Pastéis de Nata [Portuguese Custard Tarts]

September 27, 2011 by Monica in Baking, Desserts, Family Cookbook, Sweets, Travel

This is of those recipes that I pull from my memory bank. During a business trip to Brasil a gazillion years ago, I came across these little morsels. During my stay there and after many glorious trips to local restaurants my host discover my great love affair with pastries and he insisted in stopping in a pastry shop for me to sample some of the local goodies.

When I saw these in the counter, and asked what they were made of, and once the baker told me in broken Spanish, it took me less than a minute to have one in my hand for me to take a bite. And once I did, I installing fell in love with this little egg tart.

These sweet mini pastries have travel a long way from it’s original home.

GCC: Tamales filled with Carnitas in Pipian Sauce

September 25, 2011 by Monica in Cooking Club, Gutsy Cooks Club, Latin, Lesson, Main Courses, Pork

I have been itching to try my hand at making Tamales from scratch for a long time. The reason is simple – I love eating them. And like anything that I love, I like to learn to make it at home and teak it to my taste.

So, when we choose the Gutsy Menu up for September and Mexican ended as our theme, I could not help sneak in a Tamale recipe to finally force me to try this labor intensive recipe.

Dishes that take days to make, hours to compose and unifies family and friends together to create memories is the ultimate reason for why people cook in the first place. Tamales is a dishes that fulfill all of that. Ask anyone in Mexico, and they will tell you that Tamale making is a labor of love. They vary from region to region as does the process, ingredients and tools used. Almost as much as they do family to family. Recipes (and ingredients) are protected and protocols are followed. In many cases the person making the tamales keeps their secrets to themselves and those secrets are passed on from generations to generation.

Snap Thursday - Crazy us

September 22, 2011 by Monica in Snap Thursdays

When I take pictures of food for my post, I think about composition, and color and placing and everything in between.

I love it, but it’s exhausting folks. All that thinking sometimes leaves me a bit mad with my camera.

So, in order for my camera not to break up with me, I’m trying to learn to take pictures in a wild and crazy way – To let go and just break every single rule, to be free and wild and curious and shoot with abandon.