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A Trip to Floripa Part 1: Fitness & Desserts

April 30, 2009

Thanks so much for all the well wishes regarding my trip. It was a wonderful holiday filled with lots of excitement and equal amounts of relaxation. I have so much to share that it was hard to decide where to start. I thought I would tell you a little bit about the event that took us to Florianopolis and then finish this post off with some food highlights by having a little dessert first.

Floripa (the local nickname) is an island off the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. It is an area that combines a major city with secluded beaches, and is a very diverse place for travel. South American tourists flock there in summer months, usually from December until Carnival in February.

Not being one for huge crowds I really like the off-season there. Last time we traveled in November which was closer to tourist season than our trip this time. Unfortunately you do sacrifice a bit for the peace and quiet this time of year can bring. Many restaurants close up for the season or are only open on the weekends. However, as you will see, we didn’t have trouble finding some amazing food.

The reason for our travel was that my husband participated in the Volta á Ilha, a 150km relay around the island. It was an exciting event! The company he works for had one team of seven (which my husband was on) and one team of eight to run in the race.

The course goes from road, to sand dunes, to beaches, to mountains. It is certainly an adventure and last Saturday it became more of an adventure than most of the participants were expecting. The day started out in pouring rain, but my husband managed to finish his first leg in record time. The team was doing really great overall until early afternoon.

The rain and rising tide caused water to collect in the dunes along the course and wash out the check points. At certain places along the way the runners had to wade through waist deep water! This slowed them down, of course. Actually the second company team had to drop out. Things got pretty stressful for those of us waiting at the finish line at the end of the night.

The event was started at 6:45 am (earlier by others) and had to be finished by 8:00 pm. This meant the last three runners, including my husband, had to make some great times on their final legs. The excitement was amazing as we saw them coming down the finish lane. They completed the race with 7 seconds to spare!! How awesome is that? I was so proud of him and the rest of the team. They worked so hard!

Here are a few pictures of the event. First, my husband finishing his first leg in the pouring rain, next a check point on the beach and some runners completing the beach portion of the 12th leg, then another check point on the beach. I don’t have any great pictures of the finish line because it was dark, but I assure you there was plenty of celebration. Many teams crossed the finish line with Brazilian beer in hand!

I have so much great food to share with you along with details of our vacation portion of the trip. I thought I would kick it off with dessert. I think you can tell by my blog that I’ve come across some great desserts in Brazil. This trip I encountered some that have quickly become my favorites.

This tart is from a French bakery in Curitiba. We spent the night there to break up our 11 hour drive. At first, this may not seem too rare, but chocolate chips are really hard to come by. I have never seen them where we are living.

This tart had a chocolate cookie crust and was filled with a banana cake topped with walnuts and chocolate chips. The best part was that it wasn’t overly sweet. The banana wasn’t strong at all which made the nuts and chocolate really shine through.

Next, was the refreshing Crème de Morango. This is a spinoff of Crème de Papaya which is very common in Brazil. The papaya version includes the fruit mixed with ice cream and topped with Crème de Cassis liqueur.

We chose to branch out and try morango (strawberry) this time and were not disappointed. It tasted like a fresh, homemade strawberry ice cream straight from an old-fashioned bucket with a hand crank.

My husband and I agree that this final dessert may be the best and most creative we have had in the country thus far. The combination of passion fruit (maracujá) and chocolate is a delicious one and we ordered this dessert knowing it came with passion fruit sorbet and a brownie. This is what we got…

A passion fruit hallowed out and filled with a creamy and tart sorbet. Next to it and incredibly rich and fudge like brownie with nuts. Along the outside is the sweetened pulp of passion fruit with the crunchy seeds. Both the flavor and the presentation were impressive!

I still have a lot left to cover including the seafood feasts we enjoyed, pictures of the island and some German food and beer right out of southern Brazil. More to come tomorrow!

Lovely Limes

April 10, 2009

If you give me the choice of a lemon or a lime, I’ll likely choose the lime every time. This goes for the twist I put in my sparkling water as well as for flavors in desserts.

I just happen to be in the world’s most perfect place for a lime lover. I might mention that this is a good thing since there are no lemons where we live in Brazil.

I’m not sure about other areas of the country, but most people here really aren’t familiar with lemon. Many of the (Brazilian) English teachers we have met translate limão to lemon, but this is not correct. Limão is a lime, not a lemon so we try to clear up this confusion when we get the chance.

