BOLIVIA - Llamas and Lemon Pies

And so onto the lesser known country of Boliva. We didn't know what to expect from this country and were just planning on passing through on route to Argentina. However, once we got there we really fell in love with the place. Some of the most spectacular scenery ranging from lush green jungles, to volcanoes, deserts and lagoons, the bustling city of La Paz, and some of the friendliest most humble people, living a very traditional quiet life in the high altitude of the Andes. Has to be one of the highlights so far!
And the food? Well, my trusty guidebook described piquante stews (alpaca and lama) . . .

Llama Stew anyone?

Sorry we did? We found an authentic curry house in La Paz (The Star of India)  and Dean indulged in a llama tikka masala.

Tarte de Limon

From the first few days in Bolivia, I’ve discovered they’ve got a bit of a thing about lemon pies! In may shop windows I’ve passed huge peaks of meringue tempting me! 

La Paz Lemon pies

Of course it was my duty to sample a few!

I found a recipe for Bolivian style Lemon meringue pie online. The main thing different about it and the version of lemon meringue pie we get at home is the addition of the South American favourite evaporated milk in the lemon bit making it much more creamy.

Recipe for Tarte Limon Bolivian style

Taken from the web site from http://www.food52.com/recipes/7384_lemon_meringue_tart_bolivian_style

Serves 8-12

2 14oz cans of sweet condensed milk 

4 eggs (whites and yolks separated)

1/2 cup lemon juice (note: do not use lime juice)

1/2 cup

1 unbaked pie crust

1 pinch lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In two small bowls, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Make sure there are no traces of yolk or egg shells in the egg whites.
   
   
2. In a medium bowl, mix the condensed milk and the 4 egg yolks. With the help of a hand mixer, slowly mix in the lemon juice until combined thoroughly. Pour this mixture on the pie crust and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
   
   
3. As the pie cooks, prepare the meringue. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until they become white and fluffy but you can still see some bubbles and a spongy texture. At that point slowly add in the sugar making sure the meringue is rising and becoming smoother. The way to check that meringue is ready is by turning off the hand mixer and lifting it slightly up from the mixture - if little peaks form and stay on your meringue, its done!
   
   
4. Remove the pie from the oven, and pour the meringue on top of filling mixture. Form little peaks with a fork on the meringue and sprinkle a pinch of lemon zest on top. Put the pie back in the oven. The pie is finished when the peaks have browned (~ 12 min but maybe less).
   
   
   Bolivian Cream cakes
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Looking around the internet, I also found this web page for a recipe for Bolivian cream/fruit cake.

   
   

   en.allexperts.com/q/Spanish-Hispanic-Cuisine.../Bolivian-cakes.htm

   
   

   
   

   Pastel de Tres Leches

   Yield: About 8-10 servings

   
   

   INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT 

   Flour  1 1/2 cups 

   Baking powder  1 tsp 

      

   Butter, unsalted room temperature 1/2 cup, or 8 Tbsp 

   Sugar  1 cup     

   Eggs room temperature 5 each 

   Vanilla  1/2 tsp     

   Milk  1 cup 

   Milk, sweetened condensed  1 cup 

   Milk, evaporated  2/3 cup       

   Whipping cream   1 1/2 cups 

   Sugar   1/2 to 3/4 cups 

   Vanilla   1 tsp 

   
   

   METHOD

   Basic Steps:  Sift ¨ Cream ¨ Beat ¨ Fold ¨ Bake ¨ Soak ¨ Frost 

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 7"x11" baking pan. 

   Sift flour and baking powder together well. 

   Cream butter and sugar together in a mixer on medium speed till light and fluffy. 

   On medium-low speed, add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat until foamy. 

   Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in flour to mix well. 

   Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes or till done. 

   Remove from oven and cool. Pierce cake all over with a fork, toothpick or skewer. Mix three milks together and pour over whole cake. 

   Refrigerate cake for 2-8 hours until liquid is absorbed and cake is chilled. 

   Beat the cream, sugar and vanilla together to make whipped cream. Frost the cake with the whipped cream and serve. 

   VARIATIONS

   Substitute coconut milk for the regular milk if you like. Scatter the frosting with coconut flakes. Add a touch of rum to the milks for even more tropical flavor. 

   If you would like a layer cake, divide the batter between 2 prepared round cake pans. For layer cakes, you can add a filling of fruit between layers. Try pineapple filling, peaches or bananas. Or any fruit you like.