In the Kitchen: Flantastic Cuban

Today, friends came over to play in the kitchen with me. We had a "flantastic" day with Cuban fare and I shared with them a few Cuban flan recipes, paired with a Cuban inspired lunch. So what is flan exactly?



Flan is an oven-baked caramel custard dessert that's extremely popular in various Latin countries, especially in Cuba. This custard has a light caramel sauce baked with the custard itself, which is put in the bottom of the custard pan. The custard mixture if then poured over the caramel and baked in a water bath. After it's baked, the custard is chilled to set. To serve, the dish is inverted onto a serving platter and the caramel sauce coats the custard. It's delicious prepared in the classic way with vanilla, however there are numerous variations and can be prepared in a souffle dish, small ramekins or special flan dishes.

I was inspired to host this Cuban flan event by my friend, Lazara. She is Cuban and makes the most wonderful flan I've ever tasted. It's not quite the same as flan I've tried (specifically, the Filipino version called "Leche Flan,") because it's much more dense and creamier. When I asked for her recipe, I soon learned that the texture of Cuban flan was primarily due to the heavy use of egg yolks and a bit of cream cheese.

One day in a conversation with Lazara she mentioned that she played with her flan recipe by flavoring it with orange. That then sparked the idea of using a basic flan recipe and making other flan flavors. I came across this website of a woman who sells nothing but various flan in different flavors. Taking Lazara's recipe as a guide, I used it to create other flavors such as Coconut Lime, Mango and Guava.

Here is the menu we prepared in the kitchen, along with links to the recipes:

Classic Caramel Cuban Flan
Coconut Lime Cuban Flan
Mango Cuban Flan
Guava Cuban Flan

Classic Cubano Sandwiches
Vegetarian Cubano Inspired Sandwiches

Plantain Chips, Yuca Chips & Grilled/Fresh Fruit

Pineapple Nectar Punch

Here are some candid pictures where we were all hands on in the kitchen:

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Cubano Sandwiches (with Vegetarian Option)

These are one of my favorite sandwiches because it has a great flavor, despite how some may think the combination of ingredients may be odd. Everything works together in sync and when toasted or grilled, the added crispness of the sandwich brings out the smooth, melted cheese that sits over the filling of pork and ham. To read about the great history of Cubano sandwiches, check out this link!

Everyone has their own versions of what they considered an authentic version of the classic Cubano sandwich. Personally I would rather get a toasted Cubano at my favorite Cuban grocery store (La Unica, for those who are in the Chicago area)... but the next best thing is to try making it at home. Below is how I make them at home based on the traditional recipe using ham, roasted pork, and cheese.

Cubano Sandwiches
traditional and vegetarian

1 small loaf bolillo bread (found at Mexican bakeries)
3-5 slices of deli ham
1 piece of thinly sliced pork steak (found at ethnic butchers, or ask your butcher to cut it for you)
1-2 slices of swiss or provolone cheese
dill pickles (sliced)
1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise


Season your pork steak with salt and pepper and cook on the grill or in a grill pan.



Prepare your sandwich by slicing your bolillo bread in half lengthwise.



Spread the mustard on one half of the bread and spread the mayonnaise on the other half of the bread.


Place the grilled roast pork on one half of the sandwich.



Top the grilled pork with slices of ham.



Top the ham with your cheese and add the pickles to the other half of bread.



Combine the two bread halves and place on a hot grill pan or panini press. Grill the sandwich until toasty and the cheese begins to melt. Serve hot!

* To make this a vegetarian friendly sandwich, substitute the pork and ham with sliced and grilled portobello mushrooms and proceed with the recipe above.

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Classic Caramel Cuban Flan Recipe

Here is my friend, Lazara's recipe for her Classic Cuban Flan. It's wonderful prepared as is or used as a base recipe for other flan flavors!

Classic Caramel Cuban Flan Recipe
adapted from my friend Lazara's recipe

1 cup sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
4 oz. cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have a baking dish you will be using to bake your flan ready. You can use ramekins, muffin pan, tart pan, whatever works for you. You will also need a larger shallow pan to set it in to create a water bath.

In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the sugar and allow it to caramelize. This will take about 5-7 minutes and avoid the temptation to stir!


Once you have a caramel, remove from the heat and place in a baking dish you will be using to bake your flan. Swirl the caramel to cover the bottom of the baking dish and place in the larger shallow pan; set aside.


In a blender, add the remaining ingredients and blend until fully combined.


Pour this mixture into your caramel coated baking dish that's sitting in the larger shallow pan.


Carefully pour hot boiling water into the large shallow pan so that it comes up halfway up the sides of your flan baking dish. Cover the flan baking dish with foil. Place both pans into the oven and bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.


Remove your flan baking dish out of the water bath and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, place in your refrigerator to chill overnight. To unmold, invert the pan onto a serving plate.



For Coconut Lime Flan: substitute the evaporated milk with coconut milk and add 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest in the blender with the other ingredients.

For Mango Flan: add 1/2 cup fresh mango chunks in the blender with the other ingredients.

For Guava Flan: add 1/2 cup guava paste in the blender with the other ingredients.