My appreciation for the lovely limes here came to mind on Wednesday night as I shopped at the local farmer’s market in town. Many of the vendors there sell a variety of items. For example, a booth that has lettuce will also have carrots and herbs. However, there is this one particular booth manned by an older couple and the product they offer is limes, just limes.

These are some of the largest, brightest limes I’ve ever come across. I buy from them every week and I am amazed each time they place my bag on the scale and tell me the price. This week I paid 30 centavos for these limes. That is less than fifteen cents. Fifteen cents for five beautiful limes! That is a far cry from the 44 cents each I saw on my last trip in the US.

I’m typically a lover of rich and heavy desserts, but I have found since being around all this fresh lime juice my dessert preferences here in Brazil are very different. I love the variety of desserts using lime and my favorite is the Torta de Limão, Lime Pie. It’s sort of like a Key Lime pie, yet that still doesn’t adequately describe it. It is something that I will likely always associate with Brazil.

There is a catch, though. I have had Torta de Limão that I didn’t care for. As you probably guessed, this dessert calls for sweetened condensed milk (what would a dessert in Brazil be without it?). Some varieties use too much milk and not enough lime for my tastes. I like that tart, almost bitter flavor and prefer that the sweet flavor doesn’t take over.

One of my favorites has been the one I’m picturing here. An individual serving we picked up at a local bakery. So no, I didn’t make this, but I did take the photo. Isn’t it beautiful?

The truth is, I’ve never made Torta de Limão, or at least I haven’t yet. I do, however, have the recipe.

After just a few months of living here a girl in town contacted me through my ex-pat blog. She taught at an English school, it was Thanksgiving time and she wanted a recipe for pumpkin pie. I was happy to help, but secretly wanted something of my own out of the deal. I asked her for a recipe for Torta de Limão.

She shared with me her recipe for Lime Mousse. This is the filling for the pie and can be eaten by itself if you so desire. To turn it into pie form, use your favorite pie crust and bake it through. Add this filling, and then you can top it with meringue. Pop it in the oven to brown or dry the meringue and there you have it. It is similar to any meringue topped pie although served room temperature or cold.

I should mention that here, they often use a packaged whipping cream instead of the beaten egg whites. This browns up nicely and is creamier, but I really don’t know what the equivalent would be in the US. I’m not sure if whipped cream would brown up/harden or not.

Also, aside from this little one I’ve showed you, the torta I have come across here don’t resemble pie in the US. The crust is typically made in a tart pan so the whole dessert is rather flat and thin, not like our deep dish pies in the States.

Mousse de Limão

1 can of sweetened milk
1 can of creme de leite (Her description: “It’s like sour cream but less sour.” I’m not sure we have an equivalent in the States. Maybe crème fraiche?)
1 cup of fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)

Mix in a blender until gains a firm appearance. It can be refrigerated before eaten or use it to put together your own Torta de Limão.

Chocolate and…more chocolate

April 8, 2009

Knowing how much I adore chocolate my brother had been telling me about a Truffle Cake he had tried making recently. When I was home a little over a month ago, he finally had the opportunity to make it for me.

This cake defies all previous thoughts you have had about how rich a dessert can be. It is amazing! With only three ingredients, it is basically like a huge dark chocolate bar in the shape of a cake. There is nothing light about it.

While this time of year tends to be one for fruity, spring-like desserts, for me it is also a time for chocolate. Easter and chocolate go hand in hand in my book so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share my brother’s master piece.

The recipe comes from one of those Woman’s Day special edition magazines that pop up in the supermarket check-out aisle now and again. I also found it online. The main difference is that my brother used a spring-form pan which worked out nicely.

I will warn you now this is one of those desserts where you know you can only handle a tiny sliver because it is so rich. However, about an hour later you think – mmm, another sliver sounds good about now. This could go on all night so be sure you have plenty of people to share it with!

Truffle Cake
Adapted from Woman’s Day Special: 1-2-3 Meals. Available online AOL food.

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 sticks unsalted butter
6 eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or spray an 8 inch spring-form pan. Cut a piece of wax paper the size of the pan, grease and place in the bottom.

Melt chocolate chips and butter. Beat eggs in a separate bowl for about 7 minutes. Fold in the chocolate and pour into the pan.

Place the spring-form pan inside another, larger pan and place in the oven. Fill the larger pan with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the outside of the spring-form pan. Lay a piece of foil over the top of the cake pan.

Bake 40 minutes, remove and let cool on a wire rack. Then cover and refrigerate until firm. Remove the outside of the pan and place the cake on a serving platter.

