Pasta Frola Quince Tart

                 Pasta Frola Quince Tart

Another Argentine recipe? Who am I? I make recipes from home ... not from this place I have lived close to 4 years ... wait. Uh-oh. It occurs to me that, perhaps, maybe, this is my home. And I've come to appreciate the foods I frequently eat. Food that everyone here already loves, so I don't have to insist on them trying my weird foreign food. I'm not sure why I'm such a hold out it took me so long but, inspired by Katie's Argentine Recipe Contest, I gave in. I love pasta frola! I eat this a lot. I want more. Okay, there. I said it.

I did want to make Vivi's recipe with mascarpone, but 2 trips to the supermercado proved useless so I went without it.

Quince Tart (Pasta Frola)
Adapted from David Lebovitz

Note that David's recipe is for a 9 or 10 inch (24 cm) tart pan, though I used a 28 cm pan. I liked the ratio it left me with, but you'll notice less crust atop the tart, plus it was a bit of work to squish and spread the bottom dough out, but it was worth it and I'll do it again. I did use extra quince 'paste' (dulce de membrillo).

• 1 1/2 cups (190g) flour
• 1/2 cup (70 g) polenta (cornmeal)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used a little less of fine table salt)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 9 Tablespoons  (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups (550-600g) quince paste (dulce de membrillo)
• 2 Tablespoons port
• 2 Tablespoons raw sugar

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder - set aside. Beat together butter and sugar, mix in egg, yolk and extract. Slowly add dry ingredients, just until dough comes together. 

Measure out about 325 grams of the dough (about 3/4 of the dough). Pat it into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill. Roll the remaining dough into a long 2-inches in diameter, wrap and chill.

Put quince paste into a bowl with port and mash with a potato masher. Add a splash of hot water if necessary to develop spreadable consistency.

Remove dough from refrigerator and let return to room temp slightly. With the heel of your hand, evenly press into the bottom and sides of an unbuttered removable bottom tart pan. Spread quince evenly over dough. 

Remove log of dough from refrigerator and slice into thin cookies, they lay over the jam. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and serve at room temperature. This is even better the next day.

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Bark 

Today at work we had a potluck lunch and a White Elephant Gift Exchange!  Since this potluck was tied in with this fun holiday gift gift-giving event, I decided to make and bring something that would fit in perfect for the holidays: Peppermint Bark!

Peppermint bark is easy to make and requires no baking.  It pairs very well with my Cracker Candy Recipe.  Place it in a pretty tin and it becomes the perfect gift!  If you are throwing a party at your house, you can also try displaying the peppermint bark in martini glasses and adding a candy cane to look like a straw.  (I thought of that idea at 7am before going to work, haha)  How cute is that!?!?

Recipe: Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces white chocolate (I used Ghiradelli's white baking chocolate, which can be found in the baking aisle, instead of the candy aisle.  It is very easy to melt!)
• A total of 11 candy canes.
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract.

Directions:

• Line a baking sheet with was paper and set aside for later.
• Place 9 of your candy canes in a plastic zipper bag and crush your candy canes.  (I use a hammer to crush the candy canes.  I recommend double bagging before you crush, because the sharp pieces can puncture the bag and cause peppermint dust to go all over your counter!)
• Place 2 candy canes in a different zipper bag and crush them as well.  Keep these separate because they will later be sprinkled on the top!
• Place your white chocolate into a double boiler over the stove and stir continuously until thoroughly melted.
• Add in your peppermint extract and continue stirring.
• Stir in your 9 crushed candy canes.
• Once well mixed, pour your mixture onto the wax paper and spread out evenly over the entire baking sheet, using a spatula.
• Sprinkle your remaining 2 crushed candy canes over the top for a fun look and texture.
• Place your baking sheet into the refrigerator to cool and harden.  Leave in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours.
• Remove your sheet from the refrigerator and break you bark into pieces.

Home Fries Fried Potatoes Recipe Food

Home Fries Fried Potatoes Recipe Food

Recipe: Home Fries

Ingredients:

• 3 Russett potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Peel and cut potatoes into bite sized pieces.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter into a pan on the stove over medium heat.  (If you are making more potatoes, my rule of thumb would be for each extra potato you add in, add another tablespoon of butter)
• Toss your potatoes into the melted butter and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Fry in the butter until potatoes are crispy and golden-brown, stirring occasionally to brown both sides of each piece of potato.