Truchas de Batata and a Barraquito Cocktail
A traditional sweet Christmas pastry and coffee cocktail from the Canary Islands to kickstart the holiday season.
Last week I talked about the St Andrew’s Day fiestas in Tenerife, so let’s hang around there a little longer to enjoy a Christmas treat and a cocktail that is popular all over the Canary Islands.
My son has come up to visit me for a festive weekend and a food and wine tour in Bristol before he heads to Spain in a couple of weeks to spend Christmas with his father. So, I thought this might be a good time to whip up a dozen or so truchas de batata and a few seasonal cocktails.
The origin of trucha de batata (sweet potato trout) is unknown, though the name is probably a reference to the orange colour of the filling, made of sweet potatoes, almonds, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and sultanas.
Potatoes, sweet and otherwise, were introduced to the islands in the 16th century when Spanish explorers brought back the exotic fruit and vegetables from the New World. Turns out, sweet potato as a dessert filling is exceptionally delicious, but being naturally sweet, I found the amount of sugar most of the recipes called for was unnecessary.
So, this is my tweaked version of truchas de batata and due to lack of time to make my own pastry, I have also cheated by buying packaged shortbread. However, they turned out really well and make a wonderful Christmas dessert, eaten hot or cold.
Truchas de Batata
(makes 12)
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
¼ cup of sultanas (I imagine dates would also work really well in this recipe)
¼ cup sugar
½ cup chopped almonds
Zest of one lemon
½ tsp cinnamon
Extra sugar for dusting
Shortcrust pastry
Sunflower oil for frying
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into cubes and steam or boil till soft.
Let cool, mash, then add the lemon zest, cinnamon, sugar, almonds, and sultanas until a smooth paste. You may need to add a drop of water or a squeeze of lemon if the mixture is too dry.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry to make it a little thinner (about 3mm). With a small plate or bowl (approx. 10-11cm diameter) cut circles.
Place a spoonful of the sweet potato mixture in the centre of each circle.
Fold the edges together and press with a fork.
Fry the pastries gently in a shallow pan with sunflower oil, turning over when golden brown to cook on the other side.
Place them directly on a plate and dust with sugar.
Barraquito
Barraquito is a coffee and liqueur drink found in most cafes around the islands. It makes a wonderful dessert drink as it quite sweet and can also be served without the liqueur for an alcohol-free version. The eye-catching layers of condensed milk, liqueur, coffee, and frothed milk make for an attractive after meal dessert drink.
1 tbsp condensed milk
1 espresso coffee
Licor 43 (or Tia Maria makes a good substitute)
Frothed milk
Lemon peel
Cinnamon
In a long glass, pour in the condensed milk first, followed (gently) by the liqueur, then espresso.
The trick is to not mix the layers, so it’s important to add the liquids slowly and carefully.
If you have a coffee maker with a frother, top up the glass with frothed milk.
If not, top up the glass with a little warm milk. The resulting taste will be more or less the same.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top and garnish with lemon peel.