More Brazilian Dessert: Canjica

April 3, 2009

Did you know that hominy comes in another form besides the can? I didn’t. I thought hominy was simply that puffed up, wet, white corn kernel sold at the grocery store in the same spot as other canned corns. I had even used it once or twice in a pork-based chili dish.

I was reading Pink Bites a few weeks ago and came across a recipe for Canjica, a sweet dish common in southern Brazil. My first thought was – wow, I didn’t realize hominy existed in the dry form. My next thought was – I actually think I’ve had that before, but didn’t know the name. That happens a lot for me.

Corn is abundant here and not in the same processed, chemical way it is slipped into packaged foods in the US. I’m talking the ground, steamed or recipe ingredient way. There is a least one restaurant here completely devoted to all things corn and one of the items on their menu is canjica.

Canjica is both the name for the dry hominy as well as for the dish itself. It is a dessert similar to a sweet rice pudding. It combines sweetened condensed milk with the flavors of coconut and around here it has peanuts mixed in. You will need whole milk, coconut milk and unsweetened shredded coconut in addition to the sweetened condensed milk. Cinnamon and cloves are the star spices in this dish.

I won’t copy the recipe here since you can head over to Pink Bites and see her version and translation as Hominy and Coconut Pudding. She deserves full credit for my inspiration to try this dish.

I cut her recipe in half because I didn’t want it left around the apartment all week. I also skipped the peanuts. I know that is how it is traditionally made, but I wanted to simplify the flavors and enjoy the coconut. I also cooked mine a bit longer to get it thicker. I like a thicker consistency in my grain puddings.

You should be able to find the canjica at a Latin market in your area. Oh, and be sure to plan ahead as you will need to soak it overnight before getting started. It is a bit more labor intensive that a sweet rice, but completely worth it. The canjica itself gives a unique texture to the dish and then of course there is all the yummy creaminess of the milks. I like mine served warm and my husband likes his cold. It is really great both ways.

Xocoatl

March 10, 2009

I love it when interesting little things pop up while I’m shopping; those little unexpected pleasures that fully warrant somewhat of a splurge in order to gain a new culinary experience.

The most recent occurrence that that fits these criteria involves chocolate. I love chocolate – big deal, I know. So do a lot of other people. I will admit when I hear people utter the words “I don’t like chocolate” it is followed by a jaw drop and gasp. Then I think – are you sure? I mean, it is chocolate.

When I delve into the history and health benefits of chocolate I often grow amazed at how this perfect, natural substance ever became what we’ve come to know as chocolate in the US – a candy, full of fat and sugar. What stares back at us on our store shelves barely resembles that from which it was made.

Now I’ve enjoyed my fair share of milk chocolate, but it is the dark stuff that has my heart. I like it dark and bitter, just barely sweet. The type of chocolate where you only need a small bite to feel fully satisfied.

So let me bring you back to my unexpected find. Browsing the food selection at a local bakery a few weeks ago I came across a rather intriguing drinking chocolate – Xocoatl. I became even more interested when I read the back of the package, which, lucky for me, was also printed in English so I didn’t have to worry with translating.

This is what it said:

Long before Columbus reached America, Aztecs roasted and ground cocoa beans and
mixed them with water, honey, vanilla and pepper. This ceremonial drink, called
Xocoatl, was available only to the nobles and priests. During the 16th century,
Xocoatl was taken to Spain, where spices from the East Indies were added to the
drink. Nugali Xocoatl is prepared according to this 400-year-old recipe, which quickly became a success among
European courts.

Well, noble or priest or I am not, but I did by up a bag of these tasty little disks for making drinking chocolate. I didn’t have to think twice after the description – honey, vanilla, pepper and chocolate – I knew I would love it.

The directions indicated that you should melt 3 to 5 tablets in a cup of hot milk. A bit difficult to melt down, it did not become a thick, dark drinking chocolate that most of us think of. However, this was its only fault.

The warm drink gave the sweet, yet bitter taste of fine chocolate and left a warm heat in the back of the throat. Such a combination of flavors that you know this is a rich drink meant for the most special of occasions.

This was certainly a new find for me. Have you ever heard of or had Xocoatl?

Vosges Chocolates in Vegas

January 7, 2009

A few years ago I remember seeing Vosges chocolates
featured on a Food Network show. When we walked into the Forum shops last week while visiting Las Vegas, I spotted it right away. What is it about gourmet chocolate that just makes it worth a little extra money? Not only does it look good, but it tastes good too.

