Vanilla Chai custard pudding 印度香料奶凍蛋布丁

My husband always wants me to make him the Milk Pudding again and again. But I don't like to repeat making the same dessert many times. And I told my husband that I can make him milk pudding but I will add new flavour to it. He said OK. Deal!

I use the same recipe that I use for making milk pudding for swiss roll with milk pudding cake that I made before ( http://winniemsfong.blogspot.com/2013/05/painted-swiss-roll-with-milk-pudding_22.html ).

And of course I made some adjustment by adding Chai flavour to it!


For Chai lovers:

Ingredients:

(Can make 500ml pudding batter, serving depend on the size of serving cups you use)

A gelatine 3tsp and water 3tbsp

B 100g milk and 2 vanilla chai tea bags
C 2 egg yolk and milk 100g+ sugar 15g

D whipping cream 200g + maple syrup (or honey) 30g + vanilla essence 1 tsp

Directions:

1. (Ing. A) Sprinkle 3tsp gelatine over the 3tbsp water in a heat proved bowl for 5 minutes.
2. Use double boiler and place gelatine water over hot water bath until all gelatine melted and dissolved

3. (Ing. B) Use a small saucepan, combine 100g milk with 2 Chai tea bags. Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Infuse for a couple of minutes. Take the tea bags out. Stir until dissolved.
4. (Ing. C) Combine egg yolk, 15g sugar and milk in small saucepan. Heat with medium heat. Keep whisking until the milk start boiling. Turn off heat immediately. Add (Ing. B) and pour (Ing. A) dissolved gelatine into egg mixture. Mix well.
5. (Ing.D) Mix whipping cream, maple syrup and vanilla essence. Then pour Egg and gelatine mixture to whipping cream mixture and keep whisking until well combined.
6. Pour it into plastic cups (those that you use for parties would do) and chill it in the fridge until set. Generally, overnight is the best since that will make sure your gelatine will not set/gel any further.
7. In picture, I sprinkled some chopped pistachio and place chives for decoration. Served cold.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

For Cinnamon lovers:

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

makes 32 bars (9"x13") pan

(This time I use half of the amount to make 8"x8" pan ~ 16 square bars)

 

Ingredients

2 cans Crescent Rolls

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (room temp)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

How to Make

I use half of the recipe for 8"x8" pan (16 square bars)
1. One roll of pillsbury Crescents dough
2. Unwrap and unroll the dough
3. Lay half of dough on botton layer of 8"x8" pan
4. Making cream cheese batter
5. Pour cream cheese batter as middle layer
6. Place the remaining half of dough to top layer. Pour melted butter on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
7. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven of 350F


1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls and lay flat in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stretch the rolls to cover the bottom of the pan. Pinch any seams closed.
3. In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth.
4. Spread this over top of the crescent roll.
5. Unroll your remaining can of crescent rolls and lay this on top of the cream cheese mixture, again, pinching closed any open seams.
6. Pour your melted butter on top of the crescent roll.
7. In a bowl mix the remaining sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon together and sprinkle that evenly on top of butter.
8. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden brown.
9. Let cool for approximately 20 minutes and then put in refrigerator to completelychill before cutting into squares.

Recipe from: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/sopapilla-cheesecake/f43b5472-18b1-4dee-a76c-5d6605290ec4/

Easy Tender Curry Beef Finger Meat 日式咖喱牛肋骨條肉

I learned this fast and easy way to cook beef finger meats as tender as those Japen waygu beef from a Hong Kong TV food show. This dish can be done in 30 minutes. The main ingredient to tenderize the meat is Coke. Coke contains baking soda and lots of sugar, and these are the main substances to make the beef very tender in short period of time.

