On this page, you will find recipes used (or similar to) cultural foods sampled by students in this class.
Traditional Mexican Horchata
Ingredients
Ingredients
Use 1 cup of uncooked long grain white rice (I used Jasmine)
2 cinnamon sticks.
1 can each of evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Recipe taken from: https://www.muydelish.com/traditional-mexican-horchata/ (x5) = 60 students
Place the rice in a colander and rinse under cold water.
Place the rice, cinnamon stick and 4 cups of water into a bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. (I used a plastic bowl with lid)
Add 1/2 of the rice mixture & 1/2 of the soaking water and some of the cinnamon stick in a blender. (Just pick out the large pieces and leave the rest)
Puree until it’s very smooth and forms a watery paste like texture - 4 minutes long.
Using a very fine mesh strainer (or some cheese cloth) pour the mixture over a pitcher. Strain out as much liquid as possible, pushing on the solids with a spatula or spoon (I used cheese cloth and squeezed out the liquid over the pitcher).
Repeat this process for the rest of the rice & cinnamon mixture.
Stir in the canned milks, vanilla, and the additional 4 cups of water. Stir well until everything is incorporated.
Banana Bread (Polynesia)
Ingredients:
1 tsp vinegar
¼ cup milk
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cube butter, softened (1/2 whole stick) – do not melt
2 extra large eggs, well beaten
1 cup totally ripe (not brown) bananas – 3 regular size. (I used Dole bananas grown in Hawaii) – mash or blend them (I cut in pieces and used a mixer to blend them)
1 cup chocolate chips (I used cacao chocolate – highest % you can find)
1 ¼ cup grated coconut (you can use fresh sweetened coconut rather than grate yourself)
(from Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii)
https://blog.polynesia.com/hannemans-tropical-banana-bread
(Recipe multiplied x4 feeds 60 students)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees
“Sour” the milk by stirring 1 tsp vinegar into ¼ cup of milk – set aside to curdle.
In large mixing bowl add flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir lightly to blend.
Add vanilla, softened butter, eggs, sour milk and mashed/blended bananas.
Mix until smooth on medium
Mix with an electric mixer for 60 seconds, scraping the sides.
Pour into lightly buttered and floured bread pan.
Sprinkle ¾ cup chips and 1 cup coconut over the top of the dough (in that order). With a fork, lightly swirl the chips and coconut into bread, being careful not to stir lower than ½ way down. This helps keep the majority of the chips from sinking all the way down to the bottom of the pan
Sprinkle a handful of coconut on the top evenly and then top that with a handful of chocolate chips (in this order).
Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 55 minutes until done (bread should spring back when touched). Let cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the bread pan and topping with glaze.
Glaze
Place 1 ½ cups powdered sugar in a bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of milk to the powdered sugar, a few drops at a time. Stir after each addition. Repeat until the glaze is the consistency of honey (do not make it too think, if you do, just add more powdered sugar).
Using a fork, scoop up enough to drizzle with a side to side motion across the top of the bread. Continue until covered in thin lines of glaze across the top. Let glaze set (about 10 minutes)
Crema Catalana (Catalan Cream) - Spain
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
3 large strips orange peel (avoid bitter white pith - using a potato peeler to remove strips works great)
3 large strips orange peel (see above)
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole vanilla bean (split and insides scraped into pot with whole bean) OR 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (I used Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste from Amazon)
7 Large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
turbinado sugar (for the burnt sugar topping)
https://www.daringgourmet.com/catalan-cream-crema-catalana/comment-page-1/#comments
Recipe x 6 = 60 students
Instructions
Pour the milk and cream in a small stock pot and add the orange and lemon peel, vanilla bean or vanilla paste, and cinnamon stick. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until the milk is just on the bring of boiling. Then turn off the heat, cover (to prevent a skin from forming).
Let sit and cool for 30-45 minutes to allow the flavors of the citrus peel, vanilla and cinnamon to infuse the milk. Once cooled down remove the citrus zest, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean (if using).
