Alma Cocina in Atlanta is a serious Mexican restaurant in a city that has historically undersupported serious Mexican restaurants, and Chad Clevenger has been making the argument for what Mexican cooking can be in the American South for long enough that S19E1 felt like a validation more than a surprise. He walked into the empanada battle with the confidence of someone defending a position they've held for years.
Clevenger's empanada dough is a masa-enriched flour dough — 20% masa harina replacing an equal weight of all-purpose flour — which creates a tenderness that pure flour dough doesn't achieve and a corn flavor that connects the wrapper to the filling. The enrichment is worked in cold, like a pie dough, and rested for twenty minutes before rolling to 1/8-inch thickness. His filling is built around braised pork that has been shredded fine rather than chunky, which creates more surface area for the seasoning to coat and a more even interior texture after frying.
Alma Cocina is worth the drive to Atlanta if you haven't already made the argument to yourself. Bobby Flay, whose empanada was built on instinct rather than conviction, provided the comparison.
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