Crepes Get Turned Into 'Pasta' In This Delicious Take On Dessert
If you’re looking for a crash course on how to do dessert pasta, this restaurant’s take could serve as the entire curriculum.
State Bliss Blog — #dessert
Slow Cooker Concha Bread Pudding Might Be The Easiest Dessert Ever
One of the holiday season’s most decadent dessert ideas might also be one of its easiest to make: Concha Bread Pudding that you can set and forget in the slow cooker.
Made with a fragrant custard with notes of cinnamon and rum, all you need to add in otherwise is a few chopped-up conchas. Day-old pieces of the Mexican sweet bread are best, but any leftover or fresh ones you have will work perfectly for this bread pudding.
Other than that, it’s a simple manner of loading everything into the slow cooker, setting it for a few hours, then coming back to a luscious and sumptuous treat. This concha bread pudding is the perfect dessert to have going on in the background while everything else comes together for the holiday feast.
You can find all of the ingredients necessary for this one-pot sweet at Northgate Market, who will also have the full recipe in a holiday cookbook coming out soon. In the meantime, you can peep the directions to get this festive food party going below:
Servings: 5
Ingredients
4 conchas (7-8 cups), cut into 1-inch pieces (day-old conchas are perfect for this!)
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Vanilla Ice Cream for serving
Directions
Step 1
Butter the inside of a crock pot/slow cooker with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add the concha cubes to the pot.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg yolks, brown sugar, cinnamon, rum, salt, and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the conchas, ensuring it covers every piece. Gently push down on bread with a spatula or spoon so that the concha on top soaks up the liquid as well.
Step 3
Cover and cook for 3 1/2 hours on a low setting. Turn off the crock pot and let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving with a heaping scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Created in partnership with Northgate Market
Neapolitan Atole Cheesecake Is THE All-In-One Christmas Treat
The most difficult part about Christmas dessert for me is choosing just one to enjoy. With vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry options abound, I want to just shove them all in my face. Fortunately, there are desserts out there like this Neapolitan atole cheesecake that let me enjoy all of those flavors at once.
Made with instant atole mix, this cheesecake is more decadent than your standard New York variation, but adds in a nutty flavor that you wouldn’t get otherwise. It has triple the layers of your standard cheesecake, with vanilla as a foundation, a chocolatey middle, and a vibrant pink strawberry finish.
The treat is made even sweeter with a base made from Maria’s Cookies and buñuelos, with even more buñuelos and cajeta garnishing the top.
Those looking to make this all-in-one dessert can find the ingredients to do so at Northgate Market. You’ll also soon be able to find a cookbook that covers this recipe as well as a host of other Christmas treats in Northgate Market. For those who want to make it before then, though, you can find the full recipe below.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
12 Maria’s Cookies, crushed
5 6-inch buñuelos, crushed,
4 tablespoons butter, melted
6 cups 2% fat free milk,
3 (1.6 oz each) packets of instant atole mix: 1 vanilla, 1 chocolate, and 1 strawberry flavor
3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, room temperature, divided
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon unsweetened cacao powder
Directions
Step 1
Spray the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper as well to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom.
Step 2
Make the cheesecake base by combining crushed cookies, 2 crushed buñuelos and the melted butter in a small bowl. Stir until fully combined into a wet, sandy mixture. Press that into the bottom of the parchment-lined springform pan with the bottom of a tall drinking glass or large spoon. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so the base can set.
Step 3
Make the vanilla cheesecake layer using the vanilla flavored atole mix. Dissolve it into ½ cup cold milk in a small bowl. Meanwhile, bring 1 ½ cups milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in vanilla atole mixture into the hot milk, lower the heat, and continue to whisk slowly until the liquid thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Let the mixture cool at this point.
Step 4
Combine 1 package of cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula to ensure everything combines evenly. Gradually add vanilla atole mixture while mixing. Once everything is combined, pour it over the cheesecake base and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes while second layer is prepared.
Step 5
Repeat Step 3, but use the chocolate atole mix this time. This will be the middle layer of your Neapolitan cheesecake.
Step 6
Repeat Step 4 for the chocolate atole mix, adding in the cacao powder as well while mixing the cream cheese together. Pour on top of the vanilla cheesecake layer, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes while the top layer is prepared.
Step 7
Repeat Steps 3 and 4, using the strawberry atole mix this time to make the final layer of cheesecake.
Step 8
Pour the strawberry atole cheesecake mixture over the chocolate layer, spreading evenly. Carefully top with your remaining crushed buñuelos, pressing them lightly into the strawberry layer. Chill for 3-5 hours, or overnight.
Step 9
Run a knife around the edges to help the cheesecake release from the springform pan. Once that is freed, drizzle with a generous amount of cajeta and serve!
Created in partnership with Northgate Market
Pitch-Black Dessert Tamales Are The Treat YOU Want For Dia De Los Muertos
It’s tradition on Dia De Los Muertos to place ofrendas, or offerings, on altars so that deceased ancestors will come back and visit their families. Tamales, in both sweet and savory form, are one of the most common foods used as an ofrenda, making these dessert tamales a colorful and tasty offering for both eating and placing on the family altar.
