Pebre (Chilean salsa)

Pebre is one of the salsas you can hardly stop eating because it is just so fresh and delicious. During Independence festivities it's the dish that has to be present for the homemade chilean bread and asado (chilean steak).


Ingredients:

1 bunch of cilantro, washed and chopped finely
2 chopped white/yellow onions (finely)
Lemon juice from one lemon
1 Tbsp. red vinegar
3 garlic cloves minced
4 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 tomato chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili Sauce (creamy chilean paste) --optional


Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and let it macerate for at least an hour. Enjoy!


Source: www.nuevoanden.com

Squash au gratin

This is a perfect side dish for a special dinner, or you can bake it in individual casseroles and have it as a main dish too!


Ingredients:

Good olive oil, for frying
3/4 pound yellow squash, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good bottled marinara sauce


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of squash and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked squash slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more squash until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Place a layer of squash slices on the pan you'll be making the gratin, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of squash, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratin on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

Source: Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Texas Sheet Cake

If you feel like you have not much time to make a delicious dessert, or even to bring a cake to a party or potluck, here is a very good alternative. You only need between 45 to 50 minutes and you are done, yes... you are done!

In order to make it easier and faster the execution of this cake, I've separated the ingredients in three groups. Make sure you have all the ingredients ready and handy before starting working on the recipe.


Ingredients:

Group 1:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tspn. salt
1 tspn. baking soda


Group 2: (Heat it until boiling)

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup water
4 Tbspn. cocoa (I used dark cocoa)


Group 3:

2 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tspn. vanilla


Chocolate Icing:

1 stick butter
4 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. whole milk
1 tspn. vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar






Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Grease or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Put group 3 into a bowl, beat it until mixed and set aside. Fit your mixer with the paddle attachment and pour group 1. Stir it for 30 seconds, then add group 2 to group 1. Mix well. Add group 3 until all combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared sheet and bake it for 30 seconds.

While the cake is being baked for about 15 minutes, start working on the icing. Use a heavy bottom pot and bring it to a boil the following ingredients: butter, cocoa and milk. Transfer this mixture to the mixer bowl and add the powder sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until reaches a silky and smooth consistency.

Once the cake is baked, get it out of the oven and spread the icing on top, making sure it is smooth and nice. You can top the cake with some chopped walnuts. Let it cool at room temperature until the icing is set and cut it into squares.

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.

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