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Mojo Chicken quesadillas

I prepared the following for a pre-Cinco de Mayo event with friends and they were a great addition to my Mexican inspired menu. Quesadillas are a popular appetizer and this one involves a roasted whole chicken rubbed with a mojo seasoning, which was used as a filling.

*Special thanks to my friend, Eli, for his pic since I was without a camera yesterday!

Mojo Chicken Quesadillas
original Joelen recipe

1 whole chicken fryer
1/4 - 1/2 cup mojo seasoning (recipe follows)
large flour tortillas
queso quesadilla cheese
assorted quesadilla fillings of your choice
(green onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocadoes, cilantro, beans, etc)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prep your whole chicken by patting it dry and placing it in a roasting pan.

Rub the mojo seasoning liberally all over the chicken and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Allow the chicken to cool and then debone, reserving the bones/carcass for homemade chicken stock later. Shred the chicken and use to make your quesadillas.

Heat a large frying pan to medium high heat. Spray some cooking spray on the bottom of the frying pan.

Take one large flour tortilla and place it in the pan. Flip the tortilla over a few times, 10 seconds between flips. Air pockets should begin to form within the tortilla.

When pockets of air begin to form, take a handful of the quesadilla cheese, sprinkle over the top of the tortilla, making sure that the cheese does not land on the pan itself. Add some shredded chicken and whatever additional ingredients you choose. Try to go light on the ingredients so that they can cook evenly and the quesadilla can be flipped without too much of a mess!

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan to help all the cheese to melt. When the cheese is mostly melted, use a spatula to lift up one side of the quesadilla and flip over the other side, just as you would if you were making an omelette. Remove from pan, cut into wedges and serve with your choice of condiments (sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc).

Mojo Seasoning
recipe adapted from Bella Online

3 large heads garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup fresh or bottled lime juice
1 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, minced

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to make a paste. Use this paste to coat the chicken before baking.

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Whole Baked Tilapia Cuban Style

For a Cuban inspired dinner, I prepared the following recipe. It was both easy and flavorful and definitely a hit among our guests! The recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse and I used whole tilapia fish. I will definitely make this again!

Whole Baked Tilapia Cuban Style
recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

2 (3-pound) whole fish, such as striped bass, tilapia, flounder, or sole, cleaned and scaled
2 limes, juiced
3/4 cup Spanish olive oil, divided
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced, divided
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced, divided
1 lemon, sliced thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
Sliced green onions for garnish

Rinse the fish well under cold running water and pat dry on both sides as well as inside the cavity. Make several slits about 1/3-inch deep on both sides of the fish. Place the fish in a non-reactive shallow dish or platter and pour the lime juice over the fish. Set aside while you continue with the preparations.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Rub the bottom of a shallow glass or ceramic dish large enough to hold the fish with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Saute 1/2 of the onion slices and 1/2 of the pepper slices in 2 tablespoons olive oil and then place along the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the lemon slices over the vegetables, but reserve a few slices to stuff inside the fish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons more of the remaining Spanish olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, to taste, and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the fish on top of the sliced vegetables.

Using a mortar and pestle, combine the garlic, kosher salt and oregano and mash to form a paste. Spread the garlic paste inside the cavity of the fish and into the slits on top. Place the remaining lemon slice inside the cavity of the fish. In the same small bowl that you used to make the garlic paste, combine the tomato puree and vinegar and stir to combine. Pour this tomato mixture all over the fish. Top with the remaining onion and pepper slices and drizzle the remaining olive oil and the wine over the top. Season again with salt and black pepper, cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, and bake until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork, 45 to 50 minutes. Garnish with the green onions and serve hot or warm, with the pan juices drizzled over all.

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Cuban Mini Paninis

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Cuban culture is definitely prominent in Florida and I just had to include the popular cuban sandwich. I couldn't find any good, fresh Cuban bread (the Cuban market I went to only had loaves that were day old when I went) so I substituted hoagie bread instead. Not quite the same but it will do. There is controversy in how to make a 'proper' Cubano sandwich so this is by no means an authentic recipe. The good thing is that there is a Cuban cafe within walking distance from me where I can get my authentic fix any time! But considering not everyone has that luxury, here's a recipe I used for my party:

Cuban Mini Paninis
recipe adapted from Homecooking.about.com

1/4 cup (about) butter, at room temperature
1 loaf fresh Cuban bread, sliced 3-inch thick & halved to fill
(otherwise French or hoagie bread can be substituted)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish or Vlassic 'Stackers'
1/4 pound thin-sliced roast pork
1/2 pound thin-sliced ham
1/2 slice swiss cheese
Yellow mustard

Open up the french bread to begin filling and creating the Cuban panini. Spread one side with butter and the other side with mayonnaise. Spread sweet pickle relish/lay a slice of 'Stacker' pickle over the mayonnaise side.

Pile roast pork and ham on top of the relish. Top with swiss cheese. Spread dijon mustard on the buttered side and close up sandwich. Continue to repeat until you've used up all the bread.

Preheat panini-grill or griddle. When hot, place sandwiches on panini grill and cook until golden brown on each side. Serve hot.

