Crepes in Rosario!

So there's this block that I've mentioned before because of a spacious Starbucks and my favorite pizzeria. I want to move to this block because now it's also home to Rosario's first creperie, Manjula Crepes.

They've got a full menu of both savory and sweet crepes so you can have a full crepe meal! Of course, I'm partial to anything with Nutella. And they have waffles too!

Manjula has a casual atmosphere and you order at the counter, something that's actually quite unusual here. They also have a patio to the side with those outdoor heater things. And the patio is dog-friendly!

The creperie is named after the character (Apu's wife) on the Simpsons -- and the same owners also have a shawarma/falafel place called Apu's. How sweet...and savory!

Find Manjula at Tucuman 1216, along with all the rest of my favorite spots on the block. Just ignore that giant gym on the corner ;)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Mostly, I make brownies. But after a recent conversation about peanut butter (and having found that several of my students hadn't tried it) I thought about making a peanut butter version of blondies, and I'm glad I did. It adds just a touch of something special to dress up blondies and make them worthy competition of their all-chocolate cousins. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

from Two Tiny Kitchens

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup (75g) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar (I used a bit less)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (I did not pack it)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I used a pinch more because my peanut butter wasn't salted)
• 1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chunks (I used a bit less)

The original recipe calls for a 9x9 inch baking pan, but I used an 8x12 pan and wouldn't go any smaller. 

Cream together peanut butter and butter, gradually blend in brown sugar, white sugar, eggs and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and stir into the butter mixture until well blended (I went ahead and used the hand mixer for this since it's somewhat heavy). Fold in chocolate chunks. 

Bake at 375F/175C in a greased pan for 30-35 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched. (I actually cooked it for about 35-40 minutes, but the edges were not as gooey - still, I wanted to be sure the center was fully baked.) Cool and cut into small squares.

To comment on my changes: I used less sugar and it was still perfectly sweet enough. I added an extra pinch of salt (after tasting the batter) because the most common brand here (Sytari) is not salty like American peanut butter. And, yes, I cooked it longer than most recipes require.

I don't know why these are served in small squares, but my great-grandmother cut them the same way. I guess the idea is to make people happy but not fat. :) Portion control. Unless you eat them all. With ice cream. Whoops.

Faux Hostess Cupcakes

Last weekend, a friend of mine boldly went where many many men have gone before. He turned 30. I suppose it gets us all at some point. As I await my birthday, I know there's no point in hiding, but it's not easy to accept that it may be time to act like a grown-up. So, instead, let's eat cupcakes reminiscent of childhood! At a bar! 

Copycat Hostess Cupcakes
From Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

• 1 cup flour
• 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 113 grams / 8 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature (use the white for the cream filling)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy - about 2 minutes. On medium speed, gradually add sugar, beating until light and smooth - about 5 minutes. On low speed, beat in eggs and yolk one at a time, add vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions, beating well after each one. Then drizzle in hot water, 2 Tablespoons at a time, until batter is smooth and shiny. Fill cupcake liners no more than half-full. For mini cupcakes,  a rounded teaspoon of batter was enough. For regular cupcakes, use 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350F / 180 C until a toothpick comes out clean - about 15-20 minutes. I ended up with 36 mini cupcakes and 2 big ones.

For the cream filling, I used my recipe for meringue frosting and added butter.


Cream Filling

• 2.5 Tablespoons water
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg white at room temperature
• 1/2 Tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1.5 Tablespoons butter, softened

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet with about an inch of simmering water. Be sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg white in the bowl. Beat egg white mixture on low speed until it reaches 140F/60C. Do no stop beating while the bowl is in the skillet. Beat on high speed for exactly five minutes. Remove bowl from skillet and add vanilla, beating on high speed for two to three more minutes to cool. Beat in butter. Transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip. When cupcakes are cooled, insert tip into the middle of the cupcake, about half-way down and squeeze in cream until cupcake is heavier...stop when (or before) it begins to crack.

After filling cupcakes, spread a thin layer of chocolate ganache over the top.

Chocolate Ganache

• 100 grams semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• Scant 1/4 cup heavy cream

Warm cream for about 10 seconds in microwave. Stir in chocolate and let sit 2 minutes. Stir to combine. If necessary, briefly warm in microwave. Spread a thin layer on cupcakes. Actually, I thought the ganache tasted too much like real chocolate for a copycat Hostess cupcake, so I suppose if you're going for authenticity, you should use a ganache recipe that includes butter and vanilla, too. 

