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

Ingredients

• 15 ounce pumpkin puree canned
• 1 stalk celery finely chopped
• 8 ounces crème fraîche 
• 0.5 cup cranberries dried chopped
• 2  eggs 
• 24  empanada wrappers such as goya discos
• 2 teaspoons sage fresh chopped
• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves fresh chopped
• 1 clove garlic grated
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce red such as frank's hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon hungarian paprika 
• 48 servings kosher salt and pepper black freshly ground
• 1  rotisserie chicken cut shredded chopped
• 2  scallions finely chopped
• 3  scallions cut into thirds
• 1.5 cup swiss shredded
• 1 cup walnuts toasted chopped

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• baking sheet
• oven
• whisk
• aluminum foil
• wax paper
• rolling pin

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. 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.
3. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Refrigerate until mix is firm and less sticky, about 20 minutes.
4. For the wrappers: Wrappers should be packed with paper between each.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 24 minutes.
9. Serve with Sunny's Creme Fraiche Dipping Sauce.
10. 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.