This version of a dessert tamal evokes the colors and tastes of fall, utilizing both orange and white sweet potatoes as the chief components of the filling.
For an extra hit of sweetness, OREOs are incorporated into both the masa and creamy interior. Activated coconut charcoal also gives the masa a deep black hue, making the tamales as vibrant as they are flavorful.
You can get all of the ingredients to make these dessert tamales at Northgate Market, who will be launching a holiday cookbook with this recipe and more in early December. If you want to make the tamales before then, though, the full recipe is below.
Servings: 15
Ingredients
25 corn husks
26 Oreo cookies, just the cookie
2 1/2 pounds plain masa
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 ½ Tbsp activated coconut charcoal
¼ cup evaporated milk
For the orange filling
Creamy filling of 26 Oreo cookies
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
For the white filling
Creamy filling of 26 oreo cookies
1 pound white sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
10 tablespoons powdered sugar
For the drizzle topping
1 bottle Cacique Crema Mexicana
1 cup powdered sugar
Directions
Step 1
Combine corn husks and enough water to cover in a large bowl. Soak overnight.
Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add sweet potatoes and cook for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
Step 3
Separate each Oreo cookie, scrape off creamy filling and place in a separate bowl. Place cookies in a food processor and process until a small crumble texture (about 1 ½ cups of crumbled cookie). Set creamy filling aside.
Step 4
Place masa in a large bowl. Add evaporated milk and mix with a hand held mixer on a slow setting. Add cookie crumbles in ½ cup increments, add charcoal in tablespoons increments, add sugar in increments as well. Continue mixing until color is evenly distributed.
Step 5
In another large bowl, combine creamy filling, egg, cream cheese, brown sugar, and sweet potatoes. Mix with a whisk or electric mixer until all ingredients are completely incorporated. Repeat this step with the white sweet potato mixture.
Step 6
Drain corn husks and pat dry. On a working surface, place husk with pointy side towards you. Scoop ½ cup masa mixture on husk and spread with a spoon or masa spreader, leaving a 1 ½ inch border on the sides, place 2 tablespoons sweet potato mixture on the center. Fold one side of corn husk over filling then fold the other side, overlapping. Fold the pointed side up and turn over to keep it from unfolding. Use a piece of corn husk to tie if necessary. Repeat with remaining corn husks.
Step 7
Arrange tamales upright in a steamer. Fill with hot water right below the rack and heat over medium heat. Cover top of tamales with a layer of remaining husks and a damp towel; cover with lid, bring to a boil and reduce to medium, adding water as needed. Steam for 90 minutes. Remove tamales from steaming. Let cool before serving.
Step 8
Optional: to make a creamy drizzle topping, add powdered sugar to crema mexicana and drizzle on tamales.
Created in partnership with Northgate Markets.
This California Mall serves the best Churros ever made!
When you’re at the mall looking for a quick snack, like a churro, you probably walk up to the counter, make an order, and take off as soon as you have your on-the-go treat. Doing this at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Southern California, however, means you’re missing out on something truly special.
Churro Buzz, one of the mall’s newest food stalls, is home to a 60-year-old recipe and one of the tastiest churros you can find in SoCal. There’s also more unique items, like “churro boats” filled with various toppings and even churro ice cream sandwiches.
But it’s so much more than the crispy, chewy fried dough at this spot. That’s because it’s also the newest chapter in the incredible life stories of the people that put a ton of TLC into your treat.
Tany Rodriguez is the man who ensures that every churro comes out perfect, and his story is just as incredible as the flavor of one of his handmade treats. He’s been an integral part of the Churro Buzz story long before it arrived at Del Amo. Rodriguez has been handling the churro duties since 1991, when he started work at the popular Pier Bakery in nearby Redondo Beach. Prior to that, he was a homeless immigrant from Mexico, but has been all smiles and dancing ever since he managed to get the job.
In his time at the bakery and at Churro Buzz, Rodriguez has made over 5 million churros, each one just as golden, crispy, and tasty as the rest. You can see his passion for the treats go into every single order, whether it be on the beach or at the Del Amo Fashion Center.
Another incredible life story behind Churro Buzz comes from the owners, Jay and Parin Demel. The children of Sri Lankan immigrants, they bought the original business from a Mexican woman, allowing her to retire after years of running the stand. With the bakery came the long-standing churro recipe that Parin had fell in love with upon her first bite. Since then, the recipe hasn’t changed, and the bakery has long become a fixture of Redondo Beach. The Demels and Rodriguez hope that Churro Buzz can develop a similar legacy at Del Amo.
The backgrounds of the Demels and Rodriguez, and the tale of Churro Buzz, represent so much more than just another churro stand. As Foodbeast’s latest episode of Taste the Details reveals, it’s all about believing in and achieving the American Dream. To get the complete story and understand why, watch the full episode above.
