Milk Flan

(6 servings)

This creamy flan isn't too sweet. I often make it with 1% milk, but on occasion I'll use whole milk or half and half.

Although I prefer using custard cups, this flan can also be prepared in a souffle dish that's large enough to hold about 4 1/2 cups of liquid. Just remember to increase the baking time by about 10-15 minutes.

3 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp water

3 large eggs
3 egg large yolks
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp  vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 cups milk or a combination of milk, half and half or cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Divide the sugar evenly between three two cup ovenproof custard cups or ramekins. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tsp of water over the sugar in each cup until the sugar is soaked evenly.

Place the cups into a microwave and microwave about 2 minutes to begin and then about 20 seconds at a time on high until the sugar bubbles and becomes a nice medium brown color. Watch carefully so the sugar doesn't burn.

Remove the custard cups and swirl the sugar mixture so it coats the entire bottoms and part of the sides of each cup. Set aside.

 Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and salt until the mixture is creamy. Set aside.

Gently heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edge. If a skin forms, then remove it.

Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Strain through a sieve and divide between the three custard cups.

Place the cups into a larger baking dish and fill with hot water about 1/2 way up the sides of the custard cups. Place into preheated oven and bake for about 45-55 minutes or until the flans have just set in the centers.

Remove from oven and cool completely.  Loosen the edges with a sharp knife, then carefully invert the flans onto one large or three smaller serving plates.

Cuatro Leches Cake from La Duni

The first time I tried this at La Duni Latin Cafe, I was in heaven. This has become one of my favourite cakes and I was thrilled when I came across their recipe online.

I have made this cake a few times, but always a smaller version using half the ingredients listed. This time I tried whole wheat pastry flour and loved it. I add slightly less sugar and  don't make my own dulche de leche. I'm not fond of the idea of simmering an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk on my stove top for several hours. The ready made stuff is easy enough to find in Dallas. :)

Cuatro leches cake (from Chef Dunia Borga from La Duni Latin Café in Dallas)
Serves 10

Vanilla Mantecada Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for buttering pan
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk

Arequipe (dulce de leche sauce)
1 (14 oz) unopened can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup whole milk, warmed

Tres leches sauce:
¾ cup evaporated milk
¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream

Stir these three ingredients together and set aside for the assembly.

Meringue:
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup water
1 cup egg whites (from 7 large eggs)
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for decorating

1. To make cake, preheat oven to 350˚F and arrange an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Butter an **8-inch cake pan, line with a round of parchment paper, and butter the paper. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt into a bowl. Cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until very fluffy. Add the sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating after each addition, until blended. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Finally, beat in the dry ingredients, alternating one with the milk: first, about one third of the dry ingredients, then ½ cup of the milk, another third of the dry ingredients, the remaining ½ cup milk, and finally the remaining dry ingredients. Beat until fully mixed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not over beat.

**I make half the recipe in an 8-inch pan and would probably use a 9-inch pan if making the full recipe.

Pour patter into the prepared cake pan and bake until the center of the cake springs back when touched an a tester inserted comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then turn it out on the rack to cool completely.

2. To make the arequipe sauce, place the unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a perforated insert such as a pasta pot) inside a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, and simmer for 2 hours, turning the can twice during cooking, once after 45 minutes, then again at 1 ½ hours. (Make sure the can is always covered by water, or it may explode.) Remove can from water and let cool before opening. Be careful when opening it, as the contents will squirt out; pour into a bowl, whisk in the milk, cover and refrigerate.

3. To make the meringue, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, undisturbed, until the syrup reaches 240˚F (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer. When the thermometer registers 200˚F, begin beating the egg whites on medium speed in an electric mixer fitted with the wire whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and with motor running, gradually pour syrup into the egg whites. Once all of the syrup has been incorporated, continue to beat at medium speed until cooled to room temperature and meringue is thick and glossy (15-20 minutes).

