Cooking along

Bienmesabe

Hola Josianne! here is the recipe I have for Bienmesabe. Bienmesabe is translated literally "it tastes good to me" and its a sponge cake layered with coconut cream filling and topped with meringue, is a very delicious dessert from Venezuela. Its not an easy one but its my mom's recipe and when she makes it its the Best Bienmesabe ever, I have never made it myself...but the next opportunity I have I will make it to see how it goes and share with you my results.

Ingredients

Sponge Cake:

• 6 eggs, separated
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 cup milk
• 50 gr (about 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, cooled and mixed with the milk

Coconut Cream

• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 liter coconut milk (2 1/2 400ml cans)

Simple Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum (optional)

Topping

• 6 egg whites
• pinch salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• cinnamon powder or toasted coconut to finish

First we make the sponge cake. Turn the oven at 350. Butter and flour a 9x13x2 rectangular pan. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks, then add the sugar little by little and the yolks one by one.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the eggs mixture with a wooden spoon folding delicately so the eggs wont loose the air. Add the butter and milk mixture. Be careful not to over mix. Add to the pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool.

While the cake cools prepare the cream filling. Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and thick. Heat the coconut milk until almost boiling point (be careful not to let it boil over!). Carefully mix the egg mixture with the hot milk little by little. Once all the milk is mixed into the eggs return the cream to the pan and cook in a medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens for about 5 minutes. Set it aside covered to cool down.

Prepare the simple syrup. Heat the water and sugar until all sugar is dissolved. Off the heat add the rum and let it cool.

Cut the sponge cake in half lengthwise, so you have two layers of cake. To assemble divide the cream in three parts. Place the first layer of cream in your serving plate (its usually served in a rectangular glass plate) add a layer of cake and top with simple syrup enough to cover (this will keep the cake moist and flavorful). Add another layer of cream and another of cake. Finish with simple syrup and cream. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator. When ready to serve prepare the meringue topping.

Meringue topping. Start beating the egg whites, when they start to form bubbles add the salt and cream of tartar (this will stabilize them). Beat until soft peaks then start to add the sugar little by little until glossy and stiff peaks form, being careful not to over beat the meringue. Preheat the broiler. Top the Bienmesabe with the meringue and broil it a few seconds or 1 minute until the meringue is golden brown. Usually my mom skips this step and serves the meringue just out of the mixer, you choose what you like or feel more comfortable with. At the end sprinkle with cinnamon or toasted coconut. I have seen that some people add toasted coconut also between the cake layers, I left that to you according to your taste. Let me know how it goes!

Tres Leches

This is a very typical Latin American dessert, and a favorite in my family back home. Last weekend we had a Venezuelan reunion and this was the dessert I brought. I did it with a little twist, I added coconut milk instead of the heavy cream and it was delicious. But if you want to do the traditional one just use the cream. I'm sure you will enjoy this one!

Ingredients

Sponge cake

• 8 eggs, separated
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

Three milks mixture:

• 2 cans evaporated milk
• 2 cans condensed milk
• 3 cups heavy cream (or 1 can of coconut milk, unsweetened)

Meringue topping

• 4 egg whites
• pinch salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Making the sponge cake: preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour an 13x9 inch pan (this recipe is enough for 20 people, for around 10 people you can make half the entire recipe and use a 9x9 inch pan).

In a big bowl beat the egg yolks and 1 cup of the sugar (save the rest 1/3 cup for later) until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla. In another bowl sift the flour, baking powder, corn starch and salt. Mix until combined with the yolk mixture.  Meanwhile beat the egg whites until soft peaks, adding the saved 1/3 cup of sugar at the end. Do not over beat! Fold the whites into the yolk and flour mixture, being very careful not to deflate the batter. Pour into the baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let it cool for 30 minutes, then with a serrated knife poke holes into the cake to allow the milk mixture to be absorbed.

Mix the three milks and pour them into the cake. Refrigerate covered for 5 hours or overnight (the longer the better, this way the sponge cake absorbs better the milks)
When ready to serve prepare the meringue: mix the water and sugar in a small pan. Bring it to a boil and cook until soft crack point, about 10 minutes. To know when the syrup has reached soft crack, take a little bit with a clean spoon and drop it in a bowl filled with water. It is ready when you can make a little soft ball with it inside the water (be very careful handling the syrup, it gets extremely HOT). When the syrup is about to come to the soft crack point, beat the egg whites (with a pinch of salt added just a minute after starting the beating) until soft peaks. Still beating  the whites, add the syrup in a steady way and beat until the mixture cools down. The final mixture will resemble soft marshmallows (YUM!!).

Top the Tres Leches cake with the meringue in any way you like it. Sometimes I use a pastry bag and make decorations on top. But you can just add it to the top and make little peaks with the spoon. Top with cinnamon powder, this will give a great flavor and a pretty presentation.

