Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Semola con Leche con Caramelo de Crema y Ron (Semolina Custard smothered with Cream Rum Caramel)



This is one of the desserts that take me immediately home. It is so fresh and light, soft and easy to make, yes, VERY easy to make, so if you want to give this a try... let's get started then!


Ingredients:


- For the Semola con Leche

1 quart of milk
1 cup of semolina
1/4 cup of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
orange or lemon peel


- For the Cream Rum Caramel Sauce:

1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
1 tspn. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. Dark Rum
1 cup heavy whip cream


Directions:

In a heavy small sauce pan put the water and sugar under high heat until it dissolves and reaches amber color. In a measuring cup for liquids mix the cream, rum and vanilla extract. Using a sieve on top of the pot, pour the cream mixture. It will bubble hard and even splatter. Do not remove the sieve. Once the mixture has settled a little, remove the pot from the heat and stir it with a wooden spoon. Transfer the caramel to the pan you'll use for the Semola con Leche (I used a tube pan), and set aside.

In a bigger pot, pour the milk, cinnamon stick, orange or lemon peel and sugar in a pot and let it boil. In the mean time, dissolve the semolina in cold water. Once the milk is boiling, add the semolina mixture and stir it with a wooden spoon or a whisk until it thickens (You have to do it constantly, otherwise you'll get lots of lumps). Make sure to adjust the heat of your stove so it only simmers and do not boil hard. Once is thick and silky, pour the mixture over the caramelized pan.

Let it cool off at room temperature. Then, refrigerate for at least an hour. Once you are ready to serve, simply place a platter on top of the pan and flip it upside down. Let the caramel cover the semolina.

French Toast Flavored Scones



Scones are the perfect companion for a hot and delicious coffee or tea. So, I decided to mix one of my favorite breakfast flavors (french toasts) with a flaky and soft scone. The result is right here!


Ingredients:

- For the Scones:

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling over the scones before baking
1 1/2 stick of unsalted butter cut into little chunks
1/2 cup half and half
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup (almost)
1 tspn. ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn. ground nutmeg
a pinch of salt
1 egg and 2 Tbspn. of milk, for egg wash

- For the glace:

1/2 stick of butter, melted and cooled
4 Tbspn. maple syrup
1 tspn. vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the little chunks of butter and work it with a pastry cutter until the pieces are about the size of small peas. Set aside.

In a measuring cup (for liquids), pour the half and half, vanilla and fill it up with maple syrup until reaches 1 cup (it is almost half of a cup).

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture and work it as little as possible. Damp it over a floured surface and divide it into two pieces. Shape (one at a time) into a ball and put it on the prepared baking sheet and pat it until it shapes like a disc, not thicker than one inch. Do the same with the other one and cut them into 8 wedges each. Separate them about 1 each from each other. Brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle some sugar on top. Bake for about 15 minutes (it can vary from one oven to another, so make sure they are golden and if you insert a toothpick in the middle of one it has to come out clean and dry).

Once they are baked, drizzle the maple butter glaze over the top of the scones.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Peach Paradise / Copa de Duraznos




This is one of my favorite chilean desserts. It's easy to make, fast and delicious. Besides you can twist it enough to make different flavors and textures. It's a very versatile, happy and fresh flavor dessert.


Ingredients:

1 can of peaches in light syrup
3/4 cup of peaches syrup from the can
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Shredded coconut and peaches slices for garnish


Directions:

Put 3/4 of the peaches, syrup, condensed milk and lemon juice in the blender and process it until is creamy and smooth. Pour into goblets or any other glassy dessert dish and refrigerate for at least one hour (to set).

Garnish with coconut and peach slices.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins


Ina is my hero! I love her recipes and I was looking for something to make for breakfast and got this amazing recipe!! They have so much flavor and a beautiful texture. If you want to give this recipe a try, just get your whisks ready!


Ingredients:


- For the Muffins:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk, shaken
1/2 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 extra-large eggs
2 cups fresh blueberries (2 half-pints)


- For the Streusel topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and blend with your hands. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, and eggs. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a fork, mixing just until blended. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Don't overmix! With a standard (2 1/4 inch) ice-cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared cups, filling them almost full.

For the topping, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces. Pour into a bowl and rub with your fingers until crumbly. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the streusel on top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.






Source: Back to Basis - Ina Garten