A Special Valentine’s Dessert

                                                              This cake is Southern Living’s most requested recipe

If you’re looking for a scrumptious way to celebrate Valentines, I’ve got just the recipe for you.  I had my first bite of this ethereal cake in Charleston two years ago when I took a group of Wine-Knows to Savannah and Charleston.  One of my clients ordered it at dinner and made the mistake of giving me a taste.  It was love at first bite.  I tracked down the next day the bakery , bought a huge piece (which I devoured on the spot), and have been a fan of the “Hummingbird Cake” ever since.

If you like homemade carrot cake (the moist version with pineapple and coconut), you’ll love this dessert.  Think carrot cake meets a great rendition of banana bread.  Published in Southern Living in 1978, Hummingbird Cake is the most requested recipe in the magazine’s <50 year history.  Over the years the cake has garnered a plethora of awards, including First Place at the Kentucky State Fair.  Just about every women’s Community Cookbook in the South has at least one recipe for this famous sweet.  Google currently offers nearly a million recipes---including one by the Queen of Southern cooking, Paula Deen.  There are even Hummingbird Cake videos on U-tube.

In spite of this cake being so strongly associated with the South, Hummingbird Cake actually originated on the island of Jamaica.  It appears the recipe was part of a marketing ploy in 1968 when Jamaica Airlines was launched.  The airline’s press package included various items about the island’s culture in hopes of enticing tourists to come to Jamaica.  Part of that press kit was the Hummingbird Cake, named after the island’s national bird.

Here’s the original recipe published in Southern Living: 

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/hummingbird-cake-0

Have a sweet Valentine’s!

Magnanimous Membrillo

                         Membrillo paired with Manchego is a perfect appetizer or dessert

If you don’t know Membrillo you should.   Although it is popular in Europe, my first exposure to this over-the-top edible was in Argentina.  I remember the exquisite setting, with whom I was dining, and the very moment its wondrous flavor made its way to my mouth---the earth moved.  

Membrillo is made from quince.  In fact, it’s a gourmet rendition of a very dense quince jam.  In Spain it is served as a dessert, but you can also find it on Spanish breakfast tables used as a topping for toast.  As a dessert, however, it is typically paired with cheese.  In my Argentine introduction to Membrillo, it was served with a mild local, soft cheese.  In Spain, however, it works beautifully with the country’s salty Manchego.   Add a few nuts and you have the perfect autumn dessert.

                   While it is difficult to find quince in stores, farmers markets often have them

I so love Membrillo that one of the first things I did upon moving to the San Diego area was to plant a quince tree.  I can now see why this beautiful fruit captivated European artists in the 18-19^th centuries when botanical prints were so popular.   Quince blossoms are beautiful, its fruit is interestingly shaped, and its inside is an artist's dream.  Regrettably, quince has fallen out of favor in the US.  Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that quince cannot be eaten without being cooked---the fruit is very astringent raw.   

                                                                     Quince as art

It’s quince season so I’m making Membrillo this month.  It freezes well so that my freezer will soon hold the 2015 “vintage” of this luscious delectable.  Below is the recipe I use.  If you don’t have access to quince you can buy Membrillo online.  Also, if you’re coming with us in 2016 to Spain, you can be assured that it will be served on probably more than one occasion.

RECIPE

• 4 pounds quince, washed, cored, roughly chopped  (not necessary to peel)
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 2 strips (1/2 inch by 2 inches each) of lemon peel (only the yellow peel, no white pith)
• 3 Tbspns  lemon juice
• About 4 cups of granulated sugar (exact amount will be determined during cooking)

Place quince pieces in a large saucepan (6-8 quarts) and cover with water. Add the vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the quince pieces are fork tender (30-40 minutes).

Strain the water from the quince pieces. Discard the vanilla pod but keep the lemon peel with the quince.  Purée the quince pieces in a food processor, blender, or by using a food mill. Measure the quince purée. Whatever amount of quince purée you have, that's how much sugar you will need.  (So if you have 4 cups of purée, you'll need 4 cups of sugar.)

Return the quince purée to the large pan.  Heat to medium-low.  Add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Add the lemon juice.
Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-1 1/2 hours, until the quince paste is very thick and has a deep orange pink color.

Preheat oven to a low 125°F. Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper (do not use wax paper, it will melt). Grease the parchment paper with a thin coating of butter. Pour the cooked quince paste into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Smooth out the top of the paste so it is even. Place in the oven for about one hour to help it dry. Remove from oven and let cool.


Store by wrapping in foil or plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator (or freezer).

Viva membrillo!

Caramel Lovers' Nirvana

                                      

Dulce de leche (DOOL say day LAY chay) has become a vibrant part of American gastronomy.  Long before Haagen-Dazs introduced its dulce de leche flavored ice cream in 1997, I was head-over-heels in love with this seductive caramel-like sauce.  Starbucks jumped on the culinary bandwagon shortly afterwards when it began offering dulce de leche coffee.  In the last 15 years it seems like everyone from famous Michelin star chefs to America’s Girl Scouts (who introduced cookies with dulce de leche in 2009) have been enticed with the ethereal edible.

Made from cow’s milk and sugar that has been slowly cooked over hours, dulce de leche is an art form in South America.  It is served everywhere…and on everything from simple morning toast to cookies.  Elaborate cakes can be filled with it…or topped with it.  Children are often served the spread on crackers as an after-school snack.  Dulce de leche candy is sold in every store and at every street kiosk.  It can accompany a pie on the side, or can be incorporated within.  One of my faves, however, is right out of the jar with nothing else!

While dulce de leche is thought to have originated in Argentina, other South American countries, including Chile and Uruguay, claim birth rights. Other historical sources contend that it may have come from India thousands of years ago.  Moreover, many other countries in the world have their own versions.  France, for example, has confiture de lait.  Mexico’s rendition (made from goat’s milk) is called cajeta

Regardless of the origin, like many recipes, dulce de leche is thought to have been created by an accident when milk and sugar were left on the stove too long.  Those of you who will be joining Wine-Knows in Chile and Argentina in March 2013 will have numerous opportunities to sample this yummy culinary mishap.

Canelés—the Other Divine Treat from Bordeaux

I’m a lover of Bordeaux wine, but I don’t dream about it.  I do, however, dream of canelés, magical little pastries which are a specialty of the Bordeaux region.   These culinary treasures, thought to have been created in the 16^th century, disappeared in the 19^th century, however, they’ve recently gained cachet.  From as far away as Paris, la crème de la crème patisseries are now welcoming back these once forgotten tiny cakes. 

The fluted exterior of a canelé is a glossy, dark-brown-almost-black shell of crunchy, carmelized sugar.  Inside these small delectables have a soft, custard-like interior of rum and vanilla.   Only 2 inches tall, they can be consumed in a few bites.  I love mine for breakfast with a great cup of coffee, although canelés are often consumed for a snack as well as a dessert. 

Every pastry shop in Bordeaux features canelés, but my favorite spot to buy them is at Baillardran (they have several branches but the one in the heart of the downtown is located at 55, cours de l'Intendance.)  If you’re coming with us on the harvest tour to Bordeaux this September, they’ll be on our menu the first night at Chateau Beychevelle. 


Bon appetit...and Bon 2012!