, to make a change from the regular cheese board.

Credit: Rochelle Eagle

• serves

  10

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 100 g (3½ oz) lard or butter, at room temperature (see Note)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbsp sweet white wine
• 1 free-range egg yolk
• 100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

Ricotta and quince filling

• 200 g (7 oz) good-quality firm ricotta
• 2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 50 g (1¾ oz) quince paste, cut into small dice

Chilling time: 15 minutes

Instructions

1. Place the lard or butter and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attached and beat until combined. Add the orange juice, wine, egg yolk and sugar and mix on medium speed for a few minutes to form a paste.
2. Swap the whisk for the dough hook attachment, add the flour and knead for 4–5 minutes on medium speed until a dough forms. Cut the dough in half, wrap both halves tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, to make the filling, combine the ricotta and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
5. Working with one half of dough at a time, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll it out as thinly as possible. Using a round 10 cm (4 in) cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible, re-rolling any dough offcuts, until it’s all used up. Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling on one half of each dough circle, leaving a 1–1.5 cm (½ in) border and press a few cubes of quince paste into the filling.
6. Brush a little water around the edges, then fold over the unfilled half of dough and seal, using a fork to crimp the edges. Place on the prepared trays and bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden and cooked through (see Note).

Note

• Lard doesn’t burn as quickly as butter so if substituting butter, watch the oven time as the turnovers will colour a lot faster.

Recipes and images from Islas: Food of the Spanish Islands by Emma Warren, Smith Street Books, RRP $49.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.