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lfujii

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  1. where do I buy Pistachio paste on the net? Can't find it in my country. I can buy it on the net and bring it by courrier but don't know where to buy it
  2. I live in the Dominican Republic. I must say it is my favorite food of the Caribbean. The only problem I have here is that everyday cuisine is to repetitive. The national "flag" (food that represents dominican eating) is compsed by rice, slowly cooked beans (delicious) and any form of meat (specially "carne guisada" which is any meat slow cooked in a rich tomato seasoning). Puerto Rico is really good to. Both share similarities in their cuisine, each claiming responsibility for the famous dishes they share in comon. For me, the most tastiest highpoints are: salcocho (stewed root vegetables with different kinds of meat, the black bean variation is exquisite), Roasted Pork and Roasted Pork leg (traditional for christmas and new year because of it's high price), mofongo (plantain or yucca mashed with Fried porks skin and garlic), Pasteles en Hoja (they are like tamales but made of a mix of grated starchy vegetables like plantain, green bananas, yucca, yautía, etc. filled with seasoned meat, chicken or pork, wrapped in plantain leaves an boiled in salty water for 45 minutes, traditional for christmas season), stewed goat is popular in some regions and it is fantastic (sherried goat is my favorite). Theres a region here where a lot of oregano grows and goats eat it a lot so people say that goats in that region are tastier. A lot of food here is heavy in carbohydrates or heay in fat (downsider) but cooking lighter is becoming a trend. What I love most is what dominican seasoning can do to elevate certain foods. People here do wonders with chicken and pork. The best fishermans stew I've ever tasted anywhere was in a small informal restaurant by the sea. The sweets that are traditional here are conserves. Guava skins, orange skins, papaya skins, grapefruit skins, cashew fruits.........all of these are slowly boiled in sugar, water and some sort of spice (could be cloves, cinnamon sticks, etc) to be sort of crystalized and conserved in jars with their syrup. This is served in small bowls sometimes with white creamy cheese (sort of dry ricotta, traditional here). The seasonings most used here are oregano, fresh cilantro, garlic, chicken buillion, soy sauce (yes, soy sauce) called locally chinese sauce, tomato paste and sazón ranchero in it's liquid and dry version (it is locally made by a company called Baltimore Dominicana). Most used vegetables: Onions, tomatoes, Cubanela peppers, garlic, cilantro, green beens, plantains, yucca, ......etc. Overall, I like that flavors are strong and rich. Nothing bland here. If anyone wants a recipe for anything, I'll try and get it for you, just ask....
  3. Different coconut cake Theres a recipe I like to make to potlucks or BBQ. It's a coconut version of the very famous latinamerican dessert Tres Leches (three milk cake). It consists of a a regular sponge cake baked in a 13 x 9 rectangular pan (I use Pyrex glass because you are going to serve the dessert from that same pan). After it is cool, I mix 1 large can of sweetend condensed milk, 1 large can of evaporated milk, and 1/2 large can (or more, acording to taste) of coconut cream. Complete the can of coconut cream with water until if reaches the full can measurement (I find that using the whole can of cream of coconut is to much so I complete the difference with water, but you can do as your taste buds dictate). Mix this milk medley and drench the cooled sponge cake with all this mixture and top with of with Italian Meringue and shredded toasted coconut. For a chocolate variation, use chocolate sponge cake instead. Chill for 4 hours least. Cut and serve. The description is a lovely drenched cake with a puddle of white sweet cream on the plate and enough Frosting not to distract the cake. It is light and rich at the same time. Very refreshing also.
  4. I used to work at a bakery as assistant manager. I fell in love with bread baking and did a lot of experimenting at the 100,000 dolar Hobart bread oven and at home. The crust at the bakery would be perfect, my first crust at home beautiful but kind of bland and chewy. I tried the bread pan but I didn't get the results I longed for. So one day, I took my water mister (garden type) and gave the loaves a general spray as soon as I put it on my baking stone. Closed the door an after about 20 seconds generously sprayed the loaves again (sprayed the loaves directly, not the oven). I reapated this operations the first few minutes (don't remember how much) until the loaves started gelatinizing their crusts and let them bake peacefuly alone. The crust this time was much better. It had a good crunch and beautiful natural shine. Of course, results with the Hobart Oven ath the bakery where better but this is the way I do it at home. Be careful with the oven light. Once I sprayed it directly and it burst. By the way, I find that the french bread in Peter Reinharts book is crustier. Pan a l'Ancienne and Ciabatta are less crustier (in my opinion, don't know if it's me, the chemistry of the ingredients or the nature of the bread). Also, the crust is best eaten within an hour or two after baking. I hope this helps.
