Dear John:
I've been fishing and eating shark for years and think
they're the best eating fish around. One thing you have to do is to
bleed them (like a pig). I tie a rope around their tail, cut the gills
and vent and hang them over the side of the boat until all the blood is
pumped out. The blood is what has the uric acid and is terrible tasting.
Gene Boggiatto, Castroville
A: Well folks next time you catch
a shark here's the secret. I think I'll try this myself. Thanks Geno!
Q:
Hi, I can't seem to find a recipe for Portuguese
tarts. Could you help? Penny,
e-mail
A: Folks, Penny is
talking about bite-sized tarts sold by street vendors in Sintra, a
castle town fifteen miles west of Lisbon. They are traditionally made
with "queijo fresco" a smooth white sheep's milk unavailable here. The
following recipe uses fresh mozzarella instead and looks pretty good.
Hope this works for you.
Portuguese Cheese
Tarts Recipe or "Queijadas de Sintra"
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen tarts |
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Pastry:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lard (hog lard, not vegetable shortening)
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
Cheese filling:
1/4-pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (at room
temperature)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup un-sifted all-purpose flour
For the pastry: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl; then, with a
pastry blender, cut in the lard until the texture of fine meal. Forking
briskly, drizzle just enough ice water over the mixture to make it hold
together. Shape into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate several
hours. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a food processor fitted with
the metal chopping blade (or in a blender or electric mixer set at
highest speed), buzz the mozzarella,
butter, sugar, and cinnamon about 60 seconds
nonstop until smooth and creamy; |
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scrape down the work bowl
sides with a rubber spatula and beat 60
seconds longer. Note: It will take longer for the electric mixer to
reduce the mixture to creaminess - perhaps 3 to 4 minutes of steady
beating. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each
addition; add the flour and snap the motor on once or twice to blend in.
Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, cover and chill several hours.
When ready to bake the queijadas, preheat the oven to hot (400 degrees).
Divide the pastry in half and roll, first one half, then the other, as
thin as paper on a lightly floured pastry cloth with a lightly floured,
stockinette-covered rolling pin. Cut into rounds with a 3 1/2 -inch
cutter. Also re-roll and cut the scraps. Fit
the pastry into plain or fluted tart tins measuring 2 1/2 inches across
the top. Set the tins on baking sheets, then half-fill each tart shell
with the cheese mixture. Bake uncovered for 18 to 20 minutes, just until
the filling is puffy and a rich amber-brown. Remove the tarts from the
oven, cool until easy to handle; then using a small pointed knife,
gently pry the tarts from the tins. Serve at room temperature. |
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