| Guava - The Queen of all Pudding | |
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| "I love my grandmother, as Inka loved hers, and I was honored to have Inka make her grandmother's recipe for me. As we cooked, we shared a bond and the love of family was going into this dish. The memories lingered around the kitchen as Inka beamed with pride, sharing stories of her family. It was really a special day to experience this treat and when all was said and done, we sat down and enjoyed the rich exquisite taste of this dish with a cafe con leche, her husband and new friends." Paul Menta | |
 | Ingredients: 2 loaves Cuban bread 4 eggs 1 can evaporated milk 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 block guava paste 1 can whole guavas or 2 cups fresh guavas, cut into small pieces ½ cup sugar |
   
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Instructions Preheat oven to 375º. Butter a sheet pan. Step 1 Break up all bread by hand in a large pot. Add evaporated milk and mix well. Separate yolks from whites in two large bowls. |
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Step 2 Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to yolks and mix well until eggs are smooth and pale yellow. |
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Step 3 Add egg mixture to bread. Place over low heat and stir. When bread starts to brown on the bottom, it’s done. Remove from heat. |
   | Step 4 Meanwhile, place guava paste in a frying pan. Add a little water to loosen mixture. You can cut it up a bit. Cook until it softens. Bread should start to brown on bottom to show it's ready. Add fresh or canned guava pieces and heat together until guava pieces get soft. |
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Step 5 Cut fresh or canned guava in small pieces and add to guava paste after it softens. Heat the mixture together and guava will get soft. |
  | Step 6 Butter a sheet pan that has a lip and pour in mixture of bread, making sure to keep bread level through pan. Pour guava mixture on top of bread and spread evenly. Put in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until set firmly. |
 | The Science of Meringue "The whisk or beater creates a force with the liquid that opens the protein molecules and also incorporates air which helps the rest of the proteins come out and mix and make a foam which is basically called coagulation. The more you beat them and move the beater up and down, the higher and stiffer peaks you will get. If making a sweet meringue, do not add the sugar until close to the end and a pinch of cream of tarter will keep it stable for hours." Paul Menta |
     | Step 7 While pan is in oven, get bowl with egg whites and use mixer to beat them. Move the mixer around so as to create high, fluffy peaks. Add sugar to the meringue and and beat until soft peaks form. Top baked bread mixture with meringue and return to oven for 10-12 minutes, or until meringue browns. Put back in oven for 10-12 minutes from oven and let cool for 15 minutes until the meringue browns. Take out of the oven and let cool for 15 minutes if you can stand waiting that long! Cut in squares. Serves 8-10  |
| Bibliography Menta, Paul. "The Queen of all Pudding." Native Fuel: Key West Edition Volume 1, Jan. 8, 2013, July 14, 2014, Edible South Florida, ediblesouthflorida.ediblecommunities.com/recipes/queen-allpudding. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019. Photographs Menta, Paul. "The Queen of all Pudding." Native Fuel: Key West Edition Volume 1, Jan. 8, 2013. Published 3 Apr. 2019 LR |
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