Ingredients: Serve 6

1.3 kg or 3lbs Beef Finger Meat
1L Coke
Japanese Curry cube 220g
one carrot
one potato
Few Garlic
Black Pepper
one tbsp brown sugar

Chopped Parsley

Directions:

1. Cut finger meat in small cubic size.
2. Peel and chop carrots and potatoes in small pieces.
3. Heat up oil in saucepan. Seared all sides of finger meat cubes on high heat.
4. Pour 500ml coke and curry cubes. Stir until curry cubes are all dissolved.
5. Add garlic, one tsp black pepper, carrots, potatoes and the remaining 500ml coke.
6. Cook on medium high heat for 30minutes.
7. If you want your curry more spicy, you can add chilli pepper powder according to taste.
8. Add chopped parsley and cook for another minute.
9. Served hot with french bread or rice.

Japan Curry cubes.

Tofu Appetizer 日式玉子豆腐小食

 

This is a very easy appetizer or dinner dish for party.

Tofu served with Seaweed, bonito flakes, chopped green onion, Japanese ginger paste and Ponzu sauce.

That is it!

Recipe? That's already the recipe.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Appetizer in Daishi Kaeshi Sauce 日式涼伴茄子

 

Summer is getting close and weather is getting warm nowadays. It is good to have BBQ and serve along with some cold dishes and appetizers. Eggplant salad is a good choice that you can always make ahead of time. All you need is just put some Bonito Flakes (Tuna flakes) and green onions to serve with it.

Last few weeks, I made Hot Spring Egg and also Daishi Kaeshi Sauce. This dish also needs Daishi Kaeshi Sauce to cook. Here is the Daishi Kaeshi Sauce recipe again:

Awase Daishi Stock + Kaeshi Recipe: (good for zaru soba/udon dipping sauce)
(makes 4 cups)

Ingredients:
Kombu昆布10 cm
Dried Tuna (bonito flakes)柴魚片 20-40g
Water 800-1000L
Mirin 味醂1/2 cup
Soysauce 醬油1/2 - 1 cup

Directions for (Awase Daishi Stock)
1. Soak Kombu into water until soft.
2. Boil water with Kombu.
3. Turn off heat once it boiled. Remove Kombu from stock.
4. Add bonito flakes to kombu stock. Turn on heat again and boil for a few minutes. Remove bonito flakes until stock is clear.

(Daishi Soy Dipping sauce - Kaeshi)
5. Add 1/2 cup Mirin and 1/2 - 1 cup soysauce to Daishi stock. Add some sugar according to taste (optional).
6. Bring it to a boil for 2 minutes.

You can buy instant Daishi Stock powder at some local Japanese or Chinese supermarket. Just follow the steps on the box to make the Daishi Stock. And Mirin and soy sauce to the Daishi Stock according to taste.


Eggplant salad recipe:
Ingredients:
One Eggplant
2 cups of Daishi Kaeshi sauce
Bonito Flakes and chopped Green onion for garnish

Directions:
Wash Eggplant and cut in 2 inches long small pieces
Cook Eggplants in boil Daishi Kaeshi Sauce for 15 minutes
Take out the cooked eggplants and keep the sauce.
Put Eggplant to fridge until cold.
Serve cold. Put some bonito flakes and chopped green onion for garnish.
You can add some Daishi Kaeshi Sauce before serve (optional).

Painted Swiss Roll with Milk Pudding Fillings 彩繪奶凍蛋糕捲

This week, I was busy with all the cooking and baking for different occasions. Wednesday, I need to cook for Church's alpha course. I made a dish for 30 people! Then on Friday, I had a cupcake topper order due! For Sunday, I was responsible for desserts  for party for 30 people. Since it is my husband birthday on the coming Friday, I made him a cake that he longed for a long time - Swiss Roll with Milk Pudding that I made a year ago: http://winniemsfong.blogspot.com/2012/06/taiwan-style-milk-pudding-swiss-roll.html

I decided to combine this Milk pudding filling with Painted Swiss Roll http://winniemsfong.blogspot.com/2013/01/rilakkuma-painted-swiss-roll-cake.html  together as his birthday cake this year. I use a new painted swiss roll method to make this swiss roll.  Results are pretty much the same. But I found this recipe is easier with fewer steps.

