A Taste of Sunshine

Fresh, tropical flavors season the food of Florida.

Two important components of Florida cuisine are mangoes and Cuban cooking. These recipes bring the real thing right into your kitchen. For more on Florida culture and food, see page 70. SCOTT JONES

MANGO UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 30 MIN., COOK: 8 MIN., BAKE: 35 MIN., COOL: 30 MIN.

2 ripe mangoes, peeled

½ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon dark rum

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

CUT mangoes into 3- to 4-inch-long, 1-inch-wide strips.

MELT ½ cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add mangoes and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or just until mangoes are tender and sugar is melted.

REMOVE mangoes from saucepan using a slotted spoon. Cook sugar mixture, stirring constantly, 3 more minutes or until reduced to a thick syrup. Remove saucepan from heat, and stir in 2 tablespoons rum.

ARRANGE mango slices in a spoke design in a single layer in a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan. Add ½ cup sugar syrup to cover mango slices, reserving remaining syrup.

BEAT 1/3 cup softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon rum, beating until blended. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed until smooth. Carefully spread batter over fruit. (Batter will be very thick.)

BAKE at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and a long wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Invert onto a cake plate; remove pan. Pour reserved sugar syrup evenly over cake. ERIN ALLEN

LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA

BLACK BEAN SOUP

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 20 MIN.; SOAK: 8 HRS.; COOK: 5 HRS., 5 MIN.

1 (16-ounce) package dried black beans

3 quarts water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

½ small onion

¼ small green bell pepper

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Garnish: minced onion

WASH beans, and remove any foreign particles and debris.

SOAK beans in water to cover in a 6-quart stockpot 8 hours. Rinse and drain beans.

BRING beans, 3 quarts water, and bouillon to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 hours. Do not drain.

PROCESS ½ small onion and bell pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

SAUTÉ garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 1 minute. Add onion mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes.

STIR onion-and-garlic mixture into beans. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, 1 ½ to 2 hours or until beans are tender and soup is thick. Garnish, if desired. COLUMBIA RESTAURANT

TAMPA, FLORIDA

COLUMBIA's FLAN

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

PREP: 10 MIN., COOK: 2 MIN., BAKE: 30 MIN., CHILL: 8 HRS.

2/3 cup sugar

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3 large eggs

1 cup evaporated milk ½ cup milk

1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract

COOK sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat 2 minutes, gently shaking skillet until sugar melts and turns a light golden brown. Quickly pour caramelized sugar evenly into 6 (6-ounce) custard cups.

WHISK together condensed milk and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until blended. Pour milk mixture evenly into prepared custard cups. Place cups in a 13- x 9-inch pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of ½ inch. Cover all custard cups with one large piece of aluminum foil.

BAKE at 350° for 30 minutes. (Do not let water boil.)

REMOVE cups from pan to wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill 8 hours or until cold.

UNMOLD custard cups by lightly pressing edges of custard with a spoon to break away from sides of cup; invert onto serving plates. Drizzle caramelized sugar from bottom of cups over top of each custard.

COLUMBIA RESTAURANT

TAMPA, FLORIDA

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mid-Apr 2005
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