Arroz con Leche (Venezuelan Rice Pudding)

This recipe comes from my Grandmother Emilia Figuera, better known as Tatá. Arroz con Leche is one of my favorite Venezuelan Desserts. It is similar to rice pudding, but with a special touch. The secret: stir, stir, stir so the rice won't stick. Arroz con leche is great by itself but since we are in berries season I like to serve it alongside fresh berries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white rice
• 5 cups water
• pinch of salt
• 4 cups Milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 can 14 oz condensed milk
• ground cinnamon for decorating

In a big pot heat the water until it boils, lower the heat to medium and add the salt and rice. Cook until the water is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally. Add the milk, cream and condensed milk and lower the heat to medium low, stir stir stir with a wooden spoon until the rice is soft, for about 1 hour. Transfer to a heat resistant plate and let it cool. Refrigerate for a couple of hours, or you can eat it at room temperature too!. When ready to serve sprinkle the Arroz con Leche with cinnamon, this will add great flavor and a pretty presentation.

Walnut Coffee Cake

My friend Alexandra kindly invited us today to "brunch and futbol" at her house. Her home team, Mexico, was playing and happily won the game. We were celebrating the game and our friendship, she made for us typical Mexican food like Chilaquiles, Rajas and Frijoles (I promise I will soon post these recipes). My contribution to this Sunday brunch was a very simple Coffee Cake, of course to be enjoyed with a nice cup of coffee or tea. Nonetheless you can enjoy this cake any time of the day...or even better in the afternoon with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Cake

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream

Topping

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the over 350°. Butter a square cake pan (8 or 9 inch). Cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix the sour cream and the flour mixture into the butter mixture in alternate batches. Pour the batter into the cake pan. In a small bowl mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add the butter and mix the ingredients by hand, until you get a sandy mixture. Add the walnuts and mix. Sprinkle this mixture over the cake and bake between 30 to 40 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool down for about 15 minutes in the pan.

Fresh Fruit Tart

This is a great summer dessert. Use the best berries you can find, in this recipe I used strawberries and kiwis, but feel free to use also raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. You can even try adding more color with grapes, mango pieces or orange segments. The possibilities are endless. Go ahead, impress your friends!

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons cold cream or milk
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• extra cold water if needed for a soft dough

Mix the flour and sugar in a mixer. Add the butter and mix until you get crumbles that resembles sand. Whisk the egg yolks, cream or milk and vanilla together. Add to the flour and butter mixture and mix at low speed just until combined. Turn out in your work surface and form into a disc. If the disc seems too dry add a little cold water and just mix in, do not over work. Wrap in plastic paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. At this point it can be refrigerated over night. When ready to bake, roll the dough in a removable bottom tart pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat the over at 350°. Cover the bottom of the dough with aluminum foil and put some weights on top, like dry beans or rice. Bake the tart shell for 25 minutes, remove the weights and aluminum foil and pinch with a fork. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes until it's beginning to get golden. Do not over bake. Cool the shell in the pan.

Pastry Cream

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the milk and half of the sugar in a saucepan over low heat. In a medium bowl whisk the yolks and remaining sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the flour and just mix in. When the milk is boiling, beat one third into the eggs mixture and mix well. Add the rest of the milk and return to the saucepan. Heat until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, mix well and strain through a colander (this will make the cream extra smooth). Cover with plastic paper against the surface of the cream, make little holes with a knife and refrigerate until cold. Can be left over night in the refrigerator.

Assembly

• 1 pint strawberries, sliced
• 3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam, diluted in 2 tablespoons of water

Spread the cooled pastry cream over the cooled tart shell. Arrange the strawberries and kiwis in a concentric manner. Use your imagination. Remember that you can use other fruits if you like. When you are ready to serve brush the fruits with the apricot glaze, if you do it a long time in advance the strawberries will become watery. Keep the tart at room temperature if you are serving it in the next hour or so. Refrigerate for longer storage.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a request from my Brother Juan. He was looking for a recipe of chocolate chip cookies in the Internet and didn't like what he found (he told me that some recipe asked for really weird ingredients, like yogurt) he just wanted a straight forward recipe, simple and delicious. So there you go Juan, here is a recipe I really like adapted from the book: How to Bake by Nick Malgieri. I hope you like it hermano querido.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup (6 oz) chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil. In a bowl beat the butter with the sugars to mix, then beat in the egg until smooth. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into the butter mixture, then stir in the chocolate chips. Be very careful not to over beat, do it only until it comes together. Drop the batter into the cookie sheets in small mounds, leaving room for the cookies to spread. For a more round cookie I like to make little balls and then flatten them before placing in the cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden. Cool them on a rack and enjoy!

