HCMCF
finished their final Meal in the Life with Hispanic sizzle! Early in
the month a sample Hispanic dinner was served with Beef Quesadillas,
Spanish rice and Churros
for dessert.
Then
a cooking and food demonstration was held. Residents sampled authentic
Beef Tamales with traditional Mole’ sauce, fresh made flour tortillas
and Sopapillas. The
residents learned about the foods that different parts of Latin America
were known for and their dining culture. They learned that a piñata has
more meaning than just a game at children’s birthday parties. Did you
know that many Central and Latin American
countries have a piñata tradition that focuses on religious symbolism?
It is often used during lent, at baptisms, first communions and even
Christmas.
Our
final exploration of the Hispanic heritage was a special facility-wide
lunch. Entrée choices included Chimichurri Roasted Beef, Crispy Fish
Tacos with Cilantro
Lime Rice as a side dish. Other side dishes included Fiesta Corn and
Chili Seasoned Roasted Cauliflower. Dessert included a choice of a
homemade Dulce’ De Leche cookie or a Cuban Mango Orange Batido
(milkshake).
The
residents were pleased to learn that Hispanic food is rich in flavor.
They were surprised to learn that they could enjoy Hispanic food that
didn’t have to be overly
spicy hot! Many will be sharing the Dulce De Leche cookie recipe with
their families.
Sweet & Salty Dulce de Leche Cookie
Sugar Mixture for dipping warm cookies just after baking:
1 cup Sugar 2 ¼ tsp Sea Salt 1 ½ tsp Cinnamon ¼ + 1/8 tsp Cardamom
Cookie Dough:
2 ¼ cup firmly packed Brown Sugar 12 ounces Butter, room temperature
3 Eggs 3 teaspoons Vanilla
1 pound 6.5 ounces UNsifted Flour 3 teaspoons Cinnamon
¾ tsp Baking powder ¾ tsp Baking Soda 1 ½ tsp Salt
Directions:
Combine all sugar mixture ingredients in shallow dish; set aside.
Beat brown
sugar and butter in medium bowl at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs
and vanilla, beating until well mixed and creamy. Add all remaining
cookie ingredients; beat at low speed until well
mixed. Scoop dough using green scoops.
BEFORE
baking slice top off each dough ball. Make a thumbprint indention then
fill with Dulce de Leche (see recipe on back). Place dulce de leche in
resealable
plastic
food bag; snip off small
corner of bag. Squeeze dulce de leche into each indentation until level
with top of cookie. Cover dulce de leche on each cookie with remaining
pieces of dough, smoothing to seal.
Bake at 325°F.
Line
cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes then
dip warm cookies into sugar mixture.
Dulce de Leche Filling:
1 – 14ounce can of Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 – 14 ounce can of Evaporated Milk
½ tsp Baking Soda 1 ½ tsp Cinnamon 1 Tblsp Corn Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
Place all
ingredients in a heavy duty large microwave-safe bowl, preferably glass.
Cover with film wrap; keep a tiny bit uncovered to vent and prevent
steam build up.
Microwave
for 2 minutes. Remove, stir with a wire whisk and recover. Cook for 2
more minutes. Remove, stir with a whisk, and recover.
Then in
increments of 2 ½ minutes, continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
Stirring between each interval and watching closely to keep from
bubbling over. After the first 2 stirs, you’ll notice that
the milk bubbles and foams up as it expels moisture. Then, with each
stirring, the milk will be thicker and more caramel colored.
If after
the 10 minutes, you like the color and consistency, STOP! For thicker
sauce, such as for cookie filling, continue cooking in 1 minute
increments for up to 9 minutes. Finished consistency
should be like thick caramel.
Remove from microwave, and let cool before packing in sealed container and store in cooler.