The second you see the Vosges shop you know it’s something special. That something is savory spices. These chocolates are mixed with some of the most unique things you could think of. You can choose ginger, wasabi, saffron, chilies, bacon and curry to name just a few.

Sounds weird at first, I know, but I have really fallen for this type of spicy and savory combo with my chocolate. We decided on two different bars. The bon-bons were beautiful, but we wanted to most bang for our buck.

My favorite proved to be the Naga Bar. I’m usually only a fan of dark chocolate, but my love of curry allows me to overlook that it is only 41% cacao. It has a combination of sweet Indian curry powder and coconut flakes. I think it could be my favorite chocolate ever. Words can’t describe its unique flavor and the way it melts in your mouth.

Our second choice was the Oaxaca Bar with guajillo and pasilla chilies. This one was a bit healthier using Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate with 75% cacao. It is very good, but not as spicy as I was expecting. I actually like the chocolate bar with chilies that I get at Moonstruck Chocolates more, but that isn’t to say it wasn’t enjoyable.

There are only 4 Vosges stores around the US. Two in Chicago, one in New York and one in Las Vegas. If you happen to stumble upon one you just have to stop in and splurge a bit. The bon-bons are about $2.50 a piece and the bars about $8. So, expensive, but not completely outrageous considering what you are getting. I mean if I can spend $2.50 on a drink with a meal, I can put it to better use on a piece of gourmet chocolate, right?

# 2 Beijinhos

December 24, 2008

I’ve finished up some baking this week since we returned from our trip. As much as I am craving some lighter food after a week of indulgence I know there are plenty of holiday treats coming up.

I have been wanting to make Beijinhos for a while and just happened to list them as #2 on my 30 Foods list.

The name translates to “little kisses” in English. It is a Brazilian candy that we can get at our local bakery near our apartment in Brazil.

It is basically a combination of Brigadeiro and another similarly made candy with coconut which is then combined. I’ve seen it in several different forms but where we are living it is made into a twist.

I wanted to make them a little smaller so I then cut the larger twists in half to make them bite size.

Simply follow the Brigadeiro recipe for the chocolate part. Instead of rolling them into balls, roll them into small logs and then roll them in sugar.

For the coconut part you can follow the same recipe and instead of adding cocoa, add about 1/3 cup of very finally chopped coconut. Roll them out the same way and then in sugar. I make mine the way a friend taught me in Brazil. However, I have found a recipe for Beijinhos de Coco that is different.

Next you simply twist the two candies together and then roll the whole thing in sugar again. There you have it – Beijinhos as I have them in Brazil.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you to each of you who read my blog and also to those who take the time to comment. I appreciate your input.

I’ll be back after the 1st and can’t wait to catch up on everyone’s writing. I’m going through a bit of blog reading withdraw!

I Have a Confession…

December 10, 2008

I like fruitcake.

Yes, those unwanted holiday bricks are welcome at my house. I will say that I don’t care for the store-bought version. It has to be homemade. The kind I make weeks before Christmas and baste with good ol’ KY bourbon.

I decided with all my travel that I would opt out of making a batch this year. Fortunately, I was thumbing through a cookbook by Ina Garten at the library and found an amazing recipe for Fruitcake Cookies. Just what I needed to satisfy my fruitcake craving without all the labor.

First let’s talk about the health of things. I just can’t pass up cookies during the holidays, but I do my best to make them with real ingredients skipping all the shortcuts and mixes.

I do have one bummer to report. These cookies call for candied cherries. Unfortunately, after label inspection I realized they were made with none other than high-fructose corn syrup. I wasn’t really surprised, it is everywhere. If you know of a brand without it let me know.

The recipe actually calls for sherry, but I substituted bourbon. You’ll need to start the night before to allow the fruit to marinate and then the dough will need a few hours in the fridge before slicing into cookies.

The combination of the smooth bourbon and spicy clove is perfect in these cookies. As my Dad said last night as he finished up a couple – they kind of melt in your mouth.

So don’t give up on fruitcake! You might just like it in the cookie form.

Fruitcake Cookies

Modified from Barefoot Contessa at Home

1 cup raisins
1 cup candied cherries, chopped
1 T honey
2 T Kentucky Bourbon (I used Jim Beam)
1 T lemon juice
¾ cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts and pecans)
2 sticks unsalted butter
½ t ground cloves
½ cup white sugar (or equivalent sweetener of your choice)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 ¾ cups flour

In a bowl combine raisins, cherries, honey, bourbon, lemon juice, nuts and a pinch of salt. Cover and allow to marinate overnight at room temp.