Bombones Caseros

I took a chocolatería class this morning at Casa Suiza and came home with these! The fillings I chose include dulce de leche, coconut, ganache with ginger, ganache with coffee, maroque (peanut butter cream), rum soaked raisins and almonds.  Here's the inside of one with almond and dulce de leche.

After three and a half hours, I left with 24 bombones and a ton of Spanish practice. I've also taken the Argentine Art History class at Casa Suiza and I happily recommend both classes and hope to take more!

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes

These are my favorite cupcakes, and making them miniature leaves you with perfect proportions. The inspiration for these came from Junior MasterChef Australia - a show based on mini chefs (ages 8-12) that had me so hooked I watched an episode or two every day until I'd finished both seasons. I can't explain why I love it so much, except that they're all so nice and wonderful to each other. They give encouragement and hugs...awww...something you never see from professional chef competitions. Anyway, I thought it was darling and I learned a few things too. Like how to make lemon meringue pie cupcakes. Thank you, Isabella.

Lemon Cupcakes (makes about 15-16 miniature cupcakes)
from Bella Lately

• 1/2 cup + 2 heaping Tablespoons (equivalent of 1/8 cup) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup + 1 heaping Tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg
• Few drops of lemon extract - optional

Whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in egg and extract until just combined. Spoon into cupcake liners but do not overfill. Bake at 375F/190C for 20-25 minutes - test with a toothpick. Remove from oven and let cool.

This batter is quite butter-heavy, so experiment with your favorite lemon cupcake recipes. This one is actually from a lemon poppyseed cake that is divine.

Once cooled, use a knife to cut a small cone out of the top of the muffin (about half way down the cupcake) to make room for the curd.

Lemon Curd

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 lemons (smaller sized or one big one), grated and juiced

Combine all ingredients in a double boiler over boiling water. Cook and stir until mixture begins to gel or thicken ever so slightly (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and immediately press through a strainer. Allow to cool. Chill in the refrigerator to thicken. Keeps for one week in the fridge. Can be frozen. This recipe makes enough for 2 batches of mini cupcakes ~30.

Once chilled, pipe it to fill the holes in the cupcakes. 

Meringue Frosting

half-recipe from Smitten Kitchen

• 2.5 Tablespoons water
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg white at room temperature
• 1/2 Tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet with about an inch of simmering water. Be sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg whites in the bowl. Beat egg white mixture on low speak until it reaches 140F/60C. Do no stop beating while the bowl is in the skillet. Beat on high speed for exactly five minutes. Remove bowl from skillet and add vanilla, beating on high speed for two to three more minutes to cool. Use frosting the day it is made.

Pipe the frosting on top of the filled cupcakes. You can use a kitchen torch to brown it a bit if you like. I'm not as fancy as some 12-year-old cooking prodigies. 

Roasted Beet Malfatti & Creamy Roquefort Sauce

I'm so happy to be doing another group post with Argentine flavor! The last time, we tackled a national specialty - the alfajor. This challenge is no easier and is just as emblematic. We're cooking gnocchi! Maybe gnocchi doesn't sound very Argentine to you, but this dish is actually so Argentine that it has its own day of the month. Each time the 29th rolls around you're sure to see restaurants full of diners with plates of gnocchi (or ñoquis, as they're known here). Why? Because it's Dia de los Ñoquis, or Gnocchi Day. Just as with the US, Argentina is a country of immigrants and this dish is strong reminder of European influence.

"Ñoqui" is also a slang word (from lunfardo) that is used to refer to someone who expects to get paid without actually doing any work. Think immigration office. (Ha! I probably shouldn't say that since I'm still waiting for my DNI to arrive.)

So, however you want to look at it,  happy pasta day or happy lazy day. Let's all forget work and eat pasta!

Here's what my fellow bloggers are making for Gnocchi Day:

• Aledys of From Argentina to the Netherlands for Love -- Gnocchi all a romana
• Katie of Seashells and Sunflowers -- Butternut squash and ricotta gnocchi, two ways
• Rebecca of From Argentina With Love -- Ricotta and potato gnocchi
• Paula of Bee My Chef -- Spinach gnocchi
• Ana of Ana Travels -- Arugula gnocchi with tomato sauce a la Ana

I really did attempt to make gnocchi but, as usual, I just don't have the patience for this dish and I ended up with malfatti (bigger gnocchi). Beet is not a traditional gnocchi flavor but I had to try something different -- and pink, apparently.