Milk pudding recipe:

奶冻材料：Milk pudding ingredient
A. 2 egg yolk and milk 200g
B  whipping cream 200g honey 30g sugar 15g vanilla essence 2tsp
C gelatine 4tsp and water 4tbsp

method
1.Mixed ingredient A
2 boil in low heat. Do not over boil. Once boiled, remove from heat.
3. Use a long narrow baking pan/mould for milk pudding. Place aluminum sheet.
4. Mixed water and gelatine and place on double boiler. Simmer over boiling water until all gelatine dissolved.
5. pour gelatine liquid to egg yolk batter (to step 2)
6.Mixed all ingredients B together
7.pour solution in step 6 to solution in step 5
8. Mixed well
9. pour batter into prepared mould or baking pan and freeze for at least 4hours before wrapping with cake.


Painted Swiss Roll Recipe:

Ingredient:

• 3 egg yolk + 35gm icing sugar
• 60ml fresh milk or water
• 45ml corn oil
• 80gm cake flour (sifted)
• 3/4tsp  cornflour (if anvailable, can be replaced with same amt of cake flour)
• 3 egg whites + 30gm icing sugar

Patterns Batter :

• 1/8 tsp Pandan paste or green food colour
• 1/8 tsp cocoa powder or brown food colour

Filling :
200gm Whipped Non- Dairy Cream + 1/2 cup icing sugar

Method:~ Use white paper to draw the desired patterns and place paper underneath parchment paper on 9"x9" tray. Place pattern in middle position.

~ First, preheat the oven at 335'F. Then lightly whisk the egg yolks together with 35g sugar, then add in fresh milk and oil and mix well.

~ Add in cake flour and cornflour and stir well. Set aside.

~ ~ Whisk the egg whites and add 30g sugar in three batches till half soft peak form and fold in the prepared egg yolk batter. Stir well.

~Spoon out 2 tbsp of batter into 2 bowls. One bowl mix in the Cocoa powder and the other bowl mix in Pandan paste. . Mix well.

~ Spoon the coloured batter into a piping bag with tip #2. Pipe the patterns that you put on the parchment paper on lined tray (9"x9"").

~ Bake at 335'F for 1 minute. Take out from oven.

~ Then pour the remaining batter over the piped patterns.

~ Flatten the top with a spatula and bake at 335'F on water bath for 12-13 minutes.

~ Transfer on to wire rack to cool completely.

~ Once completely cooled, Take frozen milk pudding out and cut into long shape.
~ Spread whipped cream
~Place frozen milk pudding in middle of the cake

~ Roll up with parchment paper and put in fridge for at an hour to settle the shape.

Onsen Tamago with Daishi Kaeshi Sauce (hot spring egg) 温泉蛋 + 昆布魚湯

温泉蛋Hot Spring Egg and 溏心蛋Marinated soft-boiled egg are two different things. Onsen Tamago 温泉蛋 is cooked yolk with not fully cooked egg white. And 溏心蛋 is fully cooked egg white with half cooked yolk. Poached Egg is similar but it cooked with the shell. And it needs to be serve immediately after cooked. Onsen Tamago and Marinated Soft-boil egg can be store in refrigerator and can be served on the next day with shell on!

Recipe for Onsen Tamago:

You need: candy thermometer and oven proof saucepan. Eggs and pre-heated oven.
Recipe for 3 eggs. More time needs for more eggs cooked at one time.

1. Preheat oven to 68℃ (155°F).
2. Use a good oven proof saucepan. Put eggs to saucepan and cover with cold water. Turn on heat to medium.
3. Use candy thermometer. Once water reach 68-70℃ (~155°F), remove saucepan from heat and transfer to preheated oven immediately.
4. Bake for around 20-25mins (longer if you cook more eggs at one time). Transfer eggs to cold bath.
5. Serve eggs with chopped green onion and/or seaweed and daishi kaeshi sauce.

