Here we go again! Cuban Pork Roast

I went to my local supermarket to buy a pork shoulder, and there weren't any. I asked the butcher. "Do you have pork shoulders?" "All our pork shoulders are hams," he answered.

Pork butts it is! They are marinating to go into the oven on Saturday morning.

For these 2 pork butts I used:

1 head of  garlic pressed
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and sliced in half
the juice of 4 oranges
the juice of 4 limes

approximately
2-3 tbsp salt
1-2 tbsp rosemary (chopped or pressed)
1 tbsp oregano
pepper


Please click here to see cooking instructions and helpful comments from a previous post and check back on Saturday to see how these turned out.

Dulce de Leche • Caramel Sauce

I've never made dulce de leche, but I like it in certain desserts, and since it's that time of the season for all things sweet, I thought.... what the heck! So, I googled it and came across this recipe. 

It's really quite simple to make, but you do need about half an hour to forty-five minutes of uninterrupted time to stir the sauce.

• 1 (14 ounce) can of condensed milk
• 1 (12 ounce) can of evaporated milk (I used regular milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Generous pinch of salt (optional)
• Cinnamon sticks (optional)
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Place the evaporated milk and the condensed milk in your heaviest pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
Adjust the temperature so that the mixture stays just barely at a simmer.

The mixture will begin to thicken and darken in color. The foamy bubbles on the surface will disappear. Keep stirring! Continue to stir until the mixture is making large bubbles, is very thick, and is a golden caramel color. It's very important to stir constantly at this point to prevent burning.

You can also check for doneness by dragging the spoon along the bottom of the pot. You should be able to see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before the mixture closes in on itself and covers the bottom again.

Remove cinnamon sticks. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and the corn syrup. Let cool completely.

Art-by-MSR: Flan de Calabaza (Pumpkin Flan)

Please check out this great Cuban Pumpkin Flan recipe by artist friend and fellow Cuban, Maria Soto Robbins.

Photo courtesy of Art-by-MSR

Art-by-MSR: Flan de Calabaza (Pumpkin Flan)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Guest blogger today: my daughter, Frances. I love it when someone else does the baking!

 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Turn to medium-low speed and mix about 30 seconds. Your mixture should be mostly combined at this point. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to medium speed and beat for about 30 more seconds. Stop and scrape bowl.

Turn to the lowest speed and gradually add in your flour, salt and baking soda into the bowl. Mix for about 2 minutes. Turn to medium-low speed and mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape the bowl. Add your chocolate chips. Turn to lowest speed and mix for about 15 seconds.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees (I did this at 350) for 10-12 minutes (mine took exactly 12 minutes). Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.

Should make 27 teaspoon sized cookies or 20 tablespoon sized cookies.

Enjoy!