Food Bytes A monthly Page by Prudence Sloane

Cuban Flan

What more can I say except this is my favorite dessert. I like it even better than crème brulee. And that says a lot.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Yield: Enough for 8 (1/2 ) cup molds

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick cinnamon

1 cup sugar for the mold

2 tablespoons water with 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer the milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar and cinnamon stick. Take off the heat and let the cinnamon stick infuse with the milk while making the caramel. Put the 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of water with 1 –2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the sugar. The lemon juice will stop the sugar from crystallizing and hardening. On low heat, in a separate saucepan, melt the sugar until it turns a dark caramel color. Immediately pour the caramel into the flan mold or molds. Turn the mold to coat the sides.

Remove the cinnamon stick from the milk mixture and let cool. Stir together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and salt. Do not whisk. Whisking will put air into the mixture and you want it dense and creamy. If the milk is still hot add it to the egg mixture 1/2 cup at a time whiling stirring as not to shock and scramble the eggs. Or you can wait until the milk cools down and then add it to the eggs. Stir in the vanilla extract. Strain this mixture into the caramelized ramekins.

Set the ramekins in a bain marie (water bath – a pan with hot tap water coming 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins.) and cook for 30 minutes or until the sides are firm but the center is still wobbly. Do not overcook or it will get grainy. Let Cool and refrigerate for about 24 hours. Unmold when cold.

From the TV series “Let’s Eat! with Prudence Sloane”

October 2009

Photo by Bob Chaplin

It’s The Company That Counts

We don’t get invited to dinner very often. It’s not because we’re boring dinner guests, or at least I don’t think so, it’s because people are scared to cook for a food professional. I usually hear from friends “I would love to have you over to dinner – but I’d be too scared to cook for you.” What I’m thinking is “Get over it or we won’t be inviting you back!” But instead, I try to calm their fears by saying “It doesn’t matter, it’s the company that’s important. Hot dogs and hamburgers would be great.” I also explain that it’s harder for me to cook for people than it is for people to cook for me. You see, my food is expected to be good – anything less and people are disappointed. As much as I try to allay their fears, they still sweat.

My friend and her husband, took my hot dog and hamburger suggestion literally. But one look at the dinning table and you would have thought she had invited the Queen of England for dinner! They set out was their finest china, cloth napkins, silver table service, flowers - in other words, the whole shebang. As her husband flipped burgers and hot dogs on the grill, she unabashedly emptied out the Stop and Shop containers of cole slaw and potato salad into cut crystal bowls. A silver tray holding the ketchup bottle, the squeegee yellow mustard thing and jars of various pickle relishes further enhanced the scene - what a statement. It was great! My husband was ecstatic chomping down on the hot dogs, potato chips and the like. And so was I.

Other friends of ours found out I was a BBQ fanatic and ordered take out from the BBQ Hut in Putnam. What a treat – real slow smoked ribs and some of the best cornbread I ever had. No fancy table settings here. The centerpiece was practical, a roll of paper towels. The fun part was washing it all down with a bottle of 1995 Chateauneuf-du-Pape brought up from their cellar.

So no apologies for that supermarket roasted chicken, deli salads or vanilla ice cream for dessert – it can be pretty good stuff. And remember, it’s the company that counts.

Restaurant Deal of the Month

O’Porto happy hour bar menu makes me very happy!

I love happy hours that include food and I don’t mean those greasy buffets many restaurants provide. O‘Porto does happy hour in style! Tuesday to Friday from 5-7pm in the bar or out on the patio O’Porto serves up some pretty special deals including 1/2 price appetizers. These appetizers are tantalizing tapas dishes such as Crepes Recheados Crepes Stuffed with Shrimp and Crab in a Tomato Broth, Chouriço Assado Roasted Portuguese Smoked Chouriço with an Aguardente Sauce and Camarão Alhinho Sautéed Brazilian Shrimp in a Garlic Butter Cream Sauce. There are also drink specials. My favorite is on Wednesday. Order one glass of wine and you get to try a different glass of equal or lesser value free! Thursday is the two for one Sangria special.

Additional Happy Hour Specials and Menu

Past issues

O’Porto, Fine Portuguese Cuisine

2074 Park Street, Hartford, 860 233-3184

http://www.oportohartford.com/index.html

Kitchen Tip

Making the brown sugar sauce for flan can be tricky. In a matter of seconds It can overcook and turn bitter. It also isn’t the safest sauce to make. Melted sugar is hot! And if it touches your skin you’re in for a nasty burn. Many Spanish, Latin American and Portuguese grocery stores carry a ready make sauce for flan. It’s called Carmelo Liquido (liquid caramel). Just pour it into your mold and then add the custard and bake.

In the Hartford area you can find it at the Solmar Fish Market, a Portuguese grocer at 1860 Park Street. 860 5694232 Map

Wine of the Month

By Bob Chaplin

Clos de los Siete, Argentina – a brainchild of the legendary French winemaker Michel Rolland, and produced from seven vineyards in the Vista Flores area south of Mendoza this is a luscious fruit forward wine that is drinking well now. About 75% of the grapes used are Malbec, that gives deep color and a smooth structure, and Merlot that gives soft complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah make up the balance. Great for sipping, this will complement hearty steak, or even a bison burger.

- $19

Cooking Local Made Easy

Three to four times a year a group of us get together for an evening of cooking and feasting. It’s called “The Dining Club.” The hosts decide the menu and assign each person a recipe. This is an opportunity to get crazy with dinners you may not try on your own due to either the expense or time consuming recipes.

Each dinner has a theme. From “To the Manor Born” where we had pheasant flown in from a Scottish Manor to an American Indian dinner where one poor member had to pick, slake and grind acorns to make bread. Our last dinner seemed at first rather uninspiring compared to those before. But every dish was heavenly. It was based on the book “Earth to Table” Seasonal recipes from an Organic Farm by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann. Jeff Crump’s art of cooking with local cuisine stems from working with the famed Alice Waters. And it shows in this book. Every recipe was straightforward, easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. The book is laid out exactly how you want it - by the season. Especially generous was the four-color drop-dead photos.

We dug into fall with a French Onion Soup, an Heirloom Beet Salad with Feta and Pumpkin Seeds, Braised Short Ribs and a Mile High Pumpkin Pie. I’m giving this book and my dining club hosts a big thumbs up!