Tamalitos de Queso, Chachama, y Tustaca (3 Different Corn and Cheese Based Desserts)

THIS IS A SPECIAL TRIPLE POST the reason I am putting these 3 recipes on the same post is because they are all variations of the same type of dough and ingredients. You make 1 "master dough" and from that dough you can make 3 types of desserts. The dough is a rich dough made from "corn masa", butter, 2 types of cheeses, Mexican unsalted cream, eggs, etc. very tasty

The first dessert is "Tamalitos de Queso" (mini cheese tamale cookies?) they are like cookies with a fresh cheese, sugar, and cinnamon filling.

The second is "Chachama" it is a flat cake sweetened with unrefined solid cane sugar and has little chunks of this sugar through-out the batter that melt like caramel spread within the dough.

The third is "Tustaca" a round corn dough disk topped with lots of unrefined cane sugar that melts over it.

This recipe is from a very dear family friend we call "Tita" she is a sweet Salvadorian elderly woman who loves to share her delicious cuisine. This is her mother's recipe. So here goes the recipe I will divide it into several sections THIS MAKES A REALLY BIG BATCH, feel free to cut recipe in half. In my home even though we are cooking for 6 people today we like to always make a lot of anything and share with guests and friends any other day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients for "Master Dough"
-6 1/2 cups "Maseca" flour
-1 tablespoon baking soda (NOT POWDER but SODA)
-1/2 cup of regular white sugar
-5 large eggs
-1 lbs. unsalted Mexican Cream
-1 lbs. "Requeson" (a type of Mexican Ricotta)
-1/2 lbs. "Queso Cotija"/ Cotija Cheese (a type of salty Latin Parmesian?)
-1/2 pound fresh Mexican Cheese "Queso Fresco" (a type of fresh crumbly yet moist cheese)
-4 sticks of melted butter (about 2 cups)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients for "Tamalitos de Queso":
-1/2 of the "master dough"
Ingredients for filling of "Tamalitos de Queso"
-1/2 lbs. fresh Mexican Cheese
-1 cup white sugar
-1/4- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon powder (cinnamon to taste)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients for "Chachama"
-1/4 of master dough
-1/2 and 1/4 cup of whole milk
-1 cup of "Piloncillo" rinsed to soften then with a knife chopped finely
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients for "Tustaca"
-1/4 of master dough
-1-2 cups "Piloncillo" rinsed softened then with a knife finely chopped

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions for "Master Dough"
(1) Put 6 1/2 cups "Maseca" in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1/2 cup sugar, dump in Requeson, Unsalted Mexican Cream, and kneed well it will be dry. In a blender add beaten eggs, add 4 sticks of melted butter, 1/2 lbs. crumbled by hand fresh cheese, and 1/2 lbs. "Cotija Cheese" blend carefully if needed use a spoon to carefully press down and make it easier to blend, it won't blend perfectly but do the most you can without burning your motor, food processor would work good to.
(2)Add all the contents from the blender and knead the dough until you obtain a dense corn dough that is a "masa" texture like a bread dough? Set aside.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions for filling of "Tamalitos de Queso"
(1)Get 1/2 lbs. fresh Mexican cheese, 1 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, knead it like dough until all smooth and incorporated. Set aside. (my mom accedently threw in to much cinnamon it was still good)
Directions for making "Tamalitos de Queso"
(1)Get 1/2 the master dough, make medium sized golf balls, flatten them, put 1 teaspoonful of filling, close like a ball then flatten not to much like a fat cookie. It is OKAY to have cracks it will taste really good and better the ;) place on a baking dish that is buttered and bake until golden brown about 1 hour or so at 350 degrees fahrenheit. (which is like 180 degrees celsius?)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Directions for Chachama:
(1)Get 1/4 master dough, add 1/2 and 1/4 cup whole milk, and "Piloncillo" sugar, mix and knead well it will be like a gloppy batter? Put in a baking pan like a cookie sheet flat about 1/2 - 1 inch thick and bake about 1 hour at 350 degrees fahrenheit/ 180 celsius.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions for Tustaca:
(1)Get 1/4 dough devide into 10 balls, flatten on a greased baking dish not too flat, make it round border then lightly press all over with finger tip, sprinkle with finely chopped chunks of "Piloncillo" bake for about 1 hour. Your done

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE:
(1)Maseca is a type of dried finely ground corn flour dough it's called "Masa Harina" the popular brand is "Maseca" found at specialty or Mexican/ Latin stores. It is a short cut way to make "tortillas" ,"tamales", "pupusas", etc. If you can't find it there is no substitute in this recipe for it, maybe just maybe regular white flour but it will produce completely different texture, smell, and taste. BUT DO NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR ANY OTHER KIND OF CORN FLOUR.