Pecan Pie

I'm back!. After a long time off the air I come back with this delicious recipe: Pecan Pie. It's easy, and even my mom who doesn't like pecan pie too much really liked this one. I know it's not light, but what can be wrong with a little indulgence once in a while?

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter (I told you it was not light ;-)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup Karo light corn syrup
• 3 eggs
• 2 generous cups pecan halves
• 1 pre-made pie crust (found in the refrigerator of most supermarkets), you can also make your own and use it. I will make this recipe soon.

Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange the pre-made pie crust in the pie pan and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. In a medium sauce pan melt the butter (do not brown)and add the sugars and corn syrup until dissolved, stirring constantly. In a bowl beat the eggs, add a little of the butter-sugar mixture stirring constantly (this will temper the eggs and avoid having very sweet scrambled eggs!) and finish adding the butter mixture until all is mixed in. Add the pecan halves and pour into the pie crust. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until firm when shaken. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Note: last time I tried this recipe, I blind baked the pie crust first and the result was better. To do this simply cover the uncooked pie crust with aluminum foil and add dried beans over the foil. Cook the crust for 25 minutes, remove the beans and foil and then proceed as usual, lowering the total baking time with the filling to 45-50 minutes instead of 1 hour.

Dulce de Leche

This is my favorite version of Dulce de Leche or Milk Dessert. It's Curdle Dulce de Leche! And to those that are not used to it, it may sound a little bit funny because the milk is purposely curdle until is grainy. But that's the point. Trust me, it is delicious. Every time we went to visit my grandmother Tatá in Urica, her hometown in Venezuela, she would receive us with all kinds of sweets like Dulce de Lechoza (Papaya), Dulce de Merey (Cashew fruit) and specially curdle Dulce de Leche. She used fresh milk from Papa Renco's cows and "Papelón" or solidified sugar cane molasses to sweeten. This is my version of that memory. This is also a labor of love, the total cooking time will be about 2 to 3 hours so be sure you have time for it.

Ingredients

• 12 cups whole milk
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 1/2 cups Brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• You can substitute the sugar and molasses for 1 pound (about 1/2 kilogram) Papelón or Piloncillo, finely grounded
• peels from 3 limes, use the potato peeler to get big pieces
• juice of 1 lime

In a big nonreactive pan mix the milk, cream, brown sugar and molasses. Cook in a medium heat for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lime peels and lime juice, this will almost immediately curdle the milk, continue stirring so the milk lumps are not too big. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring once in a while so the milk won't stick to the bottom, for about 1 1/2 more hours or more if there is still too much liquid. But keep in mind that here should be some liquid left, this will evaporate while the sweet is cooling. Cool completely before refrigerating. You can either remove or leave the lemon peels, but some people like to eat them so I usually leave them. This recipe makes about 4 cups of Dulce de leche.

I know it sounds complicated, so if you have any questions or you want me to clarify any step, please ask me. Thanks to Tatá, Tia Naty and Mamá Marisela for all the tips and recommendations that evolved into this recipe.

Strawberries and Whipped Cream

In Venezuela if you go to a town called "Colonia Tovar" one of the things you will almost certainly eat are strawberries and cream. The mountain climate produces great berries year round. On the other hand when someone from Venezuela comes to visit us in California and ask if we want something special, my answer is automatic: bring me a can of "Pirulín" please. This delicious cookies are a perfect accompaniment for the cream and the berries. So this recipe is for my niece Camila, the Washington champion of Pirulín eating. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 pint strawberries, washed
• 1 cup whipping cream
• about 3 to 4 tablespoons powder sugar (this is according to your taste, some people like it less sweet than others)
• 1 tablespoon Amaretto liquor (optional)
• at least 3 Pirulín cookies (see picture) per person

Start arranging the strawberries in a plate, with a bowl in the middle. Whip the cream until soft peaks, add the sugar and optional amaretto. Be very careful not to over whip, otherwise you will get sweet butter instead!. Serve in the bowl, and arrange the cookies on top. They will disappear instantly once in the table. Buen Provecho.

Apple Tart

I recently bought a pre-made pie dough at a local supermarket. This is one of the recipes I made with it, it's very good and simple, yet delicious and beautiful. It's a great idea for the coming holidays.

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-made pie dough
• 5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used Fuji apples)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon blackberry preserves, diluted in 1 tablespoon water (or any other preserve that you have handy)

Preheat the oven at 350°. Transfer the dough to a removable bottom tart pan, and freeze it for 5 minutes before baking.  Using dry beans as weights, pre-bake the pie crust for about 30 min or until light golden brown, let it cool briefly. Meanwhile peel, core and cut the apples in wedges, transferring them into a bowl with the lemon juice. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Arrange the apple wedges in a concentric circle into the pie shell and dot with small pieces of butter. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the apples. When ready brush it with the blackberry preserves. Let it cool in a rack before serving. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream.