Tres Leche for Christmas "Forget the Calorie Count"

Courtesy of Monica at AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 5 egg whites
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 10 maraschino cherries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. Beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar until light in color and doubled in volume. Stir in milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder.
3. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until firm but not dry. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes.
5. Loosen edge of cake with knife before removing side of pan. Cool cake completely; place on a deep serving plate. Use a two prong meat fork or cake tester to pierce surface of cake.
6. Mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of the whipping cream. Discard 1 cup of the measured milk mixture or cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining milk mixture over cake slowly until absorbed. Whip the remaining whipping cream until it thickens and reaches spreading consistency. Frost cake with whipped cream and garnish with cherries.

   

Celebrating the "Hispanic Kitchen"

Beef "Tamales"

By: jenn  "These are just like the tamales my Abuelita used to make for special occasions. This recipe makes a lot, but if you're going to go to all the trouble of making tamales from scratch, you might as well have a party! You will need butchers' twine and a large pot with a steamer basket to make these. May be frozen up to 6 months in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags. To reheat, thaw in refrigerator and then steam or microwave until heated through." 

Photo by Lavalady

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless chuck roast
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 (8 ounce) packages dried corn husks
• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• salt to taste
• 3 cups lard
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 9 cups masa harina

Directions

1. Place beef and garlic in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Let simmer for 3 1/2 hours, until beef is tender and shreds easily. When beef is done, remove from pot, reserving 5 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Allow meat to cool slightly, and shred finely with forks.
2. Meanwhile, place corn husks in a large container and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 3 hours, until soft and pliable. May need to weight down with an inverted plate and a heavy can.
3. Toast ancho chiles in a cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in ground chiles, cumin seeds, ground cumin, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar and salt. Stir shredded beef into skillet and cover. Let simmer 45 minutes.
5. Place lard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add masa harina and beat at low speed until well mixed. Pour in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough.
6. Drain water from corn husks. One at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale and tie with a piece of butchers' twine.
7. Place tamales in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water for approximately one hour, until masa is firm and holds its shape. Make sure steamer does not run out of water. Serve immediately, allowing each person to unwrap their own tamales. Allow any leftovers (still in husks) to cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator.

   

Gambas Pil Pil (Prawns, Chilean Style)

By damasio "Rich, golden garlic cloves and a splash of pisco flavor juicy prawns in this Chilean version of a classic Spanish tapa."



Photo by AllRecipes



Ingredients

• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil or olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cacho de cabra pepper, or Anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons pisco or brandy
• salt to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Place the garlic cloves and grapeseed oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the garlic slowly turn golden brown as the oil becomes hot; continue cooking until the garlic has turned golden-brown, and the oil is quite hot.
2. Add the shrimp, stir to coat with oil, and cook for 15 seconds before stirring in the chile pepper. Continue to cook until shrimp is pink and firm. Pour in pisco, and cook for 30 seconds to let the alcohol evaporate. Season with salt to taste, then pour the mixture into a serving dish. Serve sprinkled with cayenne pepper, and garnished with lime wedges.

 

Peruvian Lomo Saltado

By: Perricholi  "This is a traditional, very easy dish to make. I might add that it's very popular with finicky kids and adults as well."  

Photo by KM

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen French fries
• vegetable oil as needed
• 1 pound beef tri tip, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large onion, sliced into strips
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and sliced into strips
• 1 yellow chili pepper (preferably Peruvian aji amarillo)
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 dash soy sauce to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Prepare the bag of French fries according to package directions.

2. While the French fries are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the sliced meat with salt and pepper to taste. Fry the meat until just cooked, and the juices begin to release. Remove the meat from the frying pan, then cook the onions, with additional oil if needed, until they are transparent. Stir in the tomato and aji amarillo; cook until the tomato softens. Pour in the vinegar and soy sauce, add the French fries, cover, and cook until the beef is done, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.