(2)The following is off the top of my head. If you can't find "Queso Cotija" maybe it can be replaced with "Parmesan Cheese", if you can't find "Unsalted Mexican Cream" maybe you can replace with regular Sour Cream, if you can't find "Requeson" maybe "Ricotta" cheese will work, if you can't find "Piloncillo" maybe dark brown sugar will work but will not produce same results, maybe taste but not texture.

(3)This recipe makes about 36 of the cookie looking things "Tamalitos de Queso", about 1 big cookie sheet of the thin "Chachama" cake like thing, and 10 medium large sized "Tustacas" (round disks with sugar topping)

If there is any ingredients you do not understand/ don't know what it is feel free to ask me or use google (a internet search engine)

MY JUDGEMENT:
-Everything was delicious but she likes things to be WAYYYY to toasted for my taste but it was still good, I'd just let it get golden brown.
-The first cookies "Tamalitos de Queso" I would add more white sugar to taste to the dough like atleast 1/2- 1 cup extra I think the extra sugar for those cookies would be good because the "Cotija Cheese" is salty so the sugar will balance the cheese more since the filling isn't enough on it's own to give "body" to the cookie it's just like a swirl/ thin layer. Everything else was fine :)

Carnitas Michoacanas (Fried Meat "Michoacan" Style?)

My mother makes very delicious "Carnitas Michoacanas" "Michoacanas" means from "Michoacan, Mexico" it's a very simple yet delicious meat dish, it is chunks of pork meat strongly seasoned with salt and black pepper, simmered in 1/2 pork fat 1/2 water, once the water evaporates it fries and browns in the fat then beer is added to deglaze and when it evaporates you fry them a little longer then they are ready.

It is simple and delicious. I asked my mother how she learned to make them, she said that when they lived in Michoacan, Mexico that her neighbor had many pigs and she would always call them and her siblings to go help slaughter the pig, clean and cook it. The lady would have these huge shallow wok looking pans called "Cazo's" and would simmer the pork meat in water and lard until the water was gone and everything was fried there my mom said it would be huge you could fry whole pork shoulders and people would throw in fatty cuts of pork belly etc. to make "Chicharrones" just a medley of tasty fried pork and fat.

All the rendered delicious pork fat would be strongly seasoned, once used it would be strained through a type of cheese cloth and stored in jars, you can cook any Mexican dish with that fat it lends great flavor.


Lard get's a bad reputation, but a good quality NOT hydrogenated lard is nothing to be afraid of, go educate yourself about fats the American media and pharma have really advertised strongly against this stuff but guess what Americans now are fatter than ever and have a higher heart-disease rate than many other's hmmm... wonder why they support hydrogenated fats like Margarines and Shortenings... just so ya'll know read labels even if it say's trans-fat free if the ingredients have the word hydrogenated it's THERE they can legally round anything that is less than 0.5 grams to 0 grams a lot of American margarines and stuff have about 0.2-0.4 grams per tablespoon those little grams add up... also just about every processed food in USA and some places uses "partially hydrogenated soybean and corn oils, etc. ...." ... oh and don't get me started on "high-fructose corn syrup" all this they forget to mention to support the corn and soy industries did anyone see that rediculous commercial funded by the corn refineries? It's retarded... and what's up with people thinking "Vegetable Oil" is healthy? Cuz it's vegetables? Guess what ALL plant based oils are considered "vegetable oils" when you buy vegetable oil it can be any type of oil the manufacturer wants to put in there, here in USA it's usually "Soybean Oil" or whatever oil is cheapest at the market currently or there is excess of...

Here is a nice informative topic on fats:

http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.html

You can research other stuff on the effects of certain fatty acids. I gaurantee you will never find a studty PROVING saturated fats clog you up, or give you a heart attack... I could write a whole essay several pages long on his type of stuff but I don't want to bore any of my fellow foodies :)

Ingredients:
-3 pounds pork shoulder, roast, leg whatever with fat
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon ground black pepper
-1 cup lard
-1 cup water
-1 cup beer (whatever beer you like, here we used "Miller", "Corona", or "Tecate" the typical stuff)

Directions:
(1)Wash pork really by putting in a large bowl rinsing and draining several times! (In my house when washing meat we squeeze limes over the meat add salt and scrub it then rinse and drain again to clean it really well)
(2)Now cut pork into 2 inch cubes DO NOT REMOVE FAT! Trust me.
(3)Heat a large shallow pan (we used a wok), and add 1 cup water and 1 cup lard, stir until it's incorporated, add pork meat, salt, and pepper, stir gently. On high heat let it come to a boil, now cover and boil meat for 15 minutes covered on medium heat.
(4)After 15 minutes stir, higher to medium high heat and let it boil for an additional 30-40 minutes uncovered stirring occasionally until all the water evaporates.


(5)Now stir every 5 minutes carefully for about an additional 15- 20 minutes on medium high heat, until meat is golden brown on all sides.

