Ecuador: goat cheese and raspberry empanadas

The Dish: Yummy stuff
The Country: Up until a few months ago, the Galapagos Islands were home to Lonesome George, the 100 year old Pinta Island tortoise.  He was the only one left of his subspecies.


Ingredients:

11 oz goat cheese
several raspberries
basic dough for empanada shells
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

maybe I should have cropped out my cutting board... oh well.

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325°
Mix the goat cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
Cut dough into palm size circles.
Place a scoop of the cheese mix on each circle.  Add two or three raspberries to each.
Close the pastry.
Bake for 12 minutes.

I sort of squashed the back three when I tried to flip them over... the bottom left ones look OK though.

Notes:  They were good, but my dough was a little dry.   Don't eat them hot, but don't eat them cold either.  When they are cold, the texture gets weird. I didn't shape them like empanadas... I wasn't totally sure how...
 Rating: 3.5 for taste, 2 for appearance

Domican Republic: Tres Leches Cake

The Dish: Tres Leches
The Country: The Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation after Cuba.

ugh. the picture is backwards. oh well.

Ingredients:
cake:
1 3/4 cups of flour
3 eggs
1 tsp baking power
1 cup butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar


toppings:
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups condensed milk
2 cups evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar

whipped cream.

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350°
Grease a medium size cake pan
Mix the butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and flour.
Bake for 35 minutes.

For the topping cream stuff:
mix evaporated and condensed milks.  set aside.
Beat whipping cream and 1/3 cup sugar until you form stiff peaks. 
When the cake is done cooking, pour a little bit of the milk mixture on top.  Place in fridge.  Add more of the condensed/ evaporated milk mix every few minutes (let each pour absorb fully before adding the next).
When ready to eat: slice the cake into small squares.  Pour a little bit of the remaining milk mix on top.  Add some whipped cream.

I haven't quite mastered the art of beautiful presentation....

Notes: This is one of my favorite cakes. Ever. I was kind of intimidated to try it, but I only ended up messing up a little bit.  I totally forgot baking powder and had to take the cake out of the oven and add it! So, the cake was a little stiffer than it should have been. 
Rating: 3.99999

Italy: Pizza

The Dish: Pizza
The Country: Sicily and Sardinia are the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

Ingredients (Tomato Basil Pizza)
1 pre-made pizza crust
1 large tomato
1/2 cup basil leaves
Olive Oil
Pesto Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Pepper

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 425°
Coat pizza crust in olive oil and pesto
Cover with chopped tomatoes, basil leaves, and cheese
Sprinkle with pepper
Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges are browned

Ingredients (Pepperoni Pizza)
1 pre-made pizza crust
1 large tomato
1 stick/ roll/ whatever you call it of pepperoni
Can of pre-made tomato pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Pepper

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 425°
Coat pizza crust in olive oil and pesto
Cover with chopped tomatoes, chopped pepperoni slices, and cheese
Sprinkle with pepper
Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges are browned