Pastel Imposible/Chocoflan/Flan Cake Recipe

Cake :

chocolate cake mix (I used HEB's gluten free cake)

3 eggs

1 stick of butter room temp

1 cup of water

Flan:

4 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

can of evaporated milk

can of condensed milk

1 teaspoon on vanilla extract or more if you like it really vanilla (i used vanilla bean paste)

Caramel glaze:

1/2 cup white sugar or premade caramel in a jar or cajeta goat milk caramel(keep reading I'll explain what this is for)

Mixer or blender

Bunt pan and large roasting pan to soak bunt pan in 

Aluminum Foil

So preheat oven to 350

Prep bunt pan with butter non stick spray or nothing at all (if its a super non stick like mine)

Caramel-

So you can make your own like I did. Which is....or can be dangerous. I melted my sugar in a pan. I watched chef johns creme caramel video on how to do this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWeiY7h4odk

Or you can buy the premade stuff. 

This is needed to coat the bottom of your bunt pan. It kept my flan from sticking to the bottom and creates a pretty amber glaze. So coat the bottom of your pan with as little or as much as you like. Just make sure its enough to give the pan a light covering on the bottom.

Cake-

I used gluten free cake in a box since the hubs can't to regular cake. You can totally use homemade cake recipe it will work.  In my standing mixer I made cake batter just follow directions. Add batter to bunt pan.

Flan-

In a your blender add 4 eggs plus one yolk, vanilla, condensed and evaporated milk. Mix it up. Take a spatula in one hand and pour the liquid over the flat into the cake pan. You do this so the liquid gently goes over the cake. the flan will sink to the bottom of the plan when in the oven.  Cover the bunt pant with foil. Make sure you completely cover it with a tight seal.  Now CAREFULLY add boiling water to the roasting pan and place bunt pan with cake in water it all in the oven. 

So the magic happens when in the oven. The custard with sink to the bottom and the cake will rise to the top.

Set timer for 55-65 mins 

Remove from oven. Carefully remove foil and poke cake down to bottom if it comes out clean but sticky you are done. It's recommended that you chill over night so the custard sets and gets super creamy. I did serve it warm which is tricky since the cake can separate. Once cake is set flip it on to a serving plate. The caramel will ooze out the bottom on the plate that means its released it self from the pan, gently remove and BAM! cake and custard!

Red Lentil and Coconut Soup

2 healthy Tablespoons of coconut oil
2 medium red onions finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
1 red jalapeño or small red chili (also finely chopped with seeds)
2 stalks lemon grass thinly chopped
1 cup red lentils(rinsed off in cool water)
1 heaping teaspoon coriander
1 heaping teaspoon paprika
1 can full fat coconut milk
3 cups veggie or chicken broth
2 bay leafs
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

Heat oil on medium heat, in a deep pan.
Add onions, jalapeno, garlic, lemon grass.
Cook about 8 mins, till everything is kind of clear.
Remove from heat.
In a medium pot, pour coconut milk, broth, lentils, onion mix and spices.

Cook for about 30 min till lentils get mushy then add juice from lime and  garnish with cilantro if you like.

Salsa Verde hot or not

Finding good tomatillos in the Big Easy is NOT so easy! So when I find those little suckers I whip up a jar of the green goodness that lasts about 3 days in this house. This sauce can be eaten with anything. We enjoy it with eggs, enchiladas, chips, anything that can use some flava! Its vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free.

You need:
1 lbs tomatillos
2-3 serrano peppers
1 large white onion
1.5 cup vegetable broth
1 large clove garlic minced
Juice of one lime
One Bunch of cilantro
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Large pot
Blender


Fill your large pot with about quart of water and place tomatillos (husk removed) into the water
Boil these little guys for a about 10-14 mins. They will start off this bright green color and when ready they will be a light army green. Spoon them out of the water set aside.

I have a gas stove so I roast my peppers over flame till they are charred. I do this while boiling my tomatillos they take about the same time.

(I CAREFULLY de-seed them  according to how hot I want the sauce. Normally I'll use one seeded pepper for a whole batch but peppers are tricky depending on season and where you get them they can be HOT HOT HOT even with out the seeds.)

Mince your garlic, Chop onion into small chunks. Set other half of onion aside. Juice your lime, Chop half the bunch of cilantro. Measure out the broth.


In a blender add all your saucy ingredients and blend on chop or a low setting Till everything is the texture you like.Add salt and pepper, taste it with a chip.