(6)Add beer carefully about 1 cup and it will bubble and sizzle, gently with a wooden spoon slide it around carefully to not let pork stick and to deglaze the whole pan. Wait until all the beer evaporates and keep frying the pork until browned nicely, when browned strongly and they have a rich golden dark reddish sort of brown they are ready to be taken out and let it drain on paper bags or towels, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

The rest is OPTIONAL in my home in the drippings of ANY pan-fried or fried meat dish we like to sautee onions and serve them as a side dish:
(7)Turn off heat, drain some of the fat through a strainer BUT leave some, heat pan on medium high and sautee about 2 large onions julienned until they turn limp and sweeter, deglaze with freshly squeezed lime juice.

(8)Serve with fresh corn tortillas, a nice hot sauce, and some lime wedges and caramelized onions.... maybe Guacamole or Pico de Gallo" (minced tomato, onion, chili pepper, and cilantro tossed with lime juice and salt) however in my house we ate it sort of NOT traditional way... it's the Cuban influence in me I'm addicted to rice.... I had the "carnitas" with the onions over it, with white rice on the side and a bowl of "Potaje de Frijoles Colorados" (red bean stew) which I made meatless this time because we where eating pork and for dessert sinful me just ate sweetened condensed milk out of the can with a big spoon...

NOTE:
This method of cooking meat can be used also on thick cut pork chops with the fat on or pork ribs, but it is no longer called "Carnitas" after this it'll be just called "Chuletas de Puerco" (Pork Chops) or "Costillas de Puerco" (Pork Ribs) my mother likes to sometimes get any fried pork using this method, then sets them aside, drains out some of the fat leaves a little and she will add back the pork and throw a huge bowl of the homemade hot sauces we have in our house usually "Salsa de Chile de Arbol" or "Salsa Verde" she will deglaze with it and serve the meat in the boiling spicy sauce. We love it. Or she will make a special "Salsa de Chile Colorado" that is very mild the which is the same sauce used to make "Chilaquiles" and "Carne de Res en Chile Colorado"

Most of the time we don't make this dish we just felt like it today, sense we have a lot of stores that cater to Mexicans that sell these fried meats fresh made and hot. What we did at home is a very small portion compared to the huge bubbling pots in the eateries.

I know the recipe is very time consuming but it is very easy to do, you just leave it there for most of the cooking time and towards the end just check it occasionally and stir, just multi-task you can do that while doing other things in the house, or relax enjoy a cold beer or other alcoholic beverage of choice, watch TV while doing this, or read, etc. (but be sure to keep an eye on the clock)

P.S. I really shouldn't be given credit it was my mom doing most of the cooking, I just took pictures, observed, helped a bit, and ate it :)

Platanos en Tentacion (Plantains Temptation Style?)

I got this recipe thanks to Sonia R. Martinez who is a nice Cuban lady also a cook book author and writer and has a few blogs one of them is "Sonia's Hawaii" usually focuses on her life in Hawaii, food, and gardening. She is also the wonderful moderator of a Cuban group I love called "Cocina Cubana in the Exile" and does a great job at it.

She has given me permission to post her recipe on my blog, of course I slightly altered it, I changed the ratio's a little bit because the original recipe was for "3 plantains" and I used "4 plantains" also her mother uses "sherry" wine for this, the recipe calls for dry white wine, but I used "Edmundo Vino Seco Dorado" (it's what I usually use and what I have on hand along with red wine)

Platanos en Tentacion is a rich sweet plantain dish, it is ripe plantains simmered in a rich cinnamon infused butter, wine, and sugar syrup. This is a Cuban recipe, but to be honest it was never made in my house (we always fried the plantains and used it for other stuff) that's why I put no recipe of my own. Other countries have their own "version" of Platanos en Tentacion but the version I am presenting is the Cuban version.

Ingredients:
-4 dead ripe black plantains

-1/3 and 1 1/2 tablespoons white cane sugar
-1/3 and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-2 cinnamon sticks broken into pieces
-4 tablespoons butter
-4 tablespoons dry white wine

Directions:
(1)Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Butter a baking dish.

(2)Peel plantains, cut them in half, place on greased baking dish, insert broken cinnamon sticks into plantains, mix two types of sugars and cinnamon powder, sprinkle half of the sugar over plantains, drizzle all plantains with some wine, add more sugar, and dot it with butter cut into little pieces.

(3)Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour until golden brown and bubbly,

NOTE:
-Sonia say's this is not meant to be dessert you can eat it with your food, I agree with her.
-If you wish you can have it as dessert or snack, it would be delcious with some vanilla ice cream.
-The plantains have to be dead ripe black because that is when they are at their sweetest and softer, do NOT worry it won't be mooshy or anything they are still firm just very sweet.
-I wasn't so patient my plantains could've been riper like Sonia say's "black with a whitish cast" something a long those lines.

Oh and here is a question for anyone who may be reading this, How do you make your Platanos en Tentacion? Or a similar dish? I'm open to new ideas :)"

LASTLY... click on the final last picture and you can see in detail how wonderful it looks, the size of the picture there doesn't give the dish justice :)