(if you do not have an oven that can be set to temperature to 155°F. Turn off heat once the temperature reach 155°F. Cover saucepan and let it soak in hot water for 20 minutes. I tried this the 1st time. The egg white is too watery and the appearance does not look good. But the overall taste and quality of yolk is acceptable. ) 

Awase Daishi Stock + Kaeshi Recipe: (good for zaru soba/udon dipping sauce)
(makes 4 cups)

Ingredients:
Kombu昆布10 cm
Dried Tuna (bonito flakes)柴魚片 20-40g
Water 800-1000L
Mirin 味醂1/2 cup
Soysauce 醬油1/2 - 1 cu

Directions for (Awase Daishi Stock)
1. Soak Kombu into water until soft.
2. Boil water with Kombu.
3. Turn off heat once it boiled. Remove Kombu from stock.
4. Add bonito flakes to kombu stock. Turn on heat again and boil for a few minutes. Remove bonito flakes until stock is clear.

(Daishi Soy Dipping sauce - Kaeshi)
5. Add 1/2 cup Mirin and 1/2 - 1 cup soysauce to Daishi stock. Add some sugar according to taste (optional).
6. Bring it to a boil for 2 minutes.

溏心蛋 Marinated Soft-boiled Egg recipe: http://winniemsfong.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-post_27.html

Croquembouche (Caramel Cream Puff Cone/Tower) 法式焦糖泡芙塔

Wiki: A croquembouche or croque-en-bouche is a traditional French dessert. The name comes from the French words croque en bouche, meaning 'crunch in the mouth'

 

Pâte à Choux (Cream puff) 

(Yield: About 28 1.5"diameter or 50 small ones 1" diameter)

INGREDIENTS:

• ¾ cup (175 ml) water
• 6 tablespoon. (85 g) unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• Egg wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally .
3. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.
4. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
5. Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.
6. Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.
7. It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.
8. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
9. Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).
10. Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.
11. Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool. Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Vanilla Pastry Cream)INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cup (450 ml) whole milk
• 4 tablespoon cornstarch
• 12 tablespoon (200 g) sugar
• 2 large egg
• 4 large egg yolks
• 4 tablespoon (60 g) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoon. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Set aside.
2. In another pan, combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.
3. Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture.
4. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
5. Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
6. Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil.
7. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

1. Pipe batter to baking pan 1" diameter (mini)
2. Finished baking from oven. Cooling down.
3. Vanilla pastry cream.
4. Piping cream into each puff.
5. Puffs filled by Vanilla pastry cream. Prepare Caramel now. Ready to assemble tower.

Croquembouche

Filling:

1. When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet.
2. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

Hard Caramel Glaze:

• 1 cup (225 g.) sugar
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice

1. Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand.
2. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color[see picture 1].
3. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.

Assembly of your Piece Montée:

1. Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!) [picture 2], and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet [picture 3]. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up.
2. When you have finished the design of your piece montée, you may drizzle with remaining glaze or use ribbons, sugar cookie cut-outs, almonds, flowers, etc. to decorate [picture 4-6].

Recipe from: http://anjelikuh.blogspot.ca/2010/05/daring-bakers-croquembouche.html

Chestnut Chocolate layered cake 栗子巧克力蛋糕

                                      

【栗子巧克力蛋糕】(6"x6" square pan or 7" round pan)

配料：

巧克力蛋糕Chocolate cake：
黄油butter 90克
黑巧克力Dark chocolate 70克
牛奶Milk 110克
细砂糖 sugar 75克
鸡蛋 egg 2个

低筋面粉Cake flour 55克

可可粉Cocoa powder 25克

泡打粉 Baking powder 3克

栗子奶油馅Chestnut Cream：

熟栗子仁Cooked Chestnut 200克

动物性淡奶油Whipping cream 275克

黄油butter 25克

糖粉icing sugar 45克

朗姆酒rum 1tsp（5ml）
可可粉cocoa powder 2tsp(10ml)

朗姆酒糖浆Rum Syrup：
玉米糖浆Corn syrup 20克 (or honey or maple syrup)
朗姆酒rum 2tsp (10ml)

