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Ranfañote
Toasted bread dessert in spiced syrup
Ranfañote: Lima's colonial dessert of toasted bread, nuts, coconut and cheese in spiced chancaca syrup
PeruvianMade from leftovers in colonial Lima by Afro-Peruvian cooks, ranfañote is one of the city's oldest sweets and turns up today at criollo food fairs and at old-style dessert stalls in Barrios Altos. Cubes of day-old bread are toasted crisp, then layered with walnuts, coconut, raisins and little cubes of fresh cheese and drenched in a thick chancaca syrup scented with cinnamon, clove and orange peel. The cheese is not a typo: its saltiness cuts the syrup, and the contrast of crunchy bread, chewy fruit and soft cheese is the point. It is eaten warm or at room temperature on its own. The common error is pouring thin syrup over the bread, which drowns it; the syrup should be thick like honey. Queso fresco is generally made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian fresh cheese if you need to. Chef's tip: toast the bread in the oven rather than frying it; it stays crisp longer under the syrup and is less greasy.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz day-old white bread rollscut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 oz buttermelted
- 10 ½ oz chancacaPeruvian chancaca, panela or dark muscovado sugar, chopped
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 4 cloves
- 2 strips orange peelpared without the white pith
- 2 ⅛ oz walnutsroughly chopped
- 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanutsunsalted
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins
- 1 ⅜ oz desiccated coconutor freshly grated
- 3 ½ oz queso frescocut into 1 cm cubes; traditional queso fresco is often made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) fresh cheese or a mild feta-style cheese
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Toss 9 oz day-old white bread rolls with 1 oz butter on a tray and bake, turning once, until golden and crisp all over, 12–15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Meanwhile, put 10 ½ oz chancaca, 1 ¼ cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 2 strips orange peel in a pan and simmer over a medium heat until the chancaca dissolves, then keep boiling until the syrup is thick, glossy and runs off a spoon like honey, 15–20 minutes. Remove the spices and peel.
20 minStep 3: Stir 2 ⅛ oz walnuts, 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanuts and 2 ⅛ oz raisins into the syrup and simmer for 2 minutes, until the raisins plump.
2 minStep 4: Layer the toasted bread in a serving dish with 1 ⅜ oz desiccated coconut and 3 ½ oz queso fresco, then pour the hot syrup and nuts over evenly.
Step 5: Leave for 5 minutes so the bread absorbs some syrup but keeps a little crunch, then serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 510 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ranfañote take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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