Tres Leches Cake

Leche means milk in Spanish. Tres Leches Cake is named for the three milks it is soaked in - sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. The heavy cream is also whipped up to use as the topping.

Due to the rich ingredients, it is extremely dense and moist, almost like a custard.

Another favorite cake is Chocolate Icebox Cake, page 80 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:
Combine flour and baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture one at a time until well combined. Stir in the 1/2 cup of milk, then gently fold in the flour mixture a little at a time.
Pour batter into a lightly greased cake pan or baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until it feels firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool until it feels room temperature. Turn it over onto a platter with raised edges. Pierce cake with a fork 20-30 times. Let it cool in the refrigerator for an additional 30 minutes.

Cream Syrup
12 oz. evaporated milk
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon rum or brandy (optional)
Whisk together the three milks and the rum or brandy if you are using it. Slowly pour the liquid over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Occasionally, spoon the milk runoff back onto the cake.

Whipped Topping
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
In a chilled mixing bowl add heavy cream, vanilla and sugar. Beat on high speed until peaks form. Spread a thin layer over the cake.
Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or garnish with fresh berries.

Two Sweet and Sour Apple Desserts

SWEET AND SOUR APPLE DESSERT
Here is another easy and delicious recipe from the recipe exchange, thanks to Jean Young from Newfoundland, Canada.
We found a new apple called Envy that was delicious for this recipe.

1. Mix together
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups graham wafer crumbs

2. Press in bottom of 8 x8 or 9x 9 dish

3. Mix together the following and spread over the graham wafer bottom
1 small tub sour cream
1 tin condensed milk
3 tablespoons lemon Juice

Top with 1 can of apple pie filling. Sprinkle cinnamon over top. Bake for 15 minutes at 325.
THIS CAN BE CUT IN SQUARES AND FROZEN WHEN COOLED.

A little more complicated (but delicious) apple recipe is found on page 163 Tastes & Treasures cookbook

Apple Streusel Pie

Streusel Topping

½ cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup chopped pecans

Apple Pie

¼ cup chopped pecans

1 unbaked (9 inch) pie shell

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 cups thinly sliced tart apples

2 tablespoons butter

For the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a fork until crumbly. Stir in the pecans.

For the pie, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle the pecans over the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the apples to the sugar mixture and toss to coat. Mound the apple mixture in the prepared pie shell and dot with the butter. Spread the topping evenly over the top of the pie and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes longer, checking after 30 minutes and covering with foil if needed to prevent the topping from overbrowning.

Serves 6 to 8

Margarita Pie topic on talk radio

The interview with www.blogtalkradio.com/big-blend-radio/2011/07/23/food-history-travel was fun with lots of interest in Margarita Pie and Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe. The hosts did not know the Jesuit mission built in the late 1600 at Rancho de la Osa is the oldest building still in use in AZ. I was nervous about the interview since they know lots of history, so I felt good when I could give them some new information.

The interview was to promote Tastes & Treasures cookbook and Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Historymakers Centennial Commemoration book.

H. Alan Day, co-author of "Lazy B" with his sister Sandra Day O'Connor, preceded me on the talk show. He is such an interesting speaker. Both he and Sandra talked at a Historical League meeting a few years ago and it was fascinating. His passion now is rescueing wild horses and he tells us about this in his new book.

For all you foodies, here is the sought-after Margarita Pie recipe. Easy to fix and looks so impressive.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust

1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons gold tequila

2 tablespoons Triple Sec

2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor several times to combine. Add the butter in a steady stream and process until well mixed. Press over the bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, condensed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with additional whipped cream and lime slices.

Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels in the crust or the crust will not hold together when cutting. You may substitute graham crackers for the pretzels.

We added green coloring but swirled it (not mixed it in uniformly) so it gave a marbled look.

Serves 6 to 8