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Guava BBQ Ribs

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Guava is a common fruit used in Floribbean cuisine. I was lucky to find guava syrup at my local grocery store and wanted to use it somehow. Looking through some Floribbean restuarant menus, I came across a restaurant that served up Guava BBQ ribs. This was a perfect dish to include in my menu and allowed me to use the guava syrup I found. I also used some dry Mojo seasoning I had on hand.

Guava BBQ Ribs
recipe inspired by Cuba Libre

5 pounds pork ribs, preferably country-style
1 bottle barbecue sauce (see note)
1 bottle guava syrup
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons dry mojo seasoning


Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until tender.
Remove from crockpot and place on baking sheet.
Boil remaining sauce in crockpot in a small sauce pan until reduced by half to create a glaze.
Brush glaze over ribs and bake for 5-7 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

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Yuca with Mojo

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Yuca is a root vegetable that is similar to a potato. It has a waxy skin that must be cut or peeled off, then boiled until tender. It's important to season the water the yuca is boiled in so it can add some flavor, otherwise it's pretty bland. I added salt and some of my dry mojo seasoning. To accompany yuca, it's traditionally served with a mojo sauce. Mojo is a sauce usually made with olive oil, citrus juice, lots of garlic and spices.

Yuca with Mojo
recipe adapted from CubanFoodRecipes.com

2 pounds Yuca Root peeled and cut into bite size pieces.
1/8 teaspoon Salt
Mojo sauce (below)

In a large saucepan, cover yuca with water plus 2 inches, add salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover, let simmer until yuca is fork tender but still intact. Drain yuca.

Add the mojo. (recipe below)

Mojo Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
6 to 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
2/3 cup fresh sour orange juice or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly toasted but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add sour orange juice, cumin, and salt and pepper. Stand back: The sauce may sputter. Bring the sauce to a rolling boil. Correct the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cool before serving. Mojo tastes best when served within a few hours of making, but it will keep for several days, covered, in the refrigerator.

Note: Sour orange juice can be found in Latino markets.

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Mojo Chicken

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Mojo is a sauce common in the Caribbean (specifically the Canary islands). It consists of olive oil, citrus juice and/or vinegar, lots of garlic and spices. It also is a great marinade and I chose to marinate chicken breasts in mojo. It really is a great and flavorful marinade for not just chicken, but pork, beef and seafood.

Mojo Chicken
recipe from CookingLight.com

1/2 cup sour orange juice
(or you could use regular orange juice, pineapple juice or lemon juice)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
4 bone;ess, skinless chicken-breast halves, skinned
Cooking spray

Combine juice and next 7 ingredients (through chili flakes) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour and up to 3.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place chicken in a 13- x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, covered, 20 minutes; uncover and bake 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

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Maduros (sweet plantains)

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Maduros is a sweet side dish in Floribbean cuisine. It's made with sweet, fully or overripened plantains. The plantains are best if they are practically black... which is a tell tale sign that it's perfectly ripened and super sweet. Don't throw blackened plantains out - make this dish instead! Similar to the preparation of Tostones, these plantains are sliced and fried.

Maduros
(sweet plantains)

3 very ripe plantains (heavy black spotting to a fully black skin)
lard or vegetable shortening to cover half the thickness of plantains

Peel and bias cut (diagonal) into one-inch thick slices. Heat the oil until medium hot -- a drop of water will sizzle.

Fry the pieces briefly, about a minute or two per side. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, turning occasionally until they are brown and caramelized.

VARIATION: Some people like to lightly roll the plantains in white or brown sugar before frying (which is what I did)

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Tostones (green plantains)

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Tostones is a popular side dish to Floribbean meals. This is made with green, unripened plantains that have been sliced and fried twice then served with a garlicy sauce.

Tostones
(flatted fried green plantains)
recipe from Dominican Cooking.com

2 unripe plantains
1/2 cup of oil
4 teaspoons of cold water
1/2 teaspoons of mashed garlic
Salt


Peel the plantains and cut into 1 inch thick slices. In a deep frying pan heat the oil and fry the plantains till golden brown. Flatten the plantains using the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass bottle. Fry the plantains again for 30 seconds on each side.

(This part is optional) Mix the water, a pinch of salt and the mashed garlic. Stir and pour over the plantains.

Serve immediately.

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Congri

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. This is a variation of a traditional Cuban dish. I chose this since there is a strong Cuban presence in Florida and it's also evident in Floribbean cuisine.

Congri
recipe adapted from CubanFoodRecipes.com

2 cups white long-grained rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 large white onion
4 large cloves of garlic
a pinch of ground oregano
1 large bay leaf
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 long link of chorizo
1 teaspoon salt

In a saute pan, cook chorizo until heated through. Add onion, garlic, peppers and oregano and sauté the onion is softened. Add the vegetable or chicken stock, the rice, the bay leaf and the salt. Cover.

Place the pot over medium heat until it comes to a boil, stir to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pot, and keep cooking over low heat, until the rice looks completely dry. This process of drying the rice should take from 10 to 15 minutes. Stir again, remove from heat and let cool before serving.

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