Pastel de tres leches

Pastel de tres leches is a popular dish in Guatemala and other parts of Latin America. There would be fierce debate as to whether tres leches is a Guatemalan invention but it’s certainly found its way into most legitimate cafes and restaurants here.

Translated as ‘three milks,’ it actually uses four different kinds of milk-based products. But really, who’s counting when it tastes this good? If you’re looking for the perfect postre to go with that afternoon coffee (fair trade, of course!) then, when not try this tasty treat?

Trying to impress? Then make sure you use good quality eggs (frescos!) and splash some cash on vanilla extract. They should sell it at larger stores like Paiz but it will still taste good without it. These ingredients will llevarlo al otro nivel. Fijo.

I’ve included using dark rum for this recipe because let’s face it: what doesn’t taste good with dark rum in it? But, the recipe works perfectly well without it. Or, if you can’t afford rum, then you could always try using Quetzalteca.

Ingredients

For the cake

·         1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon of baking powder

·         1/2 cup of unsalted butter (or margarine) at room temperature

·         1 cup of white sugar

·         5 huevos

·         1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 For the syrup

·         2 tablespoons of ron añejo

·         1 1/2 cups of whole milk

·         1 small can of sweetened condensed milk

·         1 small can of evaporated milk

 For the cream topping

·         1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

·         1 cup of white sugar

·         1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 Fresh berries like frambuesa or sliced fresas (washed and cleaned) to serve.

 Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan

2.    Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside

3.    Beat the butter or margarine with the cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at time. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat well to combine

4.    Fold the flour into the butter mixture bit-by-bit; mix until well blended. Pour the batter into the greased pan

5.    Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven. To test if it’s cooked, pierce with a fork. If the fork comes out clean, it’s cooked

6.    When the cake has cooled slightly, pierce it all over with a fork

7.    Gently pour the rum over all of the cake so it soaks into the cake

8.    In a jug, combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Gently pour over the top of the cooled cake. There is usually more syrup than the cake can absorb at first. So, keep spooning the excess syrup over the cake every so often to make the cake as moist as possible. If it’s still overflowing with liquid when you’re about to serve, you can pour off a little of the surplus

9.    When you’re ready to serve, whip the whipping cream with the remaining cup of sugar (use less sugar if you don’t like it too sweet) and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla together. Whip until you can form soft peaks. you will probably need an electric whisk to do this. Spread over the top of cake to form a final layer

10. Cut the cake into squares and serve with some of the sauce and the berries scattered on top

11. Make sure you keep any leftovers refrigerated But, if you’ve made it well, there should be very little leftovers!

Homemade Hummus

Photo taken by meeeeeeeeee :-)

I adore hummus and could scoff an entire pot all to myself. I'd never really liked homemade hummus but was asked to make some today and I have to say I was pretty impressed! I think the trick was the extra liquid so don't scrimp on the oil because this makes it beautifully smooth. The added whole chickpeas with the oil, coriander and paprika give it the perfect finish ready for any party snack or starter. This is adapted Jamie Oliver recipe. I'd always recommend cooking dried chickpeas if you have a pressure cooker, they make more and somehow taste better.

• 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas (reserve the liquid and a few chickpeas for decoration)or cook a 1 lb of chickpeas in the pressure cooker
• 4 tsp tahini
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 tsp crushed sea salt
• 6 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
• 3½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Paprika 
• Coriander or parsley leaves 

Rinse the chickpeas in cold water and tip into the food processor. Add the tahini, crushed garlic, salt, lemon juice and seven tablespoons of the reserved liquid from the cans. Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the oil while it runs.

When the mixture is fully combined and smooth, tip it into a serving dish. Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and decorate with a few whole chickpeas. Sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped coriander or parsley leaves, and finish with another squeeze of lemon.

If you're feeling healthy eating with raw carrot sticks, if not try Doritos or on freshly toasted bread. Enjoy!

Platano en Gloria

If there’s one fresh fruit you’re guaranteed to find in any ‘tiendita’ it’s plantain. Guatemalans love them and no desayuno chapin would be the same without it. Don’t let their over-ripe appearance put you off. That’s when they’re at their best! So whether you can’t face walking further than your corner store, or you were persuaded by the amazing deal of ‘10 por Q5’ at la Democracia and now have no idea about what to do with your platano surplus, then this is the recipe for you! Eaten as a mid-morning ‘refa’ or as a dessert with un poco de crema fresca, this will satisfy even the sweetest tooth.

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients

·         Four ripe plantains (roughly working out one per person)

·         One cup of orange juice (preferably a bag of the freshly squeezed stuff for extra goodness)

·         15-20 cloves (roughly 5 cloves per plantain)

·         One tbs of butter or ‘margarina’

·         Two ‘ramitas de canela’

·         Aprox one tbs of honey

Instructions

1.    Melt a large tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. You can use margarina but butter tastes better if you can afford it

2.    When the butter has melted, add the whole, peeled plantains and begin to fry

3.    Stick 4-5 cloves into the flesh of the plantain. Break the two ‘canela’ sticks in half and add them to the pan so the flavor infuses into the butter. Start to lightly brown the plantain over a low heat, turning to fry on all sides. This should take around 10 minutes

4.    Once lightly brown on every side, take the plantain out of the pan and sit on una servilleta or paper towel to soak up some of the oil. Leave for a couple of minutes to cool

5.    Take the cloves out of the flesh and cut the plantain into slices, not too thin

6.    Put the pan back on the heat, add a drop of oil or more butter and start frying the plantain slices. Pour over the OJ. After a couple of minutes, drizzle half of the honey over the plantain slices. Then flip the plantains over and add the other half of the honey. To make sure they caramelize, leave the plantains for about 5 minutes on each side.  Spoon some of the juice over occasionally so it soaks into the plantain

7.    The sauce should become thick like caramel. You can always add more OJ if you think you need more

8.            Once cooked, turn the heat off and leave to sit for a minute or two in the pan. Serve with a dollop of cream or icecream and a sprinkle of canela.