We were invited to a neighbor’s “ThanksMas” party recently. Typical Midwest venture. I asked what I could bring and Kelly said “do you have a signature dish?”. Huh… do I? My husband quickly said “make black bean salsa.” One – I hate how time consuming it is to make it because I chop everything by hand; and two – Black bean salsa doesn’t scream Christmas season to me.
I put the question out to our grown children. The oldest and youngest both came back relatively quick. Our daughter said “Quesillo”. Our youngest said “make that Venezuelan Christmas rum custardy thing”. Although it may not sound like it, they were both speaking of the same dessert. While we didn’t hear from our middle child, quesillo was always a favorite so we counted the vote unanimous.
Years ago we lived in Caracas, Venezuela. It was a beautiful country with lovely people. For our life there, it was necessary to have someone to live with us, to help care for the kids, because I was required to travel with my husband on his diplomatic trips.
We had Rosa. A 60ish “Grandma” or “auntie” type from Granada. Although she spoke English, truth be told with her accent it was easier to use Spanish to communicate. One of Rosa’s specialties was a Venezuelan dessert called quesillo. It is a custard (flan) type dessert, baked with whiskey. It’s delicious. Rosa use to make it for us when we entertained, and when she wanted something sweet. Thank goodness she had a sweet tooth as much as the rest of us!
I am fortunate to have Rosa’s recipe written down. Mind you, when I asked her response was, “there are no measurements, senora”. I wrote while she added the ingredients. And you know what? It tasted as good as it looked/smelled. What a treat!
In Caracas, we added Black Label Scotch. Here I added Jameson and, oh boy it was fabulous. I mixed the liquids together. When that was done I added spoonfuls of sugar and water into the baking vessel, and cooked it over a low flame until it was browning. This works as a coating to keep the batter from sticking to the sides and when baked, adds a delicious coating to the top.
The quesillo vessel is put in a water bath to prevent cracking and bake throughout. It baked nearly an hour. I started watching it after 45 minutes or so. Insert a knife or toothpick to check it’s firm inside. Allow it to cool, and place a platter over top, grap hold tightly and flip. It’s absolutely delicious!
Rosa Courtney loved her babies. She took such good care of them all. We arrived with two and came home with three. She never complained. She was our family. She had her own children in Granada and we met a daughter when she came to visit. When we left Caracas for our next duty station in Puerto Rico, it was heartbreaking. Sadly over the years, we lost touch. It’s been 35 years now. I hope she’s at peace in a Godly place.
Empty Nest Full Hearts 