Sooo… The Pepperidge Farms contest allows you to enter 3 items: an appetizer, main dish and a dessert. I had already submitted an appetizer, and a breakfast entree, all I needed now was dessert. So here it is!
Pineapple Upside Up Tart
For the tart:
Pineapple slices, thinly sliced and quartered
1/3 cp juice from the pineapple
1/2 cp pecans, chopped
2 Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheets
1 cp Caramel Topping
1 1/2 cp Pastry Cream
For the Pastry Creme (adapted from Let’s Cook French recipe)
Ingredients (for 6 people):
1 cp milk
1/3 of a vanilla pod
2 egg yolks
2.5 ozs sugar
1/8 cp flour
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp bourbon (or your favorite liqueur)
Directions:
Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla. Using your mixer, whip the egg yolks with the sugar until it stretches like ribbon when you raise it with the spoon, then add the flour. Bring the mixer’s speed to low and slowly pour the boiling milk on the mixture, being careful not to drop the vanilla pod.
Once you have incorporated all of the milk, put the mixture back into the pot you used to heat the milk and cook over medium low heat, stirring continuously. Remove from burner when thickened. Set aside to cool.
For the Caramel Topping:
1/4 cp butter
1/2 cp brown sugar
1/3 cp juice from pineapple
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp heavy cream
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and juice (you may need to add a little water to measure 1/3 cp). Bring this to a boil and allow to cook until the sugar melts and it begins to thicken. Add the cream, stir and remove from the heat.
To assemble the tart:
Preheat oven to 400°. You will bake both pastry sheets.
First layer: On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, unfold one sheet and bake as directed. Remove from oven and with a flat spatula, press the down on the puff pastry to collapse the layers. Set aside and allow it to cool.
Second layer: On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, unfold one sheet and bend the edges upward to create a little dam. Add the caramel topping. Then spread the pecan pieces and top with the pineapple pieces. I used about 5 slices from a fresh pineapple, which I then quartered. You can use canned fruit. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
Place the first layer on your serving dish, top it with the chilled pastry cream. Then carefully place the second layer on top. Allow it to cool for about an hour before serving.
Enjoy!
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
This goes great over seafood, particularly when fried. Traditionally, fried seafood would be drenched in this sauce and allowed to marinate before serving.
Escabeche sauce
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2/3 cp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cp white vinegar
3/4 tsp sea salt, to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp habanero, crushed (optional)
Put the oil into a skillet and put over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and bell peppers, cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Once the onions are translucent, stir in the habanero then the vinegar, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes. Set aside.
This is DEFINITELY party food in Panama. Any major event ilicits the appearance of this Lechón Asado (roast pork). Sometimes it is referred to as pernil, but it is always deliciously roasted pork kissed by garlic and spices.
This is how it rolls at Casa Price.
Lechón Asado
6-8 lb pork picnic shoulder roast, bone in
1/2 cp parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Herb d’Provence OR
1 tsp dried oregano
Combine the parsley, garlic, salt, and herbs. Using a thin long knife, poke holes into the meaty side of the roast, about 1-inch deep.
Slip a pinch of the parsley mixture into the each hole. The holes should be about 1-inch apart.
Once you have filled the holes, score the fatty side of the roast. This will prevent the thicker layer from curling away and will make it easier when it’s time to slice this bad boy.
For the rub:
1 tsp Jugo Maggi or Worcestershire
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
Once you’ve filled the holes, combine the ingredients for the rub. Using your hands, rub this mixture all over the roast and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour. You can allow it marinate longer, overnight even.
Preheat oven to 400°. Place the roast, fat side up, on a roasting pan and rack, put it in the preheated oven and allow it to get some color for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350° and roast until the internal temperature reaches 160° to 165° (about 35-40 minutes per pound).
Oh boy!
Remove it from the oven, tent it with foil paper and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. You can serve it just like this or with any one of these sauces:
Onion Brown Butter
Chimichurri
That’s it. Go eat now.
Huevos Benedictinos
Do you like Eggs Benedict? If you do, you will love this one; I’ve given the traditional recipe a Mexican twist. Instead of English muffins, I used puff pastry shells. I’ve replaced the bacon and hollandaise sauce with chorizo and creamy salsa.
