Port Caramel

Recipe by Dragon

There is something so comforting and dreamy about a homemade caramel sauce. It makes a great topping for ice creams, cakes and even donuts. I gave this classic recipe a Portuguese twist with the addition of Port. Add as much or as little Port as you like. My favouite way to use this caramel is with my Sonhos "Dreams" donuts. Enjoy!

Makes: 1 cup

 

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1-2 tablespoons Port

Directions:

1. In small pan over medium high heat, add cream and butter. Heat until the butter is melted and cream is hot. Keep warm.

2. In a medium heavy bottom pan over medium high heat, combine sugar, water and corn syrup. Without stirring, allow the sugar mixture to boil until the sugar had reached a deep amber colour.

3. Remove caramel from the heat.  Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir the reserved cream into the caramel. The caramel will bubble up so be careful.

4. Stir the caramel until it is smooth. After a couple of minutes, add the vanilla, salt and port.

5. Allow the sauce to cool (to warm or room temperature) before using. It will thicken as it cools.

Shrimp Mozambique

Recipe by Paula.

This is a popular Portuguese dish that originated from Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony that borders the Indian Ocean where there are plenty of shrimp.

This spicy dish makes a perfect appetizer or dinner. You can serve it over steamed rice, pasta or even couscous. My favourite way to serve it is on it's own with lots fresh crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.

You'll be able to find different variations on this recipe throughout Portuguese kitchens but this is my favourite. Enjoy!

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 teaspoon saffron, crushed and soaked in 2 tablespoons of water for 10 minutes
3 dried piri piri peppers, crushed (more or less depending on how hot you want it)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 - 2/3 can/bottle of beer
1 1/2 lb of raw, cleaned but unpeeled shrimp
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 tablespoon of butter to finish
squeeze of lemon


Directions:

1. Combine and gently mix; garlic, saffron, crushed piri piri peppers, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Over medium heat, melt the butter and olive in a large saute pan. Add the onions and cook until they are soft (about 3 minutes)

3. Add the garlic/saffron mixture and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. Add the beer, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Add the shrimp and 1/2 of the parsley. Cook until the shrimp are pink. Don't overcook or they will be tough.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 1/2 tablespoon of butter.

7. Add the squeeze of lemon. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle the remaning parsley over the shrimp.

8. Serve immediately in a bowl with crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

Orange & Honey Madeleines

Recipe by Paula.

I added a Portuguese twist to this classic French cookie by adding two ingredients often used together in Portuguese baking, orange and honey. The two flavours work well together and a simple dusting of powdered sugar is all you need to finish these darlings off. I love these with a morning coffee, an afternoon tea or a midnight snack with milk...or just about any time of the day. Enjoy!

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
zest of one orange
1 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two Madeleine pans by brushing them with softened butter. Set aside.

2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

3. Put eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, milk, orange zest, juice and honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add melted butter and mix until blended.

4. Gently fold the flour mixture into egg mixture. Don't over mix.

5. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter into each mold, filling it about two-thirds full. Bang the pans on the counter to remove bubbles.

6. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking and rotating 180 degrees, until the madeleines are golden around edges, 7-9 minutes.

7. Let cookies cool slightly in pans on wire racks. Invert, and unmold. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to one day.

Port Poached Pears Wrapped in Puff Pastry

Recipe by Paula.
My love affair with Port wine started when I was a teenager and was allowed to take my first sip at a family get together. It was love at first taste. Port Wine is a fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley region in the northern provinces of Portugal. These days I look for ways to use it in my cooking and especially in my baking. This recipe is a perfect way to highlight this special wine. Now, Port is not an inexpensive wine so this dessert is decadent but it is also simple to prepare. It's a show stopper dessert and one that will impress any dinner guest. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 cups port wine
1 cup water
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 inch piece of ginger, chopped coarsely
1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
1 vanilla bean
4 pears, peeled and cored
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed if frozen
Sanding sugar
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Directions:

1. Combine the port wine, water, honey, sugar, ginger and cinnamon stick in a saucepan big enough to just fit the pears.

2. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, then run the knife down both halves to scrape out the brown seeds. Add the bean and seeds to the saucepan. Heat saucepan over medium high until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium.

3. Lay the pears in the poaching liquid on their sides. Poach the pears for about 20 minutes until they are folk tender. Turn the pears occasionally to allow them to poach evenly. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and allow them to cool.

4. Increase the heat to high to start reducing the poaching liquid. Reduce the liquid until it has a syrupy consistency, strain to remove the cinnamon sticks, ginger and vanilla pod.  Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut 3/4 of the puff pastry into 8 long strips using a sharp knife. Cut the remaining puff pastry into 8 leaf shapes and score the tops to resemble veins.