表面装饰Decorations：可可粉适量 Cocoa powder，巧克力卷适量 ，糖粉适量

制作过程：
Cake Layer 巧克力蛋糕
Preheat oven 180C 350F
1、首先制作巧克力蛋糕。黄油和黑巧克力切成小块，和细砂糖、牛奶一起倒入碗里。
2、隔水加热并不断搅拌，直到黄油与黑巧克力完全溶化，细砂糖溶解，成为液态。若混合液的温度比较高，冷却片刻后再继续下面的步骤。
3、将鸡蛋打散倒入巧克力混合液里，搅拌均匀。
4、面粉、可可粉、泡打粉混合过筛。
5、将粉类加入到巧克力混合液里，搅拌均匀就是蛋糕面糊了。
6、将蛋糕面糊分三份倒入三个内壁涂了薄薄一层黄油的6英寸*6英寸方形模具里，抹平表面。如果只有一个模具，就分三次烘烤，每一烤出一个薄片蛋糕。将模具放入预热好上下火180℃的烤箱中层，烤9-10分钟，直到蛋糕完全凝固定型，用手指轻轻触摸蛋糕表面，表皮不会粘到手指上，就可以出炉了。将三片蛋糕冷却以后备用。

Chestnut cream layer 栗子奶油馅
7、制作栗子奶油馅。首先准备栗子仁，一般超市很容易买到小包装的去壳的熟栗子仁（或者叫甘栗仁，甜栗仁）。
8、用手将栗子仁在筛网上边压边擦，使栗子仁通过筛网，成为栗子蓉。
9、或者借助勺子背等工具，将栗子蓉过筛。
10、图里是过筛得到的细腻的栗子蓉（过筛栗子蓉是一件非常耗时间的活儿哦）。
11、将软化的黄油、糖粉、栗子蓉在大碗里用打蛋器先搅拌均匀。
12、慢慢的加入动物性淡奶油。边加入边用打蛋器搅打。
13、观察栗子蓉的状态，一开始的栗子蓉很干，淡奶油加完后，会变得浓滑细腻。
14、加入朗姆酒搅打均匀，加入两小勺可可粉搅打均匀，栗子奶油馅就做好了（加入可可粉使栗子奶油馅的颜色变得更深，如果喜欢浅色的栗子奶油馅，可以省略可可粉）。

Rum Syrup 朗姆酒糖浆 15、朗姆酒和玉米糖浆混合拌匀成为朗姆酒糖浆。如果没有玉米糖浆，可以用蜂蜜代替。取一片蛋糕片，刷上朗姆酒糖浆。

Assemble Cake
16、将栗子奶油馅装入裱花袋，裱花袋尖端剪一个开口，将栗子奶油馅满满的挤在蛋糕片上。盖上第二片蛋糕片，刷上朗姆酒糖浆，挤上第二层栗子奶油馅。
17、盖上第三片蛋糕片并刷上朗姆酒糖浆。用刮板或手指将夹层里露在外面的栗子蓉刮平，使它更平整漂亮。将剩余的栗子奶油馅装入一个新的裱花袋，裱花袋尖端剪一个更小的开口，将栗子奶油馅呈细线条状挤在蛋糕的表面。
18、用削皮刀在巧克力砖上削出巧克力卷。在蛋糕表面筛一层可可粉以后，把巧克力卷摆在上面做装饰，再在巧克力卷上筛少许糖粉，蛋糕就组装完成了。

TIPS：
1、这款蛋糕所用到的巧克力蛋糕是一款非常浓郁细腻的巧克力蛋糕。要得到松软细腻的口感，火候十分关键。这款蛋糕不直接一次性倒入蛋糕模烤一个大蛋糕再切片，而采用分三次烤出三个蛋糕片的方式，得到的效果更好。要注意烤的火候，当蛋糕凝固，轻轻触摸表面，哪怕非常非常柔软，但只要表面不粘腻，就可以出炉了。烤的时间太长，蛋糕会发硬。