Ingredients
6 Pepperidge Farm puff pastry shells
Prepared Chorizo
Creamy salsa
Queso Fresco
I will break down the process for each layer. Here’s how:
For the chorizo:
10 oz Mexican chorizo (pork or beef will work)
½ cp onion, finely diced
1 small potato, finely cubed (about ½ cp)
2 tbsp salsa
3 tbsp water
Place a medium-sized skillet over medium high heat, add the chorizo and stir to break it up. Once it begins to render its fat, stir in the onions and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Add the potatoes, salsa and water. Stir it all in, lower the heat to medium low and cover with a lid. Stir it occasionally until the potatoes are fork tender. Set aside, but keep warm.
For the salsa:
This step is optional, if you don’t want to make your own salsa, just add cream to your favorite brand.
8 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 – 3 serrano peppers, halved
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
½ medium onion, quartered
½ cp cilantro, coarsely chopped
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp sugar
¾ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Add 1 tbsp of the oil to a skillet and place over high heat. When it begins to smoke, add the tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onion. You want to char and smoke the vegetables, but keep a close watch on them or they’ll burn. Try to get some color on both sides, then remove from the heat and put it all into your blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until all veggies are a mush.
Pour the salsa back into your skillet—you can add about ½ cp water to the blender to remove all the salsa bits—allow the salsa to cook over medium low temperature for about 10 minutes. This will yield about 3 cps of salsa, it will keep in the fridge for about a month.
Measure out ¾ cp of the salsa (you can also use your favorite salsa instead of making it yourself) and add ¼ cp of crema fresca or whipping cream. Stir it in and keep it warm. Set aside.
For the puff pastry:
Preheat oven to 400 and bake shells according to package instructions. Once baked, removed the tops and set aside.
For the poached eggs:
6 eggs, at room temperature
6-7 cps water
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp vinegar (I used sherry vinegar)
12” deep saucepan
Slotted spoon
I watched this video and realized I needed not fear the poaching process; this was the best video I watched.
Add the water, salt and vinegar to the pan and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat so that the water is at a low simmer. Break the eggs and put each one into a small container, like a cup (one egg per cup).
Now is time to play with your water. Using that slotted spoon, create a swirl in the water. The centrifugal force will help the egg whites swirl onto themselves and make your eggs pretty. Now quickly drop one egg at a time right in the center of the water funnel. The whites will wrap around the yolk and will begin to float as the yolk is done. Here’s the thing. I measured the water temp to about 170-175 and I do like my yolks soft, it took about 5-6 minutes to get them just right. You can cook them longer if you’d rather have a harder yolk. Use the spoon to remove the eggs from the water, let some of that excess water fall off and clean off the eggy tentacles. Set the eggs aside until you’re ready to assemble the dish.
Assembly time!
Take a shell and drop about 2 tbsp of the chorizo, then top the shell with an egg. Top the egg with the creamy salsa, and then sprinkle some of the cheese. Repeat and serve.
And this is what I did with the leftovers!
I wanted to shake things up a bit, get my ole routine a little kick. So my good friend Anni offered to be my guide for the day. She took me to the farmers market where we sampled local cheeses, gelato and tarragon soup. We spied cute pictures of goats, precocious little girls and hotties! Mind you, I’m a married woman, but I’m not a blind woman. At least not while wearing my contacts, which I was.
I have a few single friends and I had to let them know to grab their recyclable bags and head out to the farmers market. These boys are a) employed, b) motivated and c) cute! What else can you wish for? Fresh produce delivered by a hunky boy, now that’s what I call making use of local resources.
PS: Have you ever heard of a fruit tree called Buddha’s Hands?
Dana, I hope this is ok with you, but I’m sharing this recipe. I was introduced to Caipirihnas on a visit to NYC a few years back. There’s this little lounge/dive/bar called Baraza somewhere in the East village. It’s one of those dark, sultry, hot and bothered, jammin’ kinda places. Love it! That’s where I had my first one of these. Then my dear Swinda taught me how to make ‘em. YUM!
This is Dana’s recipe, with some commentary by me. Say thank you, everyone.
Caipirinha (k-eye-per-reen-yah) is made with Cachaça (kashasah) Brazil’s version of moonshine ; a liquor distilled from fermented sugarcane.
Ingredients
1 lime
2 oz Cachaça
3 tsps sugar, or to taste
Club soda (Seltzer)
Ice
First, prepare the limes: rinse and dry the lime. Then remove the thicker rind top and bottom ends and any unsightly blemishes.
Half the limes with a knife and cut a “V” groove to remove the center pithy part from each half. 
Slice each lime half into thirds, then half those pieces.
Place lime pieces in glass and add sugar. Muddle (what a great word!)
Muddle, grind, pulverize, mash those lime pieces right in the glass with a “mashing stick”.
