Minnie's Diary

Please excuse my long absence due to a broken down computer which is still in the workshop. Luckily I have my photos saved on an exterior drive but otherwise have lost quite a lot of data. However I'm making do for a few days on a second old computer which has problems uploading so today I'm linking to some pictures I took earlier of our new little rescue cat Minnie.

Here is her photo and a slideshow I made of her new life in our home.



Minnie's Diary Slideshow

I hope to be back again with some new photos of our garden. We have a giant datura with coral blooms that has dozens of flower pods about to open. I'm so excited and looking forward to seeing them in full bloom.

When all is working again I will be adding some new photos to the slideshow of Minnie climbing a very tall tree! I was afraid that I might have to call the fire department to get her down, but she made it by herself.

Thank you for your visit and I hope you will enjoy seeing our new young cat!

¡Hasta la vista!

Sharon

Fresh Goat Cheese

Queso de Arico, Tenerife

Here is a sample of one of the local Tenerife fresh cheeses. Although it's not the same one used below in the quesadillas from El Hierro, it is similar in appearance and would probably be fine to use if one wished to make the quesadillas at home.

I just wanted to clarify what a 'fresh cheese' from these islands looks like.
They stay fresh for only a few days and must be eaten soon after they are purchased.

This piece comes from the factory in Arico, Tenerife which produced the winning cheese in the World Cheese Awards in Dublin in 2008.

103 ~ Quesadillas - Mini Cheesecakes from El Hierro

Quesadilla from El Hierro

Quesadillas, or mini-cheesecakes are traditionally made by one family on the island of El Hierro, one of the smallest and most western of the Canary Islands. In early times El Hierro was thought to be the end of the western world, before the Azores were discovered. In the year 2000 it was named by Unesco as a Biosphere Reserve.

Cut view showing texture and anise grains

Although the term quesadilla is used in Mexican cooking to refer to a cheese filled tortilla, (queso meaning cheese in Spanish,) the quesadillas of El Hierro are small, sweet individual cheesecakes, each one measuring around 10 centimeters (4 inches) across. They have been the specialty of one family, Adrián Gutiérrez e Hijas, made in their bakery using the recipe and method passed down by grandparents since 1900 where the quesadillas, in their distinctive daisy-shaped moulds, were cooked in wood burning ovens.

The above two photos credited with thanks to La Ruta del Buen Yantar

Here is a recipe for making quesadillas at home. They are made in individual molds which originally were lined with a thin puff pastry, but now commercially they are sold with a thin muffin-type paper backing.

Quesadillas

1 kilo (2.2 lbs) unsalted fresh cheese
250 grams flour
500 grams sugar
4 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 TBS honey
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 TBS anise grains
grated rind of 1 lemon

Mix all well to form a mass, then put into moulds, either buttered or lined with paper inserts. Originally quesadillas were put in moulds lined with a very thin layer of puff pastry.

Cook in 375F (190C) oven until golden.

Note:
The fresh cheese on El Hierro is made from a mixture of 85% goat milk, 10% cow milk and 5% sheep milk.

Thank you for dropping by.

Have a good week and hasta la vista!