Desserts form abroad

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Lets see some good Foreign Desserts for our brothers.

Here is one I like.

“Picarones” Margarita taught me how to make these delicious Peruvian treats. Street veders sell 5 of these for 3 soles ($1 USD) on the street and I love them. They are great by alone with coffee or as a after dinner treat.

Ingredients:

½ lb peeled and chopped pumpkin
1 lb peeled and chopped sweet potato
4 tbsp sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsp fresh yeast
2 cups self-rising flower
2 ½ tbsp aniseed
1 stick cinnamon
1 tbsp cloves
Oil for frying
Pinch of salt

Syrup Ingredients:
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1 fresh fig leaf
2 (4in) cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp cloves
2 cups water
Peel of 1 orange, cut into large strips

Preparation:

Fill a large pan with 14 cups of water and bring to a boil with the cinnamon sticks, cloves and aniseed. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes to make an aromatic infusion. Strain to remove spices and then boil the sweet potato and pumpkin in the infusion until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Strain and reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Pass the sweet potato and pumpkin through a fine mesh sieve. Leave the puree and the reserved cooking liquid to cool. In a small bowl, combine the reserved infusion, sugar and yeast and let stand in a draft free place to prove, 10-15 minutes.

Place the strained sweet potato and pumpkin puree in a large bowl; add the salt, yeast mixture and egg, and blend thoroughly. Fold in the flour and continue to stir vigorously to make a soft, smooth dough which doe not stick to your hands. Place the mixing bowl in a warm, draft free place, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for about 1 hour or until the mixture has doubled in volume.

Prepare the syrup:
Combine the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel, fig leaf and water in a medium sized saucepan. Cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens to a syrup. Strain.

Cooking the Picarones:

In a large pan or deep fryer, heat the oil to 325 deg F. Form one tablespoon of the dough into a ring shape and fry until golden. (The rings are about 4in across and about the thickness of your finger) I roll out a piece of dough and pinch the ends together to make the ring. Repeat until all the dough is used, rinsing your hands from time to time in ice water to make dough rings more manageable. Remove Picarones from hot oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towls. Serve immediately bathed in the syrup. A normal serving is 3-4 Picarones on a plate bathed in Syrup.

NOTE: You can also process the dough mixture in a food processor or bread maker for 10 minutes on speed level 2. To make good Picarones the dough must be elastic.

Lets see some more International Desserts