By Tara Parker-Pope
- Total Time
- About 45 minutes
- Rating
- 4(82)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Chef Mauro says you shouldn’t be intimidated by this vegetarian version of the popular Venezuelan sandwich. Masarepa blanca is a precooked corn flour and can be found in Latin markets as well as some larger grocery stores or ordered online. (Don’t be tempted to substitute with another traditional Mexican flour, masa harina.) “Frying that bread seems like a lot of work, but it’s a simple two-step process,” says Chef Mauro. “The sweetness from the cranberry and earthiness of the Brie, tangy mustard and tartness of the apple — it’s really amazing. Even my 3-year-old enjoyed it.”
Featured in: Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2011
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Ingredients
Yield:6 sandwiches
- 2cups masarepa blanca
- 1teaspoon salt
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 2 to 2½cups warm water
- ¼cup vegetable oil
- 18- to 12-ounce wedge of good Brie cheese, rind removed and sliced thin
- Leftover cranberry sauce, the less gelatinous the better
- 1green apple, peeled and sliced into half moons
- Arugula
- Dijon mustard
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with a rack set in the middle position.
Step
2
Whisk masarepa, salt and baking powder until combined. Slowly add warm water and stir until a dough forms. Form 6 3-inch rounds, about ½-inch thick.
Step
3
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half the cakes, and cook 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Transfer to parchment-lined sheet pan and repeat with remaining cakes.
Step
4
Finish in oven for 10 minutes, or until the cakes sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Immediately split cakes horizontally with fork, and stuff with a couple slices of Brie. Close and let the residual heat melt the Brie.
Step
5
Reopen and schmear some of the cranberry on the bottom slice, along with a couple slices of apple and a bit of arugula. Serve with a small side of Dijon to dip the sandwich in.
Ratings
4
out of 5
82
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Cooking Notes
Mariana Sosa
The best way yo make an arepa is taking a dough portion and forming a ball then, slowly flatten it with both hands, as if you were clapping, but not hard, until you get your arepa as thick as you like. No rolling pins, please, they're not tortillas!
FrankW`
I agree with Summer, roll out and make thickness around 1/4" to 3/8" . i was surprised to find that a number of grocery stores in Manhattan were not familiar with the flour for the Arepas. I ended up ordering the flour from Amazon and it helps to point out that the key words are pre-cooked white corn flour and not just white corn meal. The difference is similar to bread crumbs and all purpose flour. Fresh cranberry sauce seals the deal on this tasty tart delicious meal. Wonderful!
Summer
Roll arepa dough, make thinner.
Clare F
I made mini arepas as a Thanksgiving canapé and they received excellent reviews. They do tend to break easily at one third the size called for. Yellow masarepa worked too. That’s all I found at my neighborhood grocery.
Amber
Don't use store-bought arepas! When pan-fried they are crispy and don't open. Tried to salvage the recipe making it like a quesadilla (sandwiching the ingredients between the arepas) and arepas ruined the vibe.
Use Camambare - Kev doesn't like brie. Make fresh cranberry sauce
Make this for Thanksgiving
carol
I love this: Schmear it on!!!
RobertoN
Where do I start with all that is wrong here? First is how to mix this. You pour the flour into the water, stirring as you go to eliminate lumps. Second, I guess, is adding baking powder. Not needed. Then the fillings. Filling an arepa with cranberries and brie will get you barred from ever going to Venezuela. Move on, find another recipe if you want to make arepas for real.
Mariana Sosa
The best way yo make an arepa is taking a dough portion and forming a ball then, slowly flatten it with both hands, as if you were clapping, but not hard, until you get your arepa as thick as you like. No rolling pins, please, they're not tortillas!
the mad hungarian
A very special sandwich. Delicious -- the flavors are wonder -- and a little greasy (a caviar of sandwiches!), and both easy and quick once the bread is made -- during which the cook gets three decent rests, all factored in to prep time. The quality of brie and cranberry sauce will matter, of course.
FrankW`
I agree with Summer, roll out and make thickness around 1/4" to 3/8" . i was surprised to find that a number of grocery stores in Manhattan were not familiar with the flour for the Arepas. I ended up ordering the flour from Amazon and it helps to point out that the key words are pre-cooked white corn flour and not just white corn meal. The difference is similar to bread crumbs and all purpose flour. Fresh cranberry sauce seals the deal on this tasty tart delicious meal. Wonderful!
Jose González
There is a very well-known brand called Harina Pan, this is the flour we use almost daily in Venezuela. I’m sure you can find it easily in latin stores in the US
Summer
Roll arepa dough, make thinner.
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