6. Wrap 2 puff pastry strips around the outside of each pear, starting from the bottom. Overlap the strips to make sure the pears are completely cover. Wet the back of 2 leaves for each pear with water and attach to the top of each pear.

7. Brush each pear with the egg wash and sprinkle the pears with sanding sugar. The egg wash will help the sanding sugar stick to the puff pastry.

8. Carefully place the pears on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30  minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown.

9. Serve each pear on a thin bed of port syrup and a scoop of ice cream.

Orange Rind & Honey Syrup

Recipe by Paula.

This syrup is the perfect topping for my Orange & Olive Oil Cake but it would be great on top of ice cream, Greek yogurt, toast, oatmeal...anywhere you want added yumminess.

The key to making this syrup is to take the time to prepare the orange rind properly. The boiling takes away the bitterness and leaves the orange flavour and colour intact. It's a great way to use leftover orange peels and I've already made several batches. Enjoy!

Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients:

peel of 3 oranges, piths removed & cut in long strips
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Bring a saucepan with 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow boil and place peel in a saucepan. Cook for 3 minutes.

2. Drain peels in a strainer and rinse under running cold water.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2, boiling for another 3 minutes.

4. To the saucepan add the prepared rind, sugar, honey, water and salt. Cook over a low heat until sugar has dissolved.

5. Turn heat up and gently boil until the water reduces by half (or the consistency you want) and has become syrupy.

6. Allow the syrup to cool 1/2 hour before using or cool completely and store covered in the refrigerator until needed.

Orange & Olive Oil Cake

Recipe adapted from David Leite

This Portuguese cake took me right back to Portugal...sitting in my Aunt's courtyard under her fig tree enjoying an afternoon espresso and a slice of something sweet. This unusual cake is moist, delicious and the flavour of oranges comes shining through. You will taste a hint of olive oil but unless you tell people what's in it, they won't be able to pick it out. The olive oil replaces the butter you would normally use in a cake. Use a fruity and mild tasting olive oil. You don't want a peppery or strongly flavoured oil.

The only changes I made to the original recipe was to reduce the salt and I added the zest of one lemon and juice of 1/2 a lemon. I enjoyed the recipe without the lemon but I think the lemon gives the cake a brighter flavour without taking anything away from the orange. This cake only gets better with time as the flavours get richer the longer you leave it. I made this cake 2 days before I served it and it was wonderful. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 to 5 large navel oranges
1 lemon (optional)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
5 large eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups mild extra-virgin olive oil
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven, remove any racks above, and crank up the heat to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt and set aside.

2. Finely grate the zest of 3 of the oranges, then squeeze 4 of them. You should have 1 1/2 cups of juice; if not, squeeze the 5th orange. Also finely grate the zest of one lemon. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a handheld mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until well-combined, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the granulated sugar and continue beating until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and oil, starting and ending with the flour, and beat until just a few wisps of flour remain. Pour in the orange juice, juice of 1/2 the lemon and zests and whirl for a few seconds to bring the batter together.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 1 1/4 hours. If the top is browning too much as the cake bakes, cover lightly with foil. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.

6. Turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely, then place it in a covered cake stand and let it sit overnight. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar. If you leave it for longer than overnight, keep the cake in the refrigerator.

Sonhos "Dreams"

Recipe by Paula.

Sonhos are a traditional Portuguese dessert of fried dough rolled in sugar. Sonhos means "Dreams". I'm told the reason they are called dreams is that you will think you're dreaming when you bite into one of these little puffs of happiness. Who wouldn't want to eat one or more of these? Not me...I love them. Enjoy!

Makes: 20

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (or more if you like)
vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. Start heating your vegetable oil to 350-360°F

2. Heat the water, butter, salt and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until just below the boiling point, when small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Keep an eye on it, don't let it boil.

3. Add the flour and beat it with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a soft ball and leaves the sides of the pan clean. Reduce the temperature to low and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Don't walk away from the pan, stir constantly.

4. Take the dough and place it into a mixing bowl. Let it cool for one minute. This will let some of the moisture evaporate before you add the eggs. While the mixer is running at medium speed, add the eggs one at at time. Beat well after each egg addition, incorporating as much air as possible.

5. Fill a piping bag with the dough (you don't need a piping tip, just cut a 1/2 inch opening at the base). When your oil is ready, hold the piping bag over the oil and squeeze out a small amount (about a teaspoon) of the dough and use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the dough into the oil. Be careful not to hold the piping bag to far above the oil or it will splash and burn you. Fry in batches until the dough is golden. They will puff up in the oil so don't crowd the pan.

6. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. When the sonhos are golden remove them from the oil and immediately roll them in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Serve them warm or at room temperature.