  5. My husbands family is from Argentina, and my mother in law being a great cook, instructed me on a few pointers for succesful Dulce de Leche. The condensed milk method: You can perfectly boil various cans of condensed milk at the same time but you have to keep them covered with boiling water at all times. When we make it, as the water of the pot evaporates we gradually fill it so the cans are never exposed outside of the water. We have never had explosions and we've made a lot (I boil it 3 1/2 hours). To test the correct thickness and consistency, let it cool Completely (it thickens more if refrigerated) so bear in mind what type of cake you are making, the room temperature or refrigerated kind. If its to thin when cooled and opened, I put it in a small stainless steel pan and over VERY VERY low heat (a baine marie might work) i CONSTANTLY stir it to the desired consistency bearing in mind that it will thicken more when cool. At this point (before the desired consistency is reached) I add any optional flavoring (Rum or Vanilla). The Fresh Milk method: the proportions given before work great. In Argentina, a copper pan is preffered because of the heat conductive quality it posseses. Baking soda is added to help give that beautiful caramel color (it reacts with the heat). Constant stirring is a must because the milk and sugar can easily burn creating a lumpy final product. I know that substituting an amount of sugar with corn syrup benefits the final product but I don't know the proportion (I know it's not much). I've heard that raw milk is a must (don't know the exact reason) and reconstituted powdered milk can't be used because it lends and udesirable texture. The whole process can take 1-2 hours (stirring that long can be tiresome). In Argentina, theres a Bakers Dulce de Leche variety which is thicker and more stable. The thickening agents are generaly agar agar, carragenin (other similiar products). Comparing both: In this country (Dominican Republic) Dulce de Leche filled cakes rank among the best sellers. Tender, soft cake filled with dulce de leche frosted with Italian Meringue or 7 minute icing. The cake can be moistened with simple syrup flavored with Rum. Fresh strawberries go very well as part of the filling with this cake. The cake can be chocolate cake filled with dulce de leche and optional strawberries (very, very rich and delicious). Almost all the bakeries use the condensed milk method. The cakes hold up nicely and the filling behaves quite well. However, theres a very popular dessert here called tres leches (sponge cake seeped with a sweet mixture of three milks, condensed, evaporated and cows milk, topped of with Italian Meringue). A variation of this dessert is topping it off with dulce de leche and pipings of Italian Meringue. The condensed milk dulce de leche tends to melt into the Tres Leches but the one made with fresh milk tends to be more stable. Don't know why and in your case this piece of information might not be necessary because condensed milk Dulce de Leche works great on cakes, but anyway, sharing information. Hope this is useful, any questions, just ask
  6. I tried this cake and liked it very much. My problem was making a black forrest cake with it. I baked it in 3 layers and let them cool. I brushed them with kirshc simple syrup and started filling the layers with coffee butter cream and cherries (I preffer it filled with coffe butter cream and frosted with whipped cream). By the time I put the last layer on top, my first layer (the one on the bottom) split in two under the weight of the cake. That never happened to me with my usual chocolate cake. But overall, very good flavor and texture. Used Dominican Dutch processed cocoa (Mune brand, made from locally grown cocoa beans, locally processed, very good quality,and oh, I do live in the dominican Republic). Used sour milk (buttermilk is hard to find).
  7. I once saw a recipe for Key lime pie with a chocolate crust wich happened to have coconut in it.............looked great, bringing to mind a brebaked chocolate short crust with coconut. I also loved the idea of gingersnaps.
  8. I´ve made Dobos Cake 2 times for my argentine in laws (my father is from german origin) and it is a very popular cake in his family back in Argentina. I had never tried it but since I love baking I rumaged through my cookbooks and found very good recipes. The books are the 1952 (or 1953) version of the Joy of cooking and The Chef´s Dessert cookbook by Dominique D´Ermo (an old cookbook I inherited from my late great grandmother). I love both buttercreams because they are much more darker than traditional chocolate buttercreams. I hope this helps.
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