4. To assemble the cake, turn the cake out onto a cardboard round and remove the parchment. With a long serrated knife, cut the cake into 3 even layers. Remove the top 2 layers. Use a fork, to pierce the bottom layer all over; brush with about ¾ cup of the tres leches sauce, giving the sauce time to soak into the cake. Place the second layer on top, pierce with the fork, and brush with another ¾ cup of the sauce. Spread top and sides of the cake with about 1 inch of meringue, finishing the top with peaks. Use a blow torch (or run under a broiler, if possible) to caramelize the meringue. To serve, cut the cake into wedges, drizzle with the arequipe sauce, and sift confectioners’ sugar over it.

Honeyed Sausage Appetizer

Recently I was looking at various images of food online when I came across an interesting looking dish on a Brazilian site, Lingüiça no Mel. It's sliced sausage, cooked in champagne or apple cider and red pepper flakes, then finished with honey.

I needed a last minute appetizer and happened to have my favourite smoked sausage on hand. It's a nitrate free, pecan smoked beef sausage from Whole Foods. All I had was red wine and it was perfect with this sausage.

This simple dish was a huge hit.

Guacamole

(about 1 1/2 cups)

We haven't really had the brutal sort of heat I've become accustomed to this time of year. It's rained quite a bit which is really nice, but that messes with the humidity and raises those levels. Regardless, it's never entirely comfortable outside for me, so I'm tucked away inside where it's air conditioned.

The heat and humidity usually slow me down to the point where I'm not really in the mood to cook much. Today is no exception. I tossed together this guacamole instead, which came together very quickly.

2 avocados, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/4 - 1/2 clove garlic, minced (optional)
juice from 1 - 2 small key limes
a few drops of hot sauce
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small plum tomato, chopped
1/2 green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

corn chips

Place the avocado, garlic, lime juice, hot sauce and jalapeno pepper into a bowl. Mash together with a fork. Stir in the tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with corn chips.

Tamales; Chorizo and Poblano with Cheese

(makes about 26-30 tamales)

Tamales are wonderful. There's lots of varieties you can make by adding seasonings to the dough and swapping in various fillings. They freeze well, so it never hurts to double the recipe and make a bunch of them in one go.

I made these with 2 fillings; chorizo, and poblano with cheese. If you'd rather stick with one, then just double the filling you prefer.

about 30 dried corn husks

Soak the corn husks in water overnight.

dough
1 cup lard, shortening or unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 cups masa harina
2 - 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water (aprox.) room temperature


Beat the the lard, shortening or butter until light and fluffy.

Beat in the baking powder and salt, then beat in the masa harina a 1/4 cup at a time until it's used up.

Beat in the chicken broth slowly until the mixture forms a very soft, but not sticky dough.
The dough can be stored up to 2-3 days wrapped and refrigerated at this point.

chorizo filling (for 1/2 the dough)
1  1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 large  sweet onion, diced
1/2 lb chorizo

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and saute until it softens. Add the chorizo and fry until it's cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

poblano and cheese filling (for 1/2 the dough)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 ear corn, shucked
1 cup Queso Oaxaca or Monterey Jack (about 5 oz), small cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute until they soften. Add the peppers and corn and continue to cook until they soften as well. Remove from heat and alow to cool.

Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

to assemble

Spread a thin layer of dough over a corn husk leaving about 1/2" free space along the long sides and about 2 inches at both ends. Add about a heaping tablespoon of filling over the centre of the dough and fold the long sides (and dough) around the filling. Fold the edges underneath.

They can be frozen at this point.

Place the tamales into a steamer and steam for about 50-60 minutes.

sour cream to accompany

Serve with sour cream.

Chorizo and Scrambled Eggs

(serves 2)

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, sliced
1/4 lb chorizo
4-5 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp milk
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

tortillas


Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the bell pepper until it begins to soften. Add the onion and chorizo, breaking the mixture up as it cooks with a wooden spoon until the chorizo is cooked through.

Combine the eggs and milk and pour that into the skillet over the chorizo mixture. Cook, stirring the eggs into the chorizo until the eggs are set, but still moist.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately with tortillas.

