Tarte Chocolat - Chocolate Tart

Here is a delicious and completely decadent dessert. It is a complete departure from Cuban cuisine, but this is the type of dessert that I love. It is extremely easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients in you kitchen already. Your family and friends will be oohing and aahing when you set this before them. But you don't need to tell them how simple it was to make. That will be our secret. Let them think you spent hours slaving in the kitchen.

I have never been interested in pies, so I never tried the make pastry dough. I saw a very simple recipe for pâte sablée in Clotilde's Chocolate & Zucchini book which I just had to try. You should check out her site http://chocolateandzucchini.com/.

Here is what you need for the pate sable. Flour, sugar, butter, salt, milk, and vanilla (I added the vanilla later.)

My punk is pouring 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl.

Add 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. I used fleur de sel. I had it on hand and thought it would be fancy.

Then 7 tablespoons of chilled butter, cut into little squares.

This is what you have now. With your fingertips rub the butter into the dry ingredients. You could also you a pastry blender, but that would not be as much fun. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and blend it in.

When you are done, it should look like this. It will still be crumbly, but if you squeeze it you should get a little clump of dough.

Butter a pan. I did not have a tart pan, so I used a pie pan.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Use the palm of your hand and your fingers to form the crust and the rim all around the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes. It should be golden. Let the crust cool. The crust is delicious enough to eat on its own.

Next you need to make the ganache. I used 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate.

Place the chocolate in a bowl. I used a metal mixing bowl so that it would be easier to melt the chocolate. My daughter was tempted to eat the chocolate at this point.

You will then have a bowl of delicious chocolate. Don't be tempted to take a bite just yet.

I don't have a double boiler, so I just set my metal mixing bowl above a pot of simmering hot water. Bring the cup of heavy cream to a simmer in a pot and then slowly add it to the bowl of chocolate. Whip the chocolate and cream with a whisk until you get a smooth consistency.

Pour the chocolate ganache into the shell.

Smooth out the surface with a spatula. Place the tart in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

I also whipped a cup of heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of sugar. I served myself a sliver of the chocolate tart with a dollop of the freshly made whipping cream. My daughter flipped over her slice and at the crust first.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. Give this tart a try. It is simple to make.

PÁTE SABLÉE

(adapted from Clotilde Dusoulier - Chocolate & Zucchini)

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter to grease the pie pan

2 tablespoons cold milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

1) Pour the sugar, flour, salt into a mixing bowl.

2) Add the butter and use either a pastry blender or your fingers to combine the butter into the

dry ingredients.

3) Add the vanilla and the milk and combine until blended. The dough will still look crumbly.

4) Grease a pie pan or a tart pan with about a tablespoon of butter.

5) Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan or a tart pan. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan and use the palm of your hands and your fingers to form the crust and rim.

6) Cover the pie shell with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

7) Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes. It should be golden. Let the

crust cool.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Ingredients

10 oz chocolate (I used 8 oz bittersweet and 2 oz semi-sweet)

1 cup heavy cream

Preparation

1) Simmer the heavy cream in a pot

2) Place the bowl of chocolate in a double broiler. Slowly add the heavy and use a whisk to combine the chocolate and cream until smooth.

3) Pour the ganache into the pie shell. Smooth the top with a spatula. Refrigerate for about an hour (for the ganache to set).

Cascos de Guayaba con Queso Crema - Guava shells with Cream Cheese

There is absolutely no cooking in this post, which is exactly what my grandmother would want.

My grandma was not the type to actually make a dessert. If it could not be purchased, it simply was not available to us. We had Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies and Soft Batch chocolate chip cookies (my brother's favorites). One dessert that she did put together was "cascos de guayaba con queso crema". It is basically canned sweetened guava shells served with cream cheese.

All you need to do is open a can of "Cascos de Guayaba" (guava shells) and add a slice of cream cheese. We always used the Philadelphia cream cheese that comes in the bars. (The tubs of cream cheese had not been invented yet.)

Dig in. This in not a low calorie dessert.

