If there is one thing I admit to liking more about the pastry world than the savoury-cooking world it is in the names of desserts, just to mention a few of my faves:
Éclair.
Baked Alaska.
Charlotte.
Fool.
Gelato.
Palmier.
Syllabub.
Bananas Foster.
But, my most recent favourite is: "Lecha Frita".
The beauty I see in it is that it's a paradoxical euphony not only in the etymological sense but in its raison d'etre as a smile-boosting delicacy.
"Lecha Frita", Spanish for fried milk, was on the menu listed for cooking class (alongside Spanish main course dishes). The not-having-a-clue-how-to-even-begin- imagining a dessert that I've never heard of or even seen in pictures: caused butterflies to salsa dance within my tummy.
The beauty I see in it is that it's a paradoxical euphony not only in the etymological sense but in its raison d'etre as a smile-boosting delicacy.
"Lecha Frita", Spanish for fried milk, was on the menu listed for cooking class (alongside Spanish main course dishes). The not-having-a-clue-how-to-even-begin- imagining a dessert that I've never heard of or even seen in pictures: caused butterflies to salsa dance within my tummy.
What I initially imagined was a milky buttery batter being deep fried. So, in my mind I was outlining the spongy texture of the outer layer of a corndog, with the taste of choux pastry, a generous dusting of confectioner's sugar, topped off with a guilty ooze of oil once bitten into it.
I gotta say, reality exceeded my expectations.
Basically, Leche Frita is egg custard perfumed with cinnamon, orange peel and a droplet of vanilla extract, poured and smoothed out onto a pre-greased pyrex mold, covered with cling wrap and refrigerated for at least 4 hours. Once the custard transitions from a thick liquidy state to gelatinously solid, with a smooth chef's knife it is cut into bite-sized squares, coated with a egg-whites and flour and deep fried. It is serve with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar (equal parts cinnamon:sugar).
It reminds me of fried tofu and creme brulee.
The following is perhaps not the authentic version, but it's worked for me (I tweaked the recipe I was given in culinary school) so, in hopes it'll make it into your cooking-repertoire, here is the
Recipe for "Leche Frita"
Ingredients for the custard:
1L whole milk
Peel of one orange
1 bark of cinnamon
160grams of granulated sugar
25g butter
100g
cornstarch
3
egg yolks
Ingredients for deep-frying:
3 egg whites
Flour
A pinch of salt
Vegetable oil (enough to deep fry)
Procedure:
- Peel the orange and put the peel in a pot with room-temperatured milk and a bark of cinnamon. Let it come to a boil and turn it off. Discard the cinnamon and the orange peel.
- Whisk the egg yolk and the sugar and when well combined, whisk in the corn starch. Add in 3 to 5 tablespoons of the warm milk in a small bowl, and while constantly whisking the egg mixture add in this small amount of milk (this is to aclimate the egg to the temperature of the milk- and prevent it from curdling. Remember, the milk has to be warm, not boiling hot). Add the rest of the milk into the custard while continuing to whisk.
- Pour this mixture into the same pot the milk was heated, turn on the heat onto low and whisk away until it thickens.
- Get a Pyrex mold or a baking tray with medium to high sides, butter the pan and pour in the custard, smooth it out with a spatula. Place some cling wrap over it in such a way that it touches the custard- this is to prevent the custard from forming a filmy- coat on top. Let it cool and put it in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours or leave it overnight.
- The custard will hardened, slightly more than plain jello.
- In a pot pour in some vegetable oil, turn on the heat and let it reach around 165°-170°C.
- Cut the custard into bite-sized squared. Pass it through the flour mixture (flour and a pinch of salt) and then through (previously whisked) egg whites.
- Once the oil is hot, deep fry the custard squares.
- Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top before serving.