My primary exposure to Cuban cuisine has been in Miami’s Little Havana, where tourists on Calle Ocho need no translation to understand and respond to such classic preparations as thick, sweet Cuban coffee, light and subtle Cuban sandwiches or earthy black bean soup. Cuban cooks do marvelous presentations of fish, poultry and pork as well. For them, stew is an art form all its own.
The cuisine has been maligned, however, due to its reliance on relatively mild seasoning at a time when vibrant spices are grafted onto Caribbean and Latin food whether they belong there or not. Also, as pointed out by Mary Urrutia Randelman in her book “Memories of a Cuban Kitchen,” there was–and evidently is still–a compulsion among Cuban cooks to use canned vegetables and fruit, gelatin molds, processed cheese and other standbys of 1950s American home cooking.
But despite substitution of some ingredients and seasonings, the Cuban cuisine served in homes and restaurants here and in other U.S. cities remains savory and satisfying. Cuban cooks believe in long cooking techniques such as braising and roasting, are not inhibited from deep frying (though many now use vegetable oil in place of lard) and remain committed to the consumption of starch (rice, sweet potatoes, plantains, canned peas) and sugar (start with desserts, including the flan pictured here).
The exotic fruits and vegetables found in Cuba and south Florida prevent all manner of dishes from looking or tasting mundane. Furthermore, Cuban food is not merely colonial Spanish; it possesses African, Caribbean and European elements as well. It is, as Joyce LaFray writes in the introduction to her cookbook “!Cuba Cocina! The Tantalizing World of Cuban Cooking,” “simple in concept, complex in flavors.”
Today, enjoy classic Cuban fare such as the dessert that follows. But expect an explosion of creativity when the government changes and adventurous chefs have a broad spectrum of high-quality ingredients on hand in Havana to work with.
BANANA FLAN WITH COCONUT RUM SAUCE
Eight servings
For the mold:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
For the flan:
3 cups heavy cream
8 eggs, beaten
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract
1/4 cup banana liqueur
3/4 cup flaked fresh coconut
For the rum sauce:
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons rum
1/3 cup cream of coconut (from a 15-ounce can)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine granulated sugar and water in a heavy skillet or saucepan. Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until sugar dissolves and sugar syrup turns amber, about 15 minutes. Do not overcook or syrup will burn. Remove from heat and pour into a 2-quart casserole or eight individual molds. Using mitts or a kitchen towel, rotate the mold to line the bottom and sides evenly with caramel. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cream, eggs, sugar, almond extract and banana liqueur. Fill caramelized mold to about 1/2 inch from the top. Sprinkle with flaked coconut. Place mold in a large, shallow pan and pour hot water into the pan halfway up the mold. Bake for about 1 hour. Remove flan from oven and water bath. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours. To unmold, run a knife around the inside of the mold, then cover the mold with a plate and invert it onto the plate, gently shaking to free the flan. Spoon rum sauce (directions follow) over it, and pass remaining sauce at the table.
3. To prepare the rum sauce, beat together the yolks and the sugar in a medium saucepan until smooth. Add flour and cornstarch and set aside.
4. Pour milk into a large saucepan and heat until it comes to a boil. Add rum, cream of coconut and vanilla, then add this to the egg yolk mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Strain and serve over the flan.
–From “!Cuba Cocina!” by Joyce LaFray