Ropa Vieja - "Old Clothes"

Everyone has their own sense of what comfort food is. For me, comfort food is Cuban food. I love Cuban food…Arroz con Pollo, Vaca Frita, Ropa Vieja, Carne con Papas, Picadillo, Boliche, and Frijoles Negros. A steaming bowl of white rice and Cuban black beans will cure whatever ails you. I was raised by three wonderful Cuban women: my grandmother (Mima), my aunt (Tia) and my mother (Mom). Unfortunately, they don’t know how to cook. My grandmother did all the cooking in our home when we were growing up. She has often told me that she had never stepped foot into the kitchen until she married. She only cooked out of absolute necessity. My grandmother does not enjoy cooking at all. I started thinking about what we ate for dinner when I was little and can think of only a few dishes that made frequent appearance at our dinner table: 1) arroz con bistec en salsita, 2) masitas de Puerco, and 3) pollo en salsita. [Translation: 1) White rice and steak with an onion sauce, 2) pork chunks, 3) chicken in sauce] The most surprising thing is that although I was raised by these women with a culinary disability, I have always loved to cook. I love trying new recipes. I love cookbooks. I love to cook for family and friends. I love buying kitchen gadgets.


So while most of my friends have mothers and grandmothers who pass down recipes that have been in the family for years. My family has no recipes of our favorite dishes. If any recipe ever existed, it was abandoned long ago in Cuba. Although I have been cooking since I was 7, I never attempted to learn how to make any Cuban dish other than white rice, Cuban black beans, and Picadillo. So now as I am fast approaching 38, I have decided to start to learn to cook Cuban food.


I am going to attempt to prepare one of my favorite dishes, Ropa Vieja. The literal translation is “Old Clothes”, but it is actually a shredded beef dish. I asked my grandmother if she knew how to make Ropa Vieja, but I got her standard response: “No se. A mi no me gusta la cocina.” [Translation: I don’t know. I don’t like cooking.]

Here is what you will need.

Chop up the carrots.

Chop up the onion. It does not need to be finely chopped because you are only using it to boil it with the meat. Onions always make me cry. My mascara was running all over the place while I was chopping this onion. I wish someone would let me know if they know of some way to avoid crying while chopping onions. I have tried the glass of water, burning a candle, and even the onion goggles, but nothing works. And you end up looking a little foolish wearing the onion goggles.

Thinly slice 1/2 of a green pepper, lengthwise. Don't forget to remove the seeds and the membranes. (Trust me on this one. My Tia has forgotten to do that in the past and the seeds are not particularly tasty in your food.)

Crush 4 or 5 garlic cloves.

Place the meat, onions, carrots, green peppers, and garlic in a pot. Pour about 2 quarts (roughly 8 cups) of water over it and boil for about 15 minutes. The reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 2 hours or until the meat is well done and is fork tender.

When the meat can be pulled apart with 2 forks, remove the meat from the pot and reserve the stock.

When the the meat is cooled use 2 forks to shred the meat into thin thread-like strips.

While the meat is cooking you can be making a "Sofrito". I made a homemade version that uses the ingredients above. My Tia has always preferred to buy the pre-made "Sofrito". You can buy it in the Ethnic aisle of supermarket, depending on where you live. My Tia would put the pre-made Sofrito in just about everything she made, she called it her secret ingredient.

Chop up an onion and 1/2 a green pepper. Once again the waterworks were on. I was a mess by the time I finished with the second onion.

Heat 1/4 cup Spanish olive oil in a pan. Add about 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. (I took the easy way out and used the bottled minced garlic.)

Add the chopped onion and the green pepper and cook until the onions are translucent.

When the onions are translucent add about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce (about 1/2 of an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce), 1/8 teaspoon of ground oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of salt to taste, and 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.

To finish the Ropa Vieja place the shredded meat in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, about 1 3/4 cup of the Sofrito, 1/2 cup of the meat broth (water reserved from cooking the meat), 1/4 cup cooking white wine 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Salt to taste and cook for about 5 minutes.

I love Ropa Vieja with white rice and tostones (fried green plantains).

ROPA VIEJA

Ingredients

1 pound flank steak (falda)
2 quarts water

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 or 5 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced lengthwise

1 3/4 cup Sofrito (recipe follows)

1/2 cup meat broth (water reserved from cooking the steak)

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt to taste

Preparation

Place the meat, onions, carrots, green peppers, and garlic in a pot. Pour about 2 quarts of water over it and boil for about 15 minutes. The reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 2 hours or until the meat is well done and is fork tender.

Remove the meat and allow to cool. Reserve the cooking liquid. Shred the meat with 2 forks until you have thread-like strips.

Place the meat in a pan with the sofrito, broth, wine, and garlic powder. Salt to taste and cook for about 5 minutes.

Sofrito

Ingredients

1/4 cup Spanish olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vinegar

Preparation

Cook garlic, onion, and green bell pepper in olive oil until the onions are translucent.

Add the tomato sauce, ground oregano, vinegar, and salt to taste. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.

I hope you enjoy it.