In a pot add your sauce and the other half of the onion and simmer for 10 mins. This will marry all the flavors together, and can make the sauce HOTTER, so if the sauce is hot enough DO NOT cook it.
Cooking the sauce can make it  thicker so if you like your sauce loose add more broth. Use the rest of chopped cilantro as garnish.

enchiladas verdes

 WANT A COOL FRESH SAUCE WITH HEALTHY FATS?

 Add half an Avocado, a pinch more cilantro, and a little more lime juice to 1 1/2 cups of sauce........WOW you have a fresh addictive creamy sauce you can eat with chips, toss pasta in, or dip veggies in.

Pão de Queijo/Brazilian Yuca bread/ Evil balls of Goodness

I had these little devils in Austin at a Rio Brazilian restaurant. They came in three lightly crispy flavors basil, roasted red pepper, and plain. For dipping was a malagueta sauce which is a sweet and spicy almost creamy sauce that is indescribably perfect. I searched the net for recipes and found one @ http://www.laylita.com. So here you go. Enjoy them with people since they bring everyone to the kitchen as if you were doing the samba at carnival in a tiny bikini!

2 ½ cups yuca flour(tapicoa starch)

4 cups grated mozzarella cheese(or mexican blend or cheddar)

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 stick of butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces

2 large eggs

Parchment paper

cookie sheet

Preheat oven to 500
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

Make sure your cheese eggs and butter are really room temp. Its make it easier to knead together

Pour out your flour add salt baking powder on a large cutting board or clean flat surface. 

 Add an egg to the flour then a 2 cups of cheese

 Add 3-4 pieces of butter

 Knead is all together

The texture should be pretty flaky and not dough like I'll post pics soon

Add the next egg and rest of cheese and butter

Keep kneading and mushing dough together

You will find after about 5 minutes you get a ball of smooth almost play-dough textured dough

 Make little balls and place on cookie sheet 

Bake for 5-7 mins till little golden spots are on top of the bread

Eat immediately...... ok maybe not right away cool or a minute then devour.  

Ive also put pieces of pepperoni in these little guys, red pepper flakes, roasted jalapenos flavor them how you like. Its cheese you cant mess it up.

 

Pozole, an Abita beer, and the Mexican girl in New Orleans

Oh Louisiana you're killing me! It was so humid today I had to dry myself with a damp towel. AGH! If its not obvious to anyone I know, I miss Texas. I would like to be cuddled up watching movies with a bowl of caldo and a diet big red. This is my first holiday away from the familia :(. So I decided to make some comfort food. Pozole is a pork and hominy soup that my family never made but I liked since it wasn't as fatty as menudo. I searched for recipes all over and combined a few since not one really stuck out to me.  I played some Micheal Salgado as loud as I could, danced around and got to cooking.

1 lb pork tenderloin cubed
1/2 large white onion cubed
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin(maybe a little more if you like cumin)
almost 1 table spoon oregano
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 can of white hominy
1(32oz) box of beef broth( i used kitchen basics unsalted)
2 cups chicken broth
2-3dried guajillo chiles( fiesta brand California chiles, they are mild and don't have a lot of heat)


Garnish with
Red cabbage
Red onions
Avacado
Clintro
fresh squeezed Lemon or Lime juice
Makes 6-8 servings

Ok my dears. Here we go!
Take the chiles and boil them in med high for about ten mins in about 4-6cups of water

Cut up your garlic and onion set aside
Cube your tenderlion
Heat a pan with a little olive oil
Season your pork with salt and pepper
Cook in pan till pork is cooked through

Remove chiles from water. toss the water
Chop the tops off chiles rinse out the seeds( don't scrape)
Places chiles in blender with 2 cups of beef broth
Turn on and blend away till a red frothy liquid forms
pour into a large cooking pot
add in pork

Open can of homany rinse and add to pot
add rest of broth onion garlic and spices
taste.
(I added a dash more pepper cumin and salt after i cooked it for 20 mins then maybe a 1/2 cup of water just to give a little more broth. )
Cover and Let simmer on med low for an hour.
The house should smell like a Mexican restaurant.

Warm corn tortillas, slice red onions, cabbage, avocado, lemon/limes, cilantro

Open up your pot after an hour and bam!!!get smacked in the face with the smell of  abulitas kitchen on a rainy day.
Serve in a bowl  and dress up with your sides.

 hope someone enjoys this recipe and leaves a comment. Questions email me:P