Haaa, Fooood! As I was thinking of the past year, it occurred to me that our big trip did influence our eating habits - as anticipated. For one thing the kids have a much wider food palette now. The trip gave me the opportunity to explore new recipes with local Yucatan foods, and it was a pleasant part of our adventure. I posted recipes over the past year, but I thought it would be a good idea to make a 'best of' compilation, in different categories.
Here is a collection of dessert recipes that I have discovered in the past year, part of which consisted of our 3 month family escapade to Mexico, in late 2010- early 2011. I added some recipes that I have discovered after we returned home, and here I share only what I deem deserving of our attention... of course.
Our first escapade destination in mid-November 2010 was Xcalak, a very remote and idillic spot in the extreme South-East of Mexico. We were in cozy Casa Caracola (www.casacaracola.com), with solar power and rain water, in the heart of the Xcalak National Reef Park. It was us, and the pristine sea - a snorkeling paradise. Food wise, the produce truck came by twice a week, and except for tortillas baked goods were particularly rare. So my cooking quest began with desserts while in Xcalak, and I found an apple cake and banana cream pie which I kept making later at the ranch - and all along our Mexico trip, and thereafter. Enjoy!
EASY APPLE CAKE
2 cups diced apples (small cubes)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1/4 sp salt
Cinnamon and vanilla to taste
-Mix the diced apples with the sugar and let sit for 30 min. Add oil and egg, cinnamon and vanilla and mix, add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a prepared 8'' or 9'' pan, bake at 350F for 40 to 45 min. To add a special touch after it cooled a bit, I poked the top with a fork and drizzled maple sirup on it. Yummy yummy! You can also make this cake using pears or peaches, or mangoes. Makes a great breakfast or afternoon snack!
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BANANA CREAM PIE
3/4 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
4 bananas, sliced
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks (to warm them up), and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency. Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes (I cook it for at least 20 min. for a firmer result). Chill for an hour.
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Moving along - We spent the last week of our 3 month escapade in Tulum, where we met a wonderful couple who are building a house in the jungle inland, near Coba. She gave me a big bottle of local honey, so when we arrived home I started to search for ways to use this precious sirup. Here are a couple of good finds :
HONEY GINGER CAKE
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp grated lemon peel (I used orange peel, very nice too!)
4tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Blend sugar and honey into butter, add yogurt, eggs, lemon peel and ginger - Mix well
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
Fold liquid ingredients into dry mixture.
Pour into greased 9" pan (a 'tube pan' - as for angel cakes - might actually be best since the centre of my cake was uncooked), bake 30-35 minutes
Cool and remove from pan - Dribble with Honey (optional) and serve.
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HONEY GRANOLA BARS
1 cup granola
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup raisins1/3 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
-In a large bowl combine granola, oats, flour, coconut, almonds, raisins or chocolate pieces, wheat germ, and brown sugar.
-In a small bowl combine the egg, honey, butter or margarine, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir together until all ingredients are moistened.
-Spread evenly in a greased 12 x 7 x 2-inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until light brown on the edges.
-Cool completely in the pan (I always set the pan on a cooling rack). Cut into squares or bars. Makes about 24.
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And at last, here are a couple of my home favorites :
BERRY POUDING CAKE (from my childhood in Quebec city)
Poor 2 cups of blueberries (or other berries) in a 'crown' baking pan, and sprinkle with sugar or honey. In a bowl mix together 1 cup of sugar (or half and half white and brown sugar), 1 cup of flour, 2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. In a measuring cup, melt 3/4 cup of butter, add 2 eggs, and fill with milk up to 1 cup. Mix with dry ingredients until smooth and creamy, and poor evenly on the fruit. Spread the dough with a fork as needed, and bake in the oven at 350F for 55 minutes. Let it cool for 10 or 15 minutes, and serve with ice cream - or with yogurt! Oh yes!
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BEST BANANA BREAD EVER! (discovered this one only last fall - simple and super good!
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix 1/3 cup of melted butter into 3 or 4 ripe mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in 3/4 cup of sugar (or a little less), 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt over the mixture and mix in. Add 1 1/2 cup of flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
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