Corn & Flour Tortillas

(about 8 large or 12 small tortillas)

I couldn't decide whether to make corn or flour, so I ended up combining the flours.
1 cup unbleached flour, perhaps a tbsp or so more
1 cup masa harina
1/4 cup lard, shortening or unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup warm water

Place 1 cup flour, masa harina, lard, shortening or butter, baking powder and salt in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.

Pour about 3/4 of a cup of warm water down the chute with the motor running.

Add either a bit more water or flour until you have a soft dough ball which leaves the sides of the bowl cleanly. Run another minute or so, or remove the dough and knead it a bit. Cover and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 to 12 balls. Either roll each one out or flatten them in a tortilla press between 2 pieces of parchment paper.

Cook the tortillas, one at a time in a hot ungreased skillet, about 1-2  minutes on each side. Adjust the temperature if necessary to keep them from burning.

Homemade Chorizo (raw)

(about 1 lb of raw sausage meat)

I love chorizo. It's a spicy sausage usually made from pork. I had never tried it before moving to Texas where I've had it served to me as a side, scrambled in eggs, in soup, as fillings..   yet I had never actually cooked with it.

When I decided to make some tamales this weekend, I thought chorizo would make a nice filling. Trying to decide which package of chorizo looked better at the grocery store, I did as I always do in those situations, I checked out the ingredients. Pork salivary glands, pork lymph nodes, pork fat... what? All of a sudden I didn't feel like chorizo tamales anymore.

I felt stupid because I love the taste of chorizo and usually I don't shy away from the ingredients. I know what's in haggis for heaven's sake and I still eat the stuff, lol. I'm usually willing to try most things at least once. (At the moment the only things that come to mind that I don't care for, are tripe and brains [texture] and chitterlings [can't stand the smell].)

When I got home I decided to google chorizo and get a bit more information. Although I didn't come across a single recipe that called for salivary glands, I did find mention of it in wikipedia, "Chorizo can be made from a variety of meat cuts, including lips, lymph nodes, and salivary glands.

The following is a recipe I found on Chow which I changed up a little bit.


1 pound ground lean pork
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp hot paprika
2 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely minced

Combine all the ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate at least overnight to give the flavours a chance to blend together.

Use or freeze.

Chicken Mole

(6 servings)

Since moving to Texas, I have discovered there are endless varieties of chicken mole to be found. This Mexican dish features a complex sauce made of chilies, nuts and chocolate.

I have no idea how authentic my version is. It's come about from trying different recipes and making adjustments here and there until I had something I was happy with. The chilies I use are pretty mild; if you prefer something hotter, then feel free to swap them out. This recipe doubles easily and freezes well.

2 dried ancho chilies
2 dried mulato chilies
1 dried pasilla chili
1 1/2 cups hot water

1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup green pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon

4 roma tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup raisins

1 cup chicken broth
2 disks Mexican chocolate or 3 oz unsweetened chocolate

12 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, try to get fairly large ones

Heat a skillet over medium heat and toss in the dried chilies. Toast them until they begin to smell smoky. Remove from heat and transfer the chilies to the hot water to soak for about 30 minutes or until they have softened. Sometimes I do this the day before and let them soak in the water overnight.

Return the skillet to the heat and add the teaspoon of oil.  Add the pumpkin seeds, almonds and peanuts, and stir until they begin to warm up. Add the sesame seeds and continue to stir until the nuts are lightly toasted and you can smell them. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Heat a tablespoon of oil a large dutch oven or heavy pot and add the onions and garlic. Saute over low heat until the onions are a nice medium brown; about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt, cumin and cinnamon.

Remove the chilies from the water and reserve the liquid. Remove the stems and seeds from the softened chilies.

To the bowl of a food processor, transfer the toasted nuts, softened cleaned chilies, the chili water, tomatoes and raisins. Process until smooth.

Transfer the processed mixture to the softened onions, and stir in the broth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture simmers. Add the chocolate and stir until it has melted. Set the heat to low and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, checking and stirring from time to time.

Add the chicken, stir, cover and cook over low heat for an additional 40 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Serve with rice and salad.