Chile (South America) 3 January 2021

Chile is located in the continent of South America. It has Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Paraguay and Argentina to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The capital is Santiago.

The official language is Spanish.

The climate encompasses nearly all variables of the weather due to the terrain. The far south is characterized by a cold and humid climate. The staples are bread, beans, potatoes, fish, chicken, beef, and vegetables (https://worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Chile#:~:text=Staple%20foods%20in%20Chile%20are,combines%20seafood%2C%20meat%20and%20vegetables).

https://www.britannica.com/place/Chile

CHORRILLANA (https://www.chileanfoodandgarden.com/chilean-chorrillana/):

• 10 oz of top sirloin
• 1 medium yellow onion, washed, peeled
• 1 TBSP tomato paste (optional)
• 1 lb frozen French fry potatoes, ready to fry
• 3 eggs
• Salt, pepper
• Oil
• Merkén (if you cannot find merken, you can make it by combining 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp smoked paprika and ½ tsp ground coriander seeds).
• Oil for frying

1. Heat the oil for frying. It must reach a temperature of 350 degrees F. Use a thermometer because cold oil spoils the frying.
2. Cut the meat into long slices against the grain to obtain a more tender steak.
3. Chop the onion into thin half-moons.
4. Heat a large or two medium skillets over medium-high heat.
5. Add a TBSP of oil, cover the entire bottom, and place the meat strips without overlapping – – season with salt, pepper, and Merken.
6. Let cook for 3 minutes, without touching. Turn the meat over and season again and cook for two minutes.
7. Remove the beef to a plate and cover to keep warm.
8. Put the potatoes to fry. They will take about 10 minutes, stir from time to time.
9. In the same skillet (unwashed), add a tsp of oil and the chopped onion, stir well. Let cook a couple of minutes.
10. Add the tomato paste, mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the eggs, stir and cook.
11. Take off the heat before the eggs are ready, so they finish cooking with the pan’s heat.
12. Remove the potatoes to a bowl covered with absorbent paper towels. Add salt and pepper.
13. To serve: place a bed of French fries, top with the scrambled eggs with the onion, and finish with the meat.
14. Enjoy!!

CHILEAN ICE CREAM (http://globaltableadventure.com/recipe/recipe-chilean-crema-de-limon-chilean-lemon-ice-cream/):

• One 12 oz can evaporated milk
• One 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• ¾ C lemon juice, strained, fresh
• Place can of evaporated milk in the freezer.
• Two hours later, add the can of sweetened condensed milk to the freezer.
• Leave them both there for one more hour. NOTE: Shake the cans every 30 minutes or so to prevent crystallization.
• Remove the two cans from the freezer. Open the evaporated milk and pour into a large bowl. Beat for 5-10 minutes, or until doubled in volume and “soft peaks” form.
• Add sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice to the whipped mixture. I used about four lemons.
• Whip for a few minutes, until fully combined and spoon into freezer safe containers and freeze overnight, or for at least three hours.
• Serve directly out of the freezer with tea. Lemon rind on top is a fun addition.

BRAZO de REINA (https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/brazo-de-reina/):

• 5 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ C sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 scant C unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 tsp baking powder

For the filling:

• One 13.4 oz can dulce de leche

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 13×18 inch baking sheet (half sheet size) and line it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
3. Place the egg whites in a large bowl. With an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and continue beating until you have stiff peaks when you turn off the mixer and lift out the beaters. Set aside.
4. In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla extract.
5. In a small bowl sift together your 1 C of already sifted flour, and baking powder (Sifting them together will incorporate the baking powder into the flour without packing it down. This flour mixture needs to be very light and airy when it gets mixed with the egg yolks).
6. Add the flour mixture to the egg yolks and gently mix with a spatula. (Your batter will be a bit stiff at this point).
7. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture, adding ¼ of the beaten egg whites at a time and folding until each addition is just incorporated. (It is normal for the batter to become a little lumpy as you first introduce the beaten egg whites, just continue gently folding to mix the two together until the batter is uniform).
8. Spread the batter evenly over the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and lightly golden (This cake can over-bale quickly, so keep a good eye on it towards the end of baking time).
10. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
11. Gently loosen the edges of the cake that might be stuck to the baking sheet. Dust the cake with powdered sugar and place a clean tea towel over the cake, so you have extra towel hanging off of one of the short ends of the cake. Place a second cooling rack, upside down, on top of the tea towel and invert the cake onto the second cooling rack (and tea towel). Remove the baking sheet and gently un-peel the parchment paper from the cake.
12. Flip the extra towel over the short end of the cake and gently roll the cake up from the short end.
13. Place the towel-wrapped, rolled cake on a wire rack to cool completely (1-2 hours).
14. Once the cake is cool, carefully unroll it.
15. Spread the dulce de leche over the cake. Re-roll the cake and place it on a serving platter.
16. Dust the finished cake with powdered sugar, if desired, immediately before serving.