Alfajores how to......

OK, so the alfajores that we took to the studio-warming last night were a HUGE hit, we actually had to hide some so the host & hostess would get to try them later on.

This recipe comes from the pastry chef at the Four Seasons Resort in Carmelo, Uruguay. We spent a fantastic 5 days there in November of 2007, and between laying on the beach or at the pool, having any number of Spa treatments, Ron managed to squeeze in a baking class devoted to these little Argentine gems. If you are lucky enough to travel to that part of the world, look around in Buenos Aires for the Havana Alfajore Shops. They are in most major shopping areas, as well as the duty free shops in the International Airport (which is convenient for snagging a few boxes on your way out of the country.) Ron loves the chocolate covered ones, and I am partial to the meringue covered variety! OK so here is the recipe....it's a tad on the labor intensive side, but SOOOOO worth it.

ALFAJORES DE ARGENTINA

17.8 oz. Flour
10.7 oz butter, softened
17.8 oz. cornmeal
1.7 oz. baking powder
14.2 oz. sugar
6 eggs
Dulce de Leche (see below)
shredded sweetened coconut


To make the Dulce de Leche:

Preheat oven to 425. F, pour 2 cans (18 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into a glass pie pan or shallow baking dish, stir in a dash of sea salt.

Set the pie pan within a larger pan, add hot water to the larger pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the pie pan. Cover the pie pan snugly with tin foil and bake for 1.25 hrs, checking occasionally during baking to maintain water level.

Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from oven and let cool. When cool, whisk until smooth. Store in fridge until ready to use. Warm GENTLY in microwave before using.

For The Cookies:

preheat oven to 375 F.

Sift the sugar and add the butter. Then add the eggs one at a time. Mix all together with the flour to make a paste. Press the paste softly until you get a dough. Let the dough rest in the fridge for a few minutes.

Knead and stretch the dough as thin as possible. Cut out disk shapes, and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until slightly tan.

Spread dulce de leche on one cookie and top with another cookie, and finish by rolling edge in coconut.

And Speaking Of Food......

I would like to pay homage to a little slice of paradise on a plate called "Kanom Krok", a very common street food item found all over Thailand. These little puppies are kind of like a Thai version of the Scandnavian Ebelskiver; essentially a fresh coconut creme-pudding- beignet-sort of thing. Made in special cast iron pans, these are best eaten hot form the pan, and the cost is only about 50 cents for a dozen or so. The special pans are available online (just google Kanom Krok pan) as are many versions of the basic recipe like this one:

KANOM KROK:

Khanom krok has two layers--first the rice flour mix is cooked, followed by the sweet coconut milk topping. Too much heat will burn the bottom layer, so it might take a bit of practice to get the pan temperature just right, and a nice crispy bottom. Our recipe is very simple, and delicious!

Ingredients (bottom layer)
1 cup rice flour
2 cups water
1/3 cup steamed (cooked) jasmine rice
1/2 cup grated, dried coconut (available in the baking section of most supermarkets)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients (topping)
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoon salt
1 green onion (scallion) chopped (optional)

Method (bottom layer)
Mix 1 cup rice flour with 1 cup water in a bowl. Mix well, and let it sit for at least an hour (overnight is ok).

In a blender, mix 1/3 cup cooked jasmine rice with 1/2 cup grated coconut, add the salt, then and add 1 cup water. Blend together until finely mixed. Pour this into the bowl of rice flour and water that's been sitting. Mix well by hand. Set aside.

Method (topping)
Mix coconut cream, sugar and salt in a bowl until dissolved. If you decide to use green onion, add it now.

Cooking the Khanom Krok
Heat the Kanom Krok pan over medium heat, and brush with vegetable oil when hot. Using a spoon, add the bottom layer mixture into each hole so it's about 2/3 full. Wait a moment, then pour about 2 teaspoons of the topping mixture into each hole to fill it up. Cover the pan with a lid (any lid will do, just set it on top of the pan), and cook until the cups turn slightly brown and crisp around the edge (about 8-10 minutes, or a bit more). Remove each cake, and serve warm. Usually the cakes are served as two (one placed on top of the other as shown below). Enjoy!

ps.... the pan and some of the ingredients are available online from www.importFood.com

ARROI MAK MAK KAP!
(Very very delicious!)