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Quesillo con miel de caña
Fresh cheese with cane syrup
Quesillo con miel de caña: Tucumán's fresh stretched cheese sheets with dark sugarcane syrup
In the Tafí del Valle hills above San Miguel de Tucumán, quesillo is made by stretching hot curd into long, thin, elastic sheets and folding them into flat rounds; along the road up from the city, stalls sell it beside jars of miel de caña, the dark syrup boiled from the juice of Tucumán's sugarcane. Put the two together and you have the province's simplest dessert: mild, milky, slightly squeaky cheese with a pour of syrup that tastes of molasses and caramel, plus walnuts for crunch. It is eaten after lunch or as a merienda with mate. Drowning the cheese is the usual misstep; the syrup is intense, so pour a ribbon, not a puddle. Real quesillo is hard to find abroad: fresh mozzarella, Oaxaca cheese or another fresh stretched-curd cheese is closest, and light cane syrup or a 2:1 mix of golden syrup and black treacle stands in for miel de caña. Most of these cheeses use animal rennet; choose a vegetarian one if needed. Chef's tip: warm the syrup slightly so it runs into the folds of the cheese.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz quesillo or fresh stretched-curd cheeseor fresh mozzarella or Oaxaca cheese; traditionally made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) cheese
- ¼ cup miel de caña (sugarcane syrup)or light cane syrup
- 1 ⅜ oz walnut halves (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Take 14 oz quesillo or fresh stretched-curd cheese out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving so it is cool but not cold. Pat it dry.
Step 2: Unroll or cut the cheese into thick strips or squares and arrange them on 4 plates.
Step 3: Warm ¼ cup miel de caña (sugarcane syrup) in a small pan over a low heat until it runs freely but is not hot.
2 minStep 4: Spoon a ribbon of syrup over each portion, scatter with walnuts if using, and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does quesillo con miel de caña take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 8 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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