Recipe: Brazo de gitano

Hi,

I don't have the exact recipe you are looking for but hopefully the following recipes will help you experiment. At the end I have added a simple rum syrup for you to soak the sponge cake sheet if you desire to do that. But, any simple syrup should do the trick. You can buy guava filling ready made. Not sure if you are talking about the curd-like filling or custard type of filling.

Kim

SPONGE CAKE

5 Eggs; separated
2/3 cup Sugar
1 cup Cake flour
1 tbsp Water
1/4 tsp Salt
Confectioners' sugar; for dusting

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat egg yolks, sugar, salt, and water until creamy and thick. Add flour and beat just enough to blend. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Spread evenly in 11-by-16-inch baking pan lined with wax paper. (If you have no large shallow pan, spread cake out on heavy white paper on cookie sheet. It will hold the shape you give it.) Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until it is lightly browned on top and springs back when touched with a finger. Turn it upside down on a sheet of wax paper sprinkled with powdered sugar. Allow to cool before removing baking paper.

When cake is cool, trim ragged edges, spread with filling, and roll up with the aid of the wax paper on the bottom. The cake should be made several hours in advance and kept in a cool place or a refrigerator. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

5 eggs, separated
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup flour
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 Tbsp. sifted confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until thick and smooth. Stir in flour, cocoa and vanilla extract. Blend well. Whip egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold into yolk and flour mixture. Butter a 15 x 8-inch baking pan. Line with baking parchment paper or wax paper. Butter well again, and dust lightly with 2 tablespoons of the confectioners' sugar. Pour batter into the pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn onto a cloth to cool. After 10 minutes peel paper off.

CREMA QUEMADA

3 cup Milk
1 cup Sugar
4 Egg yolks
2 Cinnamon sticks
1 Lemon - peel only
1 1/2 tbsp Butter
3 tbsp Cornstarch

Bring milk to a boil with lemon peel and cinnamon sticks broken in small pieces. Let it boil slowly at least 5 minutes to take on flavor. Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch until light in color
and stiff. Allow milk to cool for 5 minutes. Strain it into egg yolk mixture, blend, and stir frequently while cooking over low heat for 20 minutes or until mixture thickens. Do not allow to boil. Just before removing from fire, add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and stir until melted and blended. Let mixture cool to lukewarm before spreading on cake. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top of filling and put under hot broiler just long enough to caramelize sugar slightly. When sugar bubbles and begins to turn brown, it is done.

The custard filling can be given any flavor you choose. For example, instead of cinnamon, you might use a vanilla bean, a teaspoon of almond extract, or a piece of orange peel.

CREMA BAVARIANA DE MANGO

6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 pkt unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup dark jamaican rum
2 cups crushed fresh mango pulp(about 3 large mangos)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and slightly thick. Heat the half and half until steaming and whisk into the yolks in a thin stream.

2. Cook the mixture in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to resemble heavy cream. Do not allow to boil.

3. While the custard is cooking, sprinkle the gelatin over the rum in a small heat-proof dish. Set the dish in a pan of gently simmering water and stir until the gelatin has completely dissolved, about 4 minutes. When the custard has thickened, stir in the gelatin mixture, being sure to scrape every bit of the gelatin in. Stir constantly for 1 minute.

4. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal mixing bowl. Place the mixing bowl into a slightly larger bowl filled 1/3 of the way with ice water. Stir the mixture until cold and the gelatin is beginning to set and become syrupy. Remove the metal bowl from the ice water.

5. Stir in the mango pulp.

6. Whip the cream until it begins to hold soft peaks. Reserve about 1/2 cup for topping; fold the remainder into the custard.

CREMA PASTELERA AL RON

2 3/4 cups Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
3 Egg yolks
3 tbsp Cornstarch
1/4 cup Dark rum
1 Vanilla bean; cut in pieces
2 tbsp Butter

Put milk, vanilla bean, and rum to cook. Boil slowly at least 5 minutes. Beat sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until creamy and thick. Let milk cool about 5 minutes before straining into egg mixture. Beat constantly as
you add. Cook, stirring frequently, over low flame until it thickens (approximately 20 minutes). Do not let it boil. Just before removing from fire, add butter and stir until melted and blended.

CREMA DE NARANJA

2 cup Milk
2/3 cup Sugar
2 Egg yolks
6 Egg whites
Grated peel of 1 orange
Peel of 1/2 orange

Beat milk, sugar, grated orange peel, egg yolks, and egg whites together until foamy and stiff. Strain into upper part of double boiler. Add peel of half an orange. Cook over hot but not boiling water for 20 minutes,
stirring from time to time to prevent formation of lumps. In 20 minutes or when custard is as thick as a heavy cream sauce. Chill before using.

GUAVA CUSTARD

1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup crushed guava

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, nutmeg and vanilla. heat over medium heat just until bubbles form. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter. Gradually beat in the sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Slowly beat in the scalded milk.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not let boil. Stir in the guava and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Do not let boil. Pour into individual custard cups. Chill, uncovered, before serving.

RUM SYRUP

1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Water
1 tbsp Lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp Jamaica rum

In small, heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from fire. When syrup is lukewarm, add lemon juice and rum.