Yogurt Cake

Adapted from Chocolate & Zucchin´s Daily Adventures in a Parisisn Kitchen,this has become a family favourite and easy enough for the toddlers to help out with. They look so cute and proud helping out the padres bake!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus 1 teaspoon to grease pan
1 cup of plain yogurt, or vanilla flavoured in a pinch
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
juice of one lemon, optional
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF or 3/4 hot on an Argentine oven (you must live here to understand this). Grease pan including sides. Dust with flour.

In a large bowl mix yogurt and sugar, and add one egg at a time, beating. I like to follow with the lemon juice, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder than the oil. Beating in each ingredient one at a time.

Sift the flour into the above mixture then gently beat in, but do not over stir. Add batter to cake pan and bake for 20 minutes. Then check for doneness. You may need 5 to 10 minutes more depending on the caprichiosoness of your Argentine oven. Do not over bake. Let cool if you can, before eating.

Rice Krispie Treats

For us in North America, most of us grew up on Rice Krispie® Treats and often it is one of the first things kids learn to make on their own. Here in Argentina, Rice Krispies® are not on the market (but they do have something similar available in some health food stores, nor were the gigantic bags of plain white marshmallows, until very recently). After gifts of the two main ingredients; a ginormous bag of miniature marshmallows from Canada, and a box of Rice Krispies® from Boston, I was able to concoct a batch of my favourite childhood treat last night. Señor Capone shared one with a colleague this morning, and said colleague now thinks I am this amazing chef and my website should be highly promoted (imagine my mother keeling over with laughter rolling on the floor here.)


Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
6 cups marshmallows
8 cups Rice Krispies®
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract


Directions:


Melt the butter in a large pot over low-medium heat, and add the marshmallows, stirring the mixture until the marshmallows soften then melt. Add the vanilla stirring it in well. Turn off the heat and add the Rice Krispies® stirring until the cereal is well coated with marshmallow goo. Pour into a lightly greased pan or tray and pat down gently with hands. Let set for a few minutes, cut and eat!

Matambre a la Pizza

Often when I read the menu, the way something is described can be a turn off, but if you do see Matambre a la Pizza on the menu I would recommend it. I tried it for the first time this year as part of our New Years Celebrations. Señor Capone´s mamá brought it over as her contribution. Matambre is a cut of meat either beef or pork, it is a tough cut, so it is softend by boiling in milk for 40 minutes or so. I had my first attempt at making it a couple nights ago following my brother-in-law´s directions below:


hervir el matambre en leche tapando con la leche el matambre sin que se pegue a la olla durante 45 minutos. Llevar al horno con la grasa para abajo a fuego moderado, ni fuerte ni bajo, durante 30 minutos, darlo vuelta poner la grasa para arriba ponerlo en el horno durante 20 minutos a fuego bajo sacarlo y prepararlo como una pizza llevar al horno nuevamente hasta que derrita la muzzarella y si sos pobre porsalú (jajajaja)

My translation:

Matambre either beef or pork

enough full fat milk to cover the meat ( I used a litre for about 1/2 kilo of meat)



Put the meat in a pot and cover with milk. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, but keep a boil. The milk will curdle. Turn the meat, during this time to make sure all the meat is softened with the milk. Boil for about 45 minutes.

Put the meat in the oven on medium heat. Fat side down. Put the remaining milk fat and water on top of the meat. Cook for about 15 minutes on each side. Prepare the pizza sauce while the meat cooks.

Once the meat is browned, spoon the pizza sauce on top of the meat and add cheese. Cook for another 20 minutes or so and serve.

Tiramisu

I recently decided to attempt to make Tiramisu for the first time as the second cake for my stepson´s birthday party with the family. Tiramisu always seemed like a mystery, and in my mind difficult to make. But I could not believe how easy it was while researching the recipes. I modified the recipe from Gourmet Magazine, and substituted Ricotta for Mascarpone, and used the remaining Tia María for the espresso syrup.


This recipe makes 8 to 10 servings.

Ingredients

Espresso Syrup

80ml water
125ml sugar
185ml Espresso strongly brewed
100ml Tia María

Ricotta Filling

375ml heavy cream
80ml sugar
10ml vanilla extract
500g Ricotta con crema
250g about 24 Ladyfingers called Vainillas in Argentina
Cocoa Powder

Directions


Syrup

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, cool. Add coffee and Tia María.



Filling

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold cream into Ricotta.


Assembly

Dip Vainillas quickly into the syrup mixture. Placing dipped vainilla into a shallow 2L baking dish. (I used a large pyrex bowl), creating a layer.
Spread half the filling ontop of the vainillas. Repeat the layering process a second time.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.
Immediately before serving place cocoa in a fine strainer and shake a light coating on surface.