Towards the end of the cooling process, put the sugar and cornstarch in a mixing bowl along with the egg yolks. Whisk until smooth and pale. Pour some of the milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolk mixture and whisk together. Next pour all of the egg yolk mixture into the pot with with the milk mixture and whisk until combined.
Slowly heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until it is thickened. DO NOT BOIL.
Pour the custard into individual ramekins. Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on top. Let them cool and then place them in the refrigerator to chill overnight, preferably for 24 hours for best flavor. The longer the custard chills the more time the flavor will have to develop.
Remove the custard from the fridge at least 20 minutes before serving to come to room temperature.
Then sprinkle with turbinado sugar. (The more you add, the thicker the crunchy burnt sugar topping will be. But be careful or it will end up being overly sweet.) Use a butane kitchen torch to "burn" the sugar until it's a rich golden brown with some dark areas (see Note for alternate method). The ramekins will be very hot so let them sit for a minute or two and then serve immediately.
NOTE: Broiler Method: Make sure the Catalan Cream is fully set and very cold (straight out of the fridge). Broil until the sugar is caramelized. Note: this method runs the risk of cracking the dish so you have to be very careful. Also with broiling, it will NOT get as dark and caramelized as with a kitchen torch.
Atolillo - Central America
Ingredients
3 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
https://www.seriouseats.com/dulces-atolillo-simple-custard-recipe
Recipe x 6 = 60 students
Instructions
Bring milk to boil on stovetop in small saucepan or in microwave-safe bowl in microwave.
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt. While vigorously whisking, add 1/4 cup hot milk to temper, then continue whisking and add remaining milk in a slow, steady stream.
Add cinnamon stick and bring the mixture to boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; mixture will thicken to the consistency of yogurt. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. Remove and discard cinnamon stick.
Strain custard into large bowl and serve warm with a dusting of ground cinnamon. Alternatively, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the atolillo’s surface and refrigerate until cold, then serve chilled.
Special equipment
Special equipment
heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, strainer.
Baked Hawaiian Sandwiches (Polynesia/Hawaii)
Ingredients
Ingredients
Original recipe (1X) yields 24 servings
24 Hawaiian bread rolls (such as King's®), split
12 thin slices of honey-cured deli ham, halved
12 slices Swiss cheese, halved
12 thin slices deli smoked turkey, halved
12 thin slices provolone cheese, halved
½ cup butter
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon honey mustard
Directions
1. Place a rack into lower half of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Arrange bottom halves of Hawaiian rolls on a baking sheet. Place a half slice each of ham, Swiss cheese, smoked turkey, and provolone cheese onto each roll bottom. Place top halves onto each bottom to make sandwiches.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; stir in sugar, dried onion flakes, poppy seeds, and honey mustard until mixture is smooth and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes; brush over the tops of each sandwich.
4. Bake sandwiches on the preheated oven's lower rack until tops are golden brown and fillings are hot, about 15 minutes.
Recipe taken from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229038/baked-hawaiian-sandwiches/
Blue Hawaiian Juice Drink (Polynesia/Hawaii)
Ingredients
Ingredients
¾ ounces lime juice
¾ ounces blue curaçao
1½ ounces pineapple juice
Ice
Club soda
Instructions
Instructions
1. In a gallon container, combine the lime juice, blue curaçao syrup, and pineapple juice.
2. Give the mixture a slight stir just to combine
3. Pour mixture into glasses filled with ice to approximately 3/4 full.
4. Top off with club soda (just a splash).
5. Garnish with a cherry and/or pineapple chunk.
Tres Leches Cake (Mexico)
Ingredients
1 package butter recipe golden cake or yellow cake mix (regular size)
3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
WHIPPED CREAM:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9-in. baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, milk, softened butter and vanilla; beat on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes.
In a 4-cup measuring cup, whisk topping ingredients until blended. Using a skewer, generously poke holes in top of warm cake. Pour milk mixture slowly over cake, filling holes. Cool 30 minutes longer. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight.