Roasted Beet Malfatti

Recipe seems to originally be from Bon Appetit. Also see Eat a Beet and The Fifth Tine

• 3 small beets (of which you will use 3/4 cup, grated)
• 450 grams (1lb) ricotta
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
• ~3/4 teaspoon salt (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon)
• Pepper to taste (a few twists for me)
• 1 1/2 cups flour, divided + crap loads more for rolling

Wrap beets in tinfoil and roast at 200C/400F until tender 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes and peel skins off. Coarsely shred and measure out 3/4 cup and place in a large bowl. Stir in ricotta, egg, cheese, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of flour -- it will look like that big pink blob, pictured above. At this point you're suppose to either lightly shape and roll into a log (which would be super long if you tried to do the whole thing) or roll each individual gnocchi in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. My dough soaked up all the flour on the counter and then asked for more. In total, I probably incorporated 1 1/2 cups into the dough and used another 1/2 cup just for rolling into logs, which I did in a few batches. This lead to malfatti. 

Anyway, cut one-inch pieces of the dough log to form each gnocchi. You're suppose to roll along a gnocchi board or fork to get those classic indentations, but this dough was too wet to roll so I just pressed it with a floured fork. I noticed that one of the other recipes just left the pieces as balls. Anyway, get it to whatever shape you can and then line them up on a baking sheet. I then popped them into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes and they came out easier to handle.

Creamy Roquefort Sauce

•  Drizzle of olive oil
• 1 big clove garlic, minced
• 28g (2T) butter
• 2 T flour
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• Pinch nutmeg & dried thyme
• 120 grams Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled

Saute garlic in oil for one minute, add butter and melt. Add flour constantly whisking to create a roux and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk slowly while whisking to keep lumps from forming. (This never works for me in a pan that's not non-stick, so I add part of the liquid until it's warm and then remove to a bowl and whisk like crazy until dissolved, then return to the pan and continue adding liquid.) Stir in sour cream until melted. Once sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add nutmeg, herbs and cheese and stir until melted. Taste and season with salt, if desired. (I went with a roux-based sauce instead of cream because of all the cheese in this recipe, but it would probably be amazing too.)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in gnocchi in batches so that the pot doesn't get too crowded. Cook for 4 minutes - or until they float to the surface plus an additional minute. Remove from the water into the sauce. 

Don't stir it around too much or your sauce will turn pink. Whoops! Garnish with a handful of toasted walnuts and additional cheese. This recipe is quite rich so I used reduced-fat ricotta and sour cream. I'm not sure the ricotta was the best idea, as it was quite grainy - you may want to go with full-fat. Also, many ricotta gnocchi recipes suggest draining the ricotta and I would try that for this recipe too - perhaps it wouldn't require so much flour.

In the end, it was quite heavy but Guille loved it. He said it reminded him of when his mom would make gnocchi when he was younger. And she only makes it every 5 years. Smart lady. Gnocchi is exhausting...and now I'm going off to act like a ñoqui.

Lentil and Tofu Curry

Lentil and Tofu Curry
adapted from appetite for china

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups water (or use part veggie stock)
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 block of tofu (about 250 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• dash of cayenne pepper, optional
• ~1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• chopped cilantro to garnish, optional
• brown rice and plain yogurt to serve

Saute onion and garlic with a pinch of salt in a swirl of olive oil over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes, add ginger and stir. Add lentils and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cut tofu into cubes and gently press between paper towels to remove excess moisture. In a wok or skillet, heat a Tablespoon of oil over medium heat and gentle stir fry (after adding tofu, don't touch it for about 2 minutes to allow it to slightly brown, then stir). Add curry, cumin, cayenne (to your preference) and salt - cook for another 1 to 2 minutes then stir in spinach and allow to wilt, about 1 minute. Add mixture to the lentils and simmer for 5 minutes to meld flavors. Add more spices, as needed. Serve with brown rice and plain yogurt. 

Heads Up! The "natural" flavor of the La Serenisima brand of Greek yogurt, Griego, is not actually plain, it's sweetened. So don't put it on this dish! Also, it's not actually Greek yogurt as it is thickened with cream instead of just being extra-strained like real Greek yogurt. Man! Why do we have to get the fake versions of everything?! Also, the Danone (aka Dannon) logo is also on this yogurt, so don't go blaming Argentine industry alone. If you're trying to eat healthy and wholesome, GOOD LUCK! Also, if you think that the US is alone in it's struggle with obesity, read this post by Katie at Seashells & Sunflowers.