I was trying to come up with an excuse for my lack of posting lately and the only thing I can come up with is that I have been absorbed by my obsession with being in the kitchen. Despite being 9 months pregnant and being fairly uncomfortable at this point, I can't stay away for my oven...it is truly an addiction. So I might as well post some pictures and updates on my baking adventures in Peru. And I should mention that one of the highlights of baking in Lima, is a market called Mercado Magdalena which is near our apartment. This market has everything one could ever want, everything from clothing, to party supplies, to chickens, to fruits and vegetables, to kitchen supplies, and you get my point. But the most amazing part of the market, for me at least, is the aisle dedicated to baking fanatics like myself! There are 3-4 stalls that specialize in everything one needs to create sweets. There I can buy in bulk things like coconut, sprinkles, baking powder, gelatin, cocoa powder not to mention boxes of Peruvian baking chocolate (a pound costs $3!), fondant, food coloring in every color of the rainbow, etc....unlike in Ghana where it took me quite a while to discover where to find my baking supplies, this came relatively easily and perhaps it is because Peruvians love their sweets! In fact, whenever I go to this market to buy my supplies, the aisle is packed with people all fighting their way to the counter to buy what they need. And around the corner from my baking paradise is the aisle for dried fruits and nuts so I can buy bulk almonds, pecans, peanuts, apricots, sesame seeds, raisins, coconut, and even dried shrimp but I haven't yet found a need for those. So now that I've found my suppliers, I am a busy baking pregnant woman!
Most recently, I threw a birthday party brunch for my sister-in-law, Valerie, to which she invited her close friends. On the menu were bagels, scones, deviled eggs, and red velvet cupcakes.
I've also been busy experimenting with ice cream. There are an abundance of herbs here so a few weeks ago I made basil ice cream and today I made camu camu chocolate chip ice cream. Camu camu is a new fruit for me and local to Peru. It looks like a pale colored cherry but is very acidic and not pleasant to eat plain. So usually our maid, Rosa, my assistant in the kitchen, makes camu camu refresco for us which is basically fruit flavored water. The camu camu variety comes out a beautiful shade of pink. She also makes pineapple refresco which is made from the shell of the pineapple which she boils with water and to which she adds cinnamon. But, I thought, why not make camu camu icecream and add Peruvian chocolate to it, sort of like chocolate chip cherry icecream. I was hoping and expecting a pretty pink color but think I didn't use enough camu camu to get the color right but next time will go for more.
I also recently experimented with different kinds of chocolate candies and peanut brittle. Valerie asked me to help her make some different treats for a party she was attending since Peruvians tend to stick to their standards when it comes to sweets. So we made various kinds of chocolate candies...including sesame seed/candied ginger, peanut/sea salt, apricot/almond, and candied ginger/coconut.
My next undertaking is a children's birthday cake for a friend's son, who is turning 7. Let's just hope this baby can wait until after the birthday party or she'll be buying her cake at the grocery store!
Most recently, I threw a birthday party brunch for my sister-in-law, Valerie, to which she invited her close friends. On the menu were bagels, scones, deviled eggs, and red velvet cupcakes.
I've also been busy experimenting with ice cream. There are an abundance of herbs here so a few weeks ago I made basil ice cream and today I made camu camu chocolate chip ice cream. Camu camu is a new fruit for me and local to Peru. It looks like a pale colored cherry but is very acidic and not pleasant to eat plain. So usually our maid, Rosa, my assistant in the kitchen, makes camu camu refresco for us which is basically fruit flavored water. The camu camu variety comes out a beautiful shade of pink. She also makes pineapple refresco which is made from the shell of the pineapple which she boils with water and to which she adds cinnamon. But, I thought, why not make camu camu icecream and add Peruvian chocolate to it, sort of like chocolate chip cherry icecream. I was hoping and expecting a pretty pink color but think I didn't use enough camu camu to get the color right but next time will go for more.
I also recently experimented with different kinds of chocolate candies and peanut brittle. Valerie asked me to help her make some different treats for a party she was attending since Peruvians tend to stick to their standards when it comes to sweets. So we made various kinds of chocolate candies...including sesame seed/candied ginger, peanut/sea salt, apricot/almond, and candied ginger/coconut.
My next undertaking is a children's birthday cake for a friend's son, who is turning 7. Let's just hope this baby can wait until after the birthday party or she'll be buying her cake at the grocery store!