In a bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Spread over cake.
Piñata Colada (Caribbean Islands)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsweetened frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 cup ice
3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar, optional
Fresh pineapple wedges, garnish
Maraschino cherries, garnish
Steps to Make It
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Place frozen pineapple chunks and ice in a blender.
3. Pour pineapple juice and coconut milk over top. Add brown sugar, if using. Puree until smooth. Taste to test the sweetness and add more sugar, if needed.
4. Pour into glasses and garnish with fresh pineapple wedges or a maraschino cherry.
Arepas (South America/Colombia)
Ingredients
2 cups (348g) masarepa (PAN)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (200g) freshly shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup (50g) whole milk
2 1/2 cups (590g) lukewarm water
Nonstick cooking spray, for the skillet
1. Make the dough:
In a large bowl, whisk the masarepa, salt, and sugar until combined.
Add the butter and 1 1/2 cups (150g) mozzarella, and then slowly drizzle in the milk and 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water as you knead the dough with your hands. It is important to use lukewarm water to ensure no clumps form in the dough. Milk gives the dough a smoother texture and a richer flavor. Colombians claim milk is the secret to fluffy, pillowy arepas.
You can also use a rubber spatula to combine the ingredients. The dough will be very sticky.
2. Rest the dough:
Let the dough rest uncovered for about 5 minutes to allow the starches to absorb the moisture. The dough will feel a bit wet; it will dry out as it rests.
3. Divide the dough:
Divide the dough into 10 even portions and roll them into balls. Lightly wet your hands with cold water to prevent the dough from sticking.
4. Fill with cheese (optional):
For a nice cheese pull, you may choose to fill the arepas with the remaining 1/2 cup (50g) mozzarella, though they will be plenty cheesy without. Take a ball of dough and press your thumb into the center to create a small indentation. Fill it with about a tablespoon of cheese, then form the dough over to cover it and reroll it again into a ball.
5. Shape the arepas:
Flatten the balls of dough with your hands into round patties that are slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. As an alternative, you can place a ball inside a zip top bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap. Then, gently press it down with a skillet to flatten it evenly.
6. Cook the arepas:
Set a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and generously spray it with cooking oil. A griddle would also work perfectly.
Cook the arepas in batches for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. The arepas should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Serve immediately.
I do not recommend using butter to cook the arepas, as it will burn too quickly. If you like the flavor of butter, cook the arepas with oil and smear some salted butter on top once they are fully cooked.
Leftover arepas can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Reheat them on a skillet set over medium heat with a little oil, until warmed through. I also find that the air fryer works great when in a hurry.
Mexican Hot Chocolate (Mexico)
Ingredients (50 students)
7 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 1/3 cups hot water
28 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
3 ½ cans sweetened condensed milk
7 sticks cinnamon
3 ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 ½ teaspoon chili powder
2 gallons milk
6 cans (3 cans per class) whipped cream
1 large bottle choc. syrup
In small bowl combine hot water, cocoa powder, stir until smooth
In base of slow cooker, add the bittersweet chocolate, condensed milk, cinnamon stick, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, chili powder, whole milk, along with the cocoa powder mixture. Heat on low for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes
Serve warm with marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or chocolate shavings
Fideo (Mexico)
Recipe serves 30 people https://www.food.com/recipe/tex-mex-fideo-430758 (with changes in red)
Ingredients:
4.5 lbs ground beef, cooked and seasoned
MEAT SEASONINGS
§ 10 teaspoons salt
§ 5 teaspoons pepper
§ 5 tablespoons garlic powder
§ 5 tablespoons cumin
§ 5 teaspoons onion powder
§ 5 teaspoons chili powder
4 - (7 ounce) box vermicelli (fideo)
2 - medium yellow onions, diced)
2 - medium green bell peppers, diced)
TWO 15 oz cans of Goya Salsa de Tomate Spanish Style Tomato Sauce)
10 tablespoons - Caldo con Sabor de RES
15 cups water (I make this as a soup so you can add more or less water depending on your preference)
5 pound bag of Yukon Golden potatoes
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Flour Tortilla Shells (I used the small size)
Directions:
§ Brown hamburger in a large skillet.