Cream butter, cloves and sugars until smooth. Mix in egg. Slowly add flour and ¼ t salt. Mix just until combined. Stir in fruit and nut mixture with liquid.

Divide dough in two and place each piece on wax paper. Roll into a log using the paper. Refrigerate several hours until firm.

Slice into ½ inch cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

And check this out. I took the cookies to the screened-in porch to get some natural light for the photo. Look who decided to hop up on a nearby ottoman so she could get a closer look.

Have you found any different recipes this year that you are going to try for Christmas?

I’m making a couple new things and couple standards. My husband is bringing back some goiaba (guava fruit) jam from Brazil for me so I’m going to spice up my ordinary thumb print cookies with that this year.

#3 Brigadeiro

December 2, 2008

When it comes to food combinations is there anything better than chocolate and caramel? Well, okay, there are a ton of good combos, but this one is in the top five for me.

Last week I needed to do a test run of some of my upcoming holiday treats so I set out to make Brigadeiros. This food came in as # 3 on my 30 Foods List and it’s also a cultural lesson on Brazil foods. I haven’t featured a Brazilian food in a while.

I’ve found Brigadeiro everywhere I’ve been in Brazil. They love it. You can find it as the candy itself, cake flavors, ice cream bars and packaged cookies.

This candy could not be easier to make. The star ingredient is sweetened condensed milk. I know, not so healthy. I remember only using SCM for one thing growing up – fudge. Other than that we rarely purchased it.

Where I live in Brazil it is used to make almost every dessert. Oh, and they drink it too. It’s mixed into cocktails and sometimes they even drink it straight. This is certainly not a practice I’m getting into. Honestly, the cocktails make me gag.

But every once in a while you find a great thing made with the ever popular SCM that is worth the not-so-healthy status. Brigadeiro is one of those things.

Brigadeiro

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp butter, plus extra when rolling balls
2 Tbsp cocoa
½ cup chocolate sprinkles

Heat sweetened condensed milk and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly. You have to continue this process until the milk turns into a thick carame- like substance. It is ready when you stir and can start seeing the bottom of the pan. It takes about 15 minutes.

Once thickened remove from heat and add 2 heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder. Stir to combine. Put mixture into a bowl to cool. Once cool roll into balls. You’ll need to keep your hands buttered for this to keep the brigadeiro from sticking. Roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles and put in mini-liners. The recipe makes about 25.

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2008

There are no jack-o-lanterns, candy corn or trick-or-treaters to be found where I am at, but that doesn’t mean I’m not celebrating! Halloween is the time when treats come to mind so I’d thought I’d share one of my favorites with you today.

When fall gets into full swing (or it seems more like winter from what I hear) I always start craving my Mom’s Caramel Corn. She has perfected the art of making it and it is often the go-to food gift when someone has something to celebrate in our circle of family and friends.

The best part is that it is so easy. You’ll need a little time to be around the house because it is in the oven for about an hour, but you can use that time to catch up on your food blog reading or do a few crunches in anticipation of the tasty treat.

Before I go on with the recipe let me share the 3 reasons why yours won’t look like mine (and why mine doesn’t look like my Mom’s). Brown sugar, corn syrup and a really hot oven!

The brown sugar in Brazil is heavy on the molasses with a much different flavor and consistency than that found in the States. The only corn syrup here isn’t quite as sweet and it is a light amber color, not clear. Finally, my oven only goes down to about 360 degrees F and the recipe calls for a 200 degree F oven.

All these factors lead to mine being quite a bit darker. It still tasted great, just a little different. I’ll make some when I’m in the States for the holidays and post some more pictures then.

Speaking of the holidays, last year I made this recipe, mixed some nuts in and then drizzled it with dark and white chocolate after it cooled. It made great Christmas gifts for friends and neighbors.

Caramel Corn

½ stick butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
4 quart pot of popcorn (about 1 cup unpopped)

In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring often. Once completely melted add baking soda and vanilla. Stir until combined and fluffy.

Pour the mixture over popcorn and stir to coat well. Dump caramel corn onto a cookie sheet and spread evenly. Bake at 200 degrees F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool on wax paper or foil. Once cool, break apart and enjoy!

Since I don’t have much going on for Halloween you have to tell me what you are doing today. Have a fun weekend with or without a Halloween celebration!