In Guatemala there are many dishes that are traditionally made for the Día de los Muertos celebrations, one of my favorite is the molletes. Very different from the Mexican molletes, Guatemalan molletes are similar to French toast. They are stuffed with custard and accompanied with syrup made with panela or raw sugar and rum. However, you can leave the rum out for a kid-friendly version. Molletes and torrejas are sometimes used interchangeably but they are different dishes as the torrejas are not stuffed.

For my family, as well as for many other Latino families living in the United States, sharing traditional dishes like the molletes truly brings us together and makes us feel closer not only to our country, Guatemala, but also to our family there.  When I remember my family or think about my country, one of the first things that come to mind is food, because food is not only tied to traditions but also to memories, to family, to culture and to your own identity.  I am hopeful that food will help me keep my culture alive in my children and will preserve our beautiful traditions like remembering our loved ones that have passed away.

I had never made molletes or torrejas until I moved to the United States and I was really surprised at how easy they where to make, even though they do take a little time.  As all the family was gathered together in the kitchen making them I told my kids stories of my grandmother who passed away and how her molletes where so delicious.  We talked about traditions in Guatemala and about our family there. The kids loved hearing all about Guatemala, about their great grandparents and enjoyed helping out and eating all the manjar that was left over

Ingredients for Molletes

• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 10 small molletes (lard or sweet bread rolls, you can find them in Latino food stores)
• 2 cups of vegetable oil
• ¼ cup raisins
• red sugar for garnish

Ingredients for Custard or Manjar

• 2 ¼ cups of whole milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for Syrup

• 2 cup panela or raw sugar
• 3 cups of water
• ½ cup rum
• zest from one lime
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• 3 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• raisins

Directions        

• In a sauce pan over medium heat bring 2 cups of milk, sugar, cinnamon and salt to a boil.
• While milk is heating up mix together cornstarch and ¼ cup cold milk in a bowl.
• Once milk has reached the boiling point reduce heat.
• Take ½ cup of the hot milk and add to the cornstarch, mixing well.
• Pour cornstarch and milk mix back into saucepan and heat stirring constantly until custard thickens.
• Remove from heat and add vanilla mixing well.
• Let cool.
• To make the syrup place the panela or raw sugar, water, lime zest, allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick and rum in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat.
• While the syrup is heating up cut off the top of each of the molletes (rolls).
• Remove some of the bread creating a cavity in the center of each mollete.
• Place 3-4 raisins inside each mollete .
• Fill with custard and place the lid on, pressing lightly to close it .
• Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Add the yolks, flour and sugar and beat for 2 more minutes.
• Heat up the oil in a large pan.
• Dip the stuffed molletes into the egg mixture and carefully place in hot oil.
• Fry for a minute or less on each side until golden.
• Remove from pan and place on a colander, place colander over sink and pour boiling water over them.
• Pat them dry to remove excess water.
• Place the molletes in the syrup and cook over low heat until they are soft.
• Serve warm or cold.

This time around we want to share some of our favorite cookbooks by some of our favorite blogueras ! These books are filled with delicious traditional recipes. Check out the books below and learn a little about the authors and blogueras behind these books.

The Everything Peruvian Cookbook

Most SpanglishBaby readers are already familiar with Morena Cuadra and Morena Escardo, the mother-daughter team behind the blog Peru Delights. “The Everything Peruvian Cookbook” includes 300 vibrant flavorful recipes from one of the most delicious cuisines in the world! The book is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Aunt Clara’s Dominican Cookbook 

“Aunt Clara’s Dominican Cookbook” was written by Clara Gonzales of the Dominican Cooking Blog . Clara started her blog in 2001 and published her book in 2005. This is the second edition of her book and it includes 100 tasty and traditional Dominican recipes. You can purchase it here.

Delicious El Salvador

Alicia Maher is the author behind the “Delicious El Salvador” cookbook and Delicious El Salvador blog. You can also find some of her delicious recipes here on SpanglishBaby.  Alicia wanted to preserve the recipes that were passed down to her by her family. Her book includes 75 recipes and is available for purchase here.

Muy Bueno Cookbook

“Muy Bueno Cookbook” and the Muy Bueno blog is the collaboration between three generations of women. Together they created this beutiful book which features over 100 recipes and three generations of authentic Mexican dishes. You will find traditional northern Mexican recipes from Jesusita, south of the border dishes from Evangelina, and Latin fusion recipes from Yvette and Veronica. All are tied together with stunning images and stories. You can order the book here.

Tortillas To The Rescue Cookbook 

Jessica Harlan’s passion for cooking led to her writing  the Tortillas To The Rescue Cookbook. You’ll be surprised at the creativity behind this book because Jessica goes beyond traditional recipes with tortillas. In the book you can find 150 quick recipes with tortillas that even cover dessert ! You can purchase the book here.

This week we are featuring four delicious recipes that our niños will surely enjoy helping out with and will also enjoy eating. Explore the anatomy of homemade granola, the flavors of salmon tacos with an avocado-cilantro cream, put together endive spears, and last but definitely not least check out a simple recipe for sweet tamales!

The Anatomy of Homemade Granola

Vanessa of De Su Mama decided that instead of creating a step-by-step of how she made her granola she would document what goes into granola and let everyone work with what they like best. In her post Vanessa not only describes what usually goes into making granola but also gives us tips and descriptions for what works best. Then, it’s up to you and your niños to decide what will go in it!

Salmon Tacos

Brenda of Antsy Hands recalls her childhood days of no-meat Fridays during Lent for her Salmon Tacos recipe. With just a few simple ingredients you can share these zesty tacos with your family. Check out the salmon tacos with avocado-cilantro cream recipe  here.

Sweet & Savory Endive Spears

To celebrate the arrival of spring Ericka of Nibbles & Feasts prepared these yummy looking endive spears. What’s great about this recipe is that it only took her half an hour to prepare and it only requires six ingredients! The end result looks delicious. Share these with friends and family as appetizers or feature them for dinner.

Simple, Kid-Friendly, Sweet Tamales

Many of us have heard about sweet tamales but haven’t dared try to make them yet. If you are feeling adventurous, Veronica of Muy Bueno created this simple and kid-friendly recipe for sweet tamales. The preparation time for these tamales is considerably less than it would be for traditional tamales. This recipe is lots of fun for little ones to get involved. Check out the full recipe here.