§ While hamburger is browning, mix meat seasoning together in a small bowl.
§ Drain the excess oil from the ground beef. Return to skillet and combine with meat seasonings - coating well. Continue cooking hamburger with seasonings until well done - 3-5 minutes.
§ While the seasonings are cooking into the beef, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to second large frying pan and brown Fideo noodles. If needed, you can add 2 more tablespoons of vegetable oil to pan. When done, drain any excess oil (there shouldn't be much, if any).
§ Add all ingredients - seasoned beef, Fideo, potatoes, onions, green peppers, beef bouillon, water, and tomato sauce together in a large pot.
§ Cook on high heat until it comes to a good boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Allow to simmer 30-60 minutes (until potatoes are cooked through). If you want it more soupy, you can add more water at this time. Once potatoes are cooked through, remove from heat and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy with warmed flour tortilla shells (roll them up and dip them in the juices or use as a scoop).
**Possible changes/alterations
§ If you like larger vegetables, rather than dice potatoes, onions, and peppers - you can quarter or 1/2 them (just adjust cooking time to allow for them to cook through before serving).
§ If you like less seasoned foods, you can skip the "meat seasonings" and use just the plain hamburger but don't skip adding the Caldo con Sabor de RES - Beef Flavor Bouillon - its a must!
§ NOTE: If you don't want to use beef, you can substitute boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thigh) cooked and small cubes/chunks and use Caldo con Sabor de POLLO - Chicken Flavor Bouillon instead.
Aguapanela (Colombia)
INGREDIENTS: Makes 1 gallon - (x4 serves 60 students)
1-gallon container (empty)
32 ounces of panela sugar
8 cups water
Place water on stovetop and bring to boil.
Break the panela into chunks (already scored) and use tongs to place chunks in hot bowling water. Stir constantly until all panela chunks are dissolved.
Pour into gallon container and serve hot or cold (over ice).
I also brought lemon and lime wedges for students to squeeze into their cups.
Chocolate Mousse (Australia)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk chocolate chips (5 ounces)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (you can substitute 1 tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder I did for my classes)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Shaved or grated chocolate, for sprinkling
Note: (This recipe yields 6 servings (4 oz each) - For classes of 28-31 students, I quadrupled the recipe and served 3 oz per student.
Directions
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of the heavy cream just to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Let stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in cocoa powder, instant espresso, and salt. Transfer chocolate cream to a large bowl and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Using a handheld mixer, beat chocolate cream until smooth and holds stiff peaks when you lift the beater from bowl. Do not overbeat cream because the fat will begin to separate and it will look curdled — you’re making mousse, not butter! Spoon chocolate mousse into bowls or glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. In another large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream with vanilla until smooth and holds a soft peak when you lift the beater out of the bowl. Spoon whipped cream on top of chocolate mousse and sprinkle with shaved or grated chocolate. Serve cold.
https://www.foodandwine.com/simplest-chocolate-mousse-6412394
Sunshine Punch (Australia)
Ingredients:
12 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed but chilled (thaw in refrigerator over night)
12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed but chilled (thaw in refrigerator over night)
12 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice
7 cups cold water
2 liters Sprite, chilled
NOTE: This recipe provides 25 servings of 6-8 ounces. I served 31 students approximately 4.5 ounces each with this recipe and there was enough for everyone to try.
Instructions
1. In a large pitcher, combine lemonade, orange juice, pineapple juice, and water. Stir well and keep chilled.
2. OPTIONAL: Place in the freezer for about 2 hours, but not more, to get it slightly slushy.
3. Transfer mixture into a large dispenser, punch bowl or serving pitchers.
4. Add Sprite to mixture just before serving.
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