For 5 medium pieces of cartof, you will need

130g biscuits

50g butter

60g condensed milk

2 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 dash of rum

+2 tbsp of cocoa powder

After crushing the biscuits, add the melted butter, condensed milk, cocoa powder, and rum.

 

I suggest removing them from the fridge a few minutes before eating them. This way, they will not be too hard. Roll them through cocoa powder; then, enjoy their taste!

Step by step, things seem to fall into place, and I get to write again. It’s going to be a beautiful autumn! May your hearts be filled with joy! ♥

Today: condensed milk

What terrifies me the most when working with condensed milk? That I won’t finish the can I just opened. Other times, I worry that I’d make too much condensed milk and it would spoil.

Where do I get condensed milk from? The regions that traditionally use it: Romania, Moldova, Russia, Kazakhstan (and the list can go on).

Why do I love it? It brings a sweet, silky taste to desserts, together with its unmistakable texture.

How do I use it? There are many condensed milk desserts that I love, but my favourite is colchão de noiva. I’ve recently discovered the condensed milk pound cake. The picture shows a slice of trileqe; you may use condensed milk instead of the caramel sauce.

I remember the torrid July in southern Bulgaria. It wasn’t one of my best days, but when the gentleman whose family restaurant we were having lunch at brought me the cup of fig ice cream, telling me it was their recipe for generations, I fell in love.

About a year and a half ago, on a hot day in Brasov this time around, I tried to recreate the dessert. And it worked!

Here’s the recipe.

You’ll need—

350ml whipping cream

20g sugar

100ml condensed milk

10 medium figs (200-215g)

Mix the sugar and the whipping cream.

Slowly add the condensed milk. Then, add the pieces of fresh figs.

Transfer the ’result’ into a large dish; freeze it overnight.

It was, in fact, my birthday cake. I hope you like it! (I tried it in summer when the tiny Cancerians turned 1 – and I used berries to decorate it.)

(for the) CRUST

1 tbsp of psyllium seeds

2 tbsp of (hot) water

125g gluten-free oatmeal

25g tapioca flour

60g (melted and cooled) butter

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

a pinch of sea salt

(for the) FILLING

140g condensed milk

70g whipping cream

210ml milk

2 tbsp of tapioca flour

+1 large pear

3-4 strawberries

2-3 tamarind pods

Make the crust using the recipe here.

Let the crust cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Add all the ingredients to the pan and let the mixture boil.

Pour the filling into the crust; decorate with pear and strawberry slices and tamarind paste.

 Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. Then, savour it! ♥

CRUST

150g flour

70g butter (melted and cooled)

1 egg yolk

1 vanilla sugar sachet

1 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp water

a bit of salt

FILLING

250g mascarpone

50g whipping cream

10g sugar

40ml condensed milk

+butter and flour -> your baking pan

+14-15 fresh figs

Well, I am still baking classically, using many types of ingredients, especially as, at the end of August (summer), we drove to Sviniţa to buy fresh figs. The largest fig farm in Romania is located there. They may be small but they’re so flavourful!

You can bake the crust using the recipe found here.

I wished to prepare a creamy filling. In my opinion, mascarpone and figs go well together.

If you love whipped cream more, remove the condensed milk from the recipe, replacing it with some extra 100g of whipping cream. Use 35g of sugar for the entire amount of whipping cream.

For the initial filling, add the whipped cream to the mixed mascarpone and then the condensed milk.

Pour the filling over the crust after you let the crust cool a bit.

Place the washed figs cut in half over the tart. Let it sit in the fridge.

I served each slice cold, in a summer mood! ☼