Add the cachaça and fill the glass with ice. Top it off with the fizzy water, stir and enjoy!
Bendy straw and all!
It is! We haven’t seen the sun in Houston for about 3 weeks now. Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled with the snow and cold, I don’t want it to go away, but it is hella gloomy around here.
So, to counteract all the dreariness, I made sancocho; soup, more specifically, chicken soup. Traditionally, this is prepared with chicken, ñame [pronounced nyah-may] and culantro, in addition to the standard spices, that’s it. I did follow this traditional recipe and ended up with a bowl of goodness that took me right back home.
About the ingredients:
Ñame is a type of tuber, one of many varieties of yam. I’m not sure where you’re shopping for groceries, but here in Houston it has become easier to find ‘real’ latino produce. Of course this little fact makes my heart swoon with merriment. However, should you not have this tuber available in your area, you could use potatoes in its stead. Not the same, but still workable. Beware when peeling this root as it exudes a milky sap that is slightly slimy.
Culantro and cilantro are 2nd cousins. The tastes are similar, but culantro is 
like cilantro on steroids. The flavor is deeper and savory. They look nothing alike.
Carrots ~ I like adding carrots whenever I’m making a broth. They add a bit of sweetness that is just delicious.
Chicken ~ I am partial to dark meat, particularly when stewing chicken. I also recommend you use chicken that is still on the bone, because this will build the most flavor. I browned the chicken before boiling it and I removed the bones after the sancocho was done, neither of these steps are required.
Ok, back to cooking. Here’s what you’ll need:
Sancocho Panameno
3 lbs chicken pieces, (browned, optional)
1 lb name, cubed
10 culantro leaves
3 tbsp Maggi or Knorr chicken bouillon
1 carrot, peeled cut in thirds
2 cloves garlic, whole-husks and all
Salt and black pepper to taste
Add the chicken, 1/2 of the yam, 6 culantro leaves, carrot, garlic, and the bouillon to a stock pot. Add enough water to cover everything generously–about 5 qts.–and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, remove the foam that is floating over the top, lower the temperature to medium 
bringing it to a medium simmer. Cover it loosely with the lid and allow it to simmer for about 45 minutes.
At this point the yam will be done and breaking apart, this will help thicken the broth. Remove the culantro, carrots and garlic cloves. At this point you can also remove the chicken to debone it (if you want to).
Add the rest of the yam, the deboned chicken and allow it to cook for another 2o minutes or until the freshly added yam is tender. Chop the rest of the culantro and add it to the broth, allow it to cook for about 5 minutes. Serve with white rice.
What about you? What do you cook/eat to fight the winter blahs?
Here’s another recipe from my mom’s repertoire. This is a pretty simple dish to put together and has the added benefit of taking me back home. It definitely is one of my favorite comfort foods. My mom always served it with rice and tajadas, and so do I.
Corned Beef & Baked Beans
1 can corned beef
1 can baked beans
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cp water
1/4 tsp Habanero sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Heat up the oil in a medium-sized frying pan, then add the onions and cook until translucent over medium-high heat. Then add the corned beef, making sure to break it up.
Stir it to get the onions spread evenly before adding the beans, ketchup, water and habanero. 
Mix it all very well, reduce heat to low and cover. Allow it to simmer for about 3-5 minutes before serving.
That’s it!
This is very Argentinian. They use this as a marinade for grilled meats, to pour over meats after cooked and on salads, and plantain chips, and…, well. EVERYTHING! It’s delicious, so why not? In any case, this is my take on it.
Chimichurri Sauce
1/2 cp cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cp parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1-1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cp extra virgin olive oil
1 serrano pepper (optional)
Mix all of the ingredients and allow it rest for at least 30 minutes before using.
Variation: Add guava paste (about 1/4 cp dissolved) for a tangy and sweet taste that goes well with salads and plantain chips.
Adult beverages. They rock. They’re necessary. And I’ve been known to enjoy them. Often. Here’s another concoction I put together. Mind you, it may be an official drink, it may have been around for years, but I’m not aware of it. And, frankly, it’s alcohol, who cares who made it first, right?
I’m going to call it… Orange Breeze and it goes a little something like this:
Orange Breeze
1 oz lime juice
2 oz orange juice
1 to 1-1/2 oz Vodka
1-1/2 tbsp sugar
2-3 oz ginger ale
Ice
In a highball glass, mix the first 4 ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Fill the glass with ice and top off with ginger ale.
Bottoms up!
