Learn how to make Chilean Alfajores, Pie de Limón and Brazo de Reina, three traditional Chilean tea time pastries from the producers of Tea Time.
Chilean Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Biscuits):
Ingredients:
Biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup margarine
1 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar
3 eggs
Filling:
1/2 (1 lb.) of dulce de leche (Classic recipe and condensed milk recipe via Epicurious)
Preparation:
- Mix flour, baking powder and margarine in bowl. Add vinegar and mix with fingers until dough is crumbly. Add eggs one at a time and knead until dough is firm and smooth
- With rolling pin on floured surface, stretch dough until is very thin and cut in 6 cm circles. Place on oiled baking sheet, prick with fork and bake 6 to 8 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and baking sheet, let cool.
- Fill with plenty of dulce de leche between two biscuits and press to spread more evenly, sprinkle with powder sugar and serve.
Pie de Limón (Lemon Pie):
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of powdered sugar
¾ cup of margarine
1 egg
Water (if needed)
2 cans sweet condensed milk
1 cup fresh lemon juice (200 ml)
1 cup of egg whites at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
Preparation:
- Mix flour, powder sugar and margarine in bowl, and mix with fingers until is crumbly. Add egg and knead until dough is firm and smooth. Stretch the dough to about 26 to 28 cm diameter and place in oiled and floured pie plate.
- Prick dough with fork and place pie plate in pre heated oven on 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly cooked. In a bowl, mix sweet condensed milk with lemon juice and mix well. Pour over pre-cooked dough and place in oven again, lower temperature and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the filling becomes firm and the dough is fully cooked.
- Meanwhile, mix in bowl the egg whites with granulated sugar and cook in double boiler stirring from time to time until sugar is dissolved and thoroughly mixed. Remove from double boiler and beat for 8 to 10 minutes until the mix triplicates in size and becomes foamy and glossy in texture. Remove pie from oven and cover with fresh meringue in a decorative way. Let it cool and serve.
Brazo de Reina (Swiss Roll):
Ingredients:
5 eggs at room temperature
1 pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
28 ounces of Dulce de leche
Wax Paper
Preparation:
- Separate eggs placing yolks in a bowl add a half of the powder sugar and beat until they double in size and become lighter color. Once ready set aside. In another bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until hardened, then add little by little the rest of the powder sugar (previously separated) beating continually until it becomes a firm meringue.
- Add the meringue to the beaten yolks and mix carefully with a wrapping motion. Add flour in 2 or 3 steps with the help of a spatula also in a soft wrapping motion. Once it's mixed well, pour into baking sheet, which has been oiled and covered with wax paper.
- Carefully spread the mix on the baking sheet cover evenly leaving it at about 1 cm thick. Place back in oven (pre-heated at 325°F); bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are lightly brown. Remove from oven and separate borders turning carefully over a clean cloth. Fold immediately and let cool. Unfold and spread the dulce de leche filling carefully, spreading evenly on the whole biscuit surface. Fold again and cover with wax paper applying pressure to better shape the roll. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Finally, place in big plate and remove wrapping with the help of a flat spatula, cover the outside with additional dulce de leche, spread everywhere, you can decorate with dried fruit ground coconut, chocolate chips or a topping of your own choice.