2、根据栗子的品种及制作栗子蓉的损耗程度不同，栗子奶油馅配方里的动物性淡奶油，最好根据实际情况酌情增减。慢慢将动物性淡奶油倒入栗子蓉里搅打，当达到浓滑细腻的程度就可以了。

Recipe from: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4a5089ff0102epjo.html

1&2 Grind the chestnut in food processor
3 Bake 3 pieces of chocolate cake
4 Pipe Chestnut fillings between cake layers
5 Finish product before decorating

Alfajores Peruanos (fillings with Dulce de Leche)

My good friend Christy gave me a box of cookies that brought from San Francisco last week. It is an Argentina famous cookie. She said I will like it. Especially the texture of cookies are very soft and delicate. After I tasted it, I told myself I need to make this myself. And I SMS Christy and she said she already knew that I will find a recipe and make it!!! I research on internet and found this recipe I will gonna try. Wish me luck!!!

 

Introduction

While they have origins in Moorish Spain, alfajores are especially popular in South America. They are simple shortbread sandwich cookies with a sweet filling of dulce de leche. Different doughs are used for the cookies depending on the country. Some use normal flour dough, while others add cornstarch or even cassava flour for a more delicate crumb. This recipe uses a mixture of flour and cornstach.

Melt-away alfajores de maizena with dulce de leche

(enough for about 12 alfajores of 2"  in diameter…or many more smaller ones!)
For the alfajores:

110g of cornstarch

45g of flour (a soft flour is best if available, like cake flour)

120g unsalted 82%fat butter

3/4 tsp baking powder (optional)

40g icing sugar (I only put 30g)

pinch of salt

Directions

1. Sift the cornstarch and cake flour together in a medium bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, allowing each batch to become incorporated before adding the next.

3. Form the dough into a disc without handling it too much. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 24 2-inch rounds (or more for smaller size), and carefully place the rounds on two lightly greased cookie sheets.

5. Bake for 9-10 minutes, but not so long that they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to wire racks and cool completely.


6. Spread about 1-2 teaspoons of dulce de leche on the flat half of a cookie and cover it with the flat half of another cookie to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cookies. If desired, sprinkle the finished cookies with powdered sugar.

Recipe adapted from:  http://www.test4thebest.com/2010/09/melt-away-alfajores-de-maizena-with.html?m=1

--------------------DULCE DE LECHE--------------------------------

1x Can of Condensed Milk

------Method 1 (This is what I use)--------------

Condensed Milk:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C).
2. Pour the condensed milk or mixture into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish.
3. Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate
4. Cover the pie plate tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 - 1 1/4 hours. Check during baking and add more water to the roasting pan if needed.
5. Remove dulce de leche from the oven and let cool.
6. Whisk until smooth

---------------Method 2-------------------------

All you need to do is place the can in a pot that if filled with water it covers it completely and…cover it!(with water I mean). This is important, the cooking will take in between 3 to 4 hours depending on the thickness of the dulce de leche you want, and all you need to be concerned in the meanwhile is that the can is well covered at all times with water. When time is up, make sure is to not touch it once it’s finished cooking until it is completely cool. If you open it still hot it can burst out!

---------------Method 3-------------------------
Recipe from: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1150075
(Makes about 3 cups)

• Whole milk -- 4 cups

• Sugar -- 1 1/4 cups
• Vanilla -- 1 teaspoon
• Baking soda -- 1/4 teaspoon

1. Add all the ingredients to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir well to dissolve the sugar completely.

2. Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened and caramelized, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

3. Transfer to a clean glass jar and refrigerate. Will keep for 1-2 weeks.



Pic. #1 Christy bought me the authentic Alfajores from San Francisco

Pic. #2 2" round cookie dough

Pic. #3 After 1 1/4hrs in oven. Not fully brownish yet

Pic. #4 Total of 2 hours baked in oven. Dulce de Leche is ready!