Quinotos en Almíbar (Kumquats in Syrup)

I fell in love with quinotos last Christmas in Cordoba. Direct from the tree, they were tangy, sour and sweet in all the best ways. I picked up a kilo recently but I suppose they're out of season so they were a bit rough on the palate. So I decided to add a crapload of sugar to make them candied and syrupy.

For such a simple recipe, I found a variety of cooking techniques. All Argentine recipes required you to let the quinotos sit in salted water for 3 days or boil them with salt, then rinse. None of the recipes written in English mentioned this, but I figured that since I'm here I better not skip the step. Of course, I couldn't be bothered to wait 3 days.

I really wanted to candy them whole (because they're amazing that way) but these had too many too large seeds, so I had to halve the quinotos to remove the seeds (which was a huge pain and made me regret attempting such a sizeable batch). Note that if you do cook them whole, you'll need to poke small holes in them first.

The cooking times also varied widely between 10 minutes and 2 hours. I settled on 20 minutes, but could have removed the quinotos and continued cooking the syrup to make it thicker. Probably a good idea.

Candied Kumquats in Vanilla Syrup  
Inspired by Cooking Light

• 750 grams kumquats, stems removed and washed
• Big pinch rock salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 vanilla bean (or a super small one like the only ones I can find now), scraped
• 3 or 4 whole cloves
• Pinch cinnamon

Boil kumquats in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain, immerse in a bowl of water and scrub lightly with your hands to remove salt. Drain again and rinse well.

Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once sugar has dissolved, add kumquats, vanilla seeds, cloves and cinnamon. Drop heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender and translucent. If thicker syrup is desired, remove the fruit but leave the syrup and continue to boil for another 10-15 minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Transfer quinotos and syrup to a large jar (or several small jars) and seal. If you know how to jar, you can let these sit for 2 weeks in the refrigerator to let the flavors develop. I refrigerated mine for only two days before serving.

Candied kumquats are delicious served over ice cream or pavlova (maybe make it pistachio).

Advances in Graffiti!

Just about 6 months ago I was lamenting the lack of quality graffiti in Rosario. There were plenty of spray painted scribbles and an obscene amount of walls, poles and anything else that could be slapped with paint completely covered with the colors of the city's two rival football teams -- but not a lot of street art. But now, it's getting interesting...

Dorrego entre San Juan y Mendoza

Dorrego entre San Juan y Mendoza

3 de Febrero entre España y Italia

Parque España -- CEC

Moreno entre Cochabamba y Pasco

Boulevard Oroño entre Montevideo y Zeballos

...and I like it!

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.