White Milk Candy Sticks (Canillitas) from Antigua Guatemala, July 25, Fiesta Santiago

Massive stone walls that are semi destroyed, and run over with vines and grass, welcome visitors in Antigua. Spacious buildings with Spanish colonial architecture, boast harmonious arches. Tall churches and peaceful cloisters that used to be inhabited by Catholic nuns are sprinkled throughout the venerated city. Many of these nuns must have brought or concocted the recipes for candy that is still sold today.

"What would you like me to bring back from Antigua Guatemala? "Canillitas (Milk Candy).." is always the reply I get or make. The white version of these candies are probably one of the most popular souvenirs, and are quite different from the brown-colored dulce de leche that is available around much of Latin America. One of the most famous candy stores that sells these sugary candies that melt in your mouth is called Dona Maria Gordillo, and most of the stores are family-owned, and use recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next.

Santiago Festivities in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

Canillitas are sold for special occasions, such as religious festivities (such as Easter) or in fairs, or in certain towns such as Antigua Guatemala or Sololá. One of Antigua Guatemala's festivities is on July 25th, when it celebrates the Fiesta de Santiago, its patron saint. The old city of Guatemala, protected by UNESCO since 1979, was named Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, (Santiago of the Knights of Guatemala) not Antigua Guatemala, its current nickname. It was founded in 1524, but had to be rebuilt for a third time in 1566, after two catastrophes. It was the capital of Central America, but its glory ended when two strong earthquakes destroyed it on July 29, 1773. Hence its current name, Old Guatemala. The capital city was thus rebuilt in its current location, which lies 40 km away. 

ABOUT MAKING THE CANDY

The dough is molded into different shapes. The candymakers in Guatemala use ceramic molds to make small roses and angels and leaves, as you can see from the picture above. I used Guatemalan ceramic molds to make most, and made the larger rose by hand. This method for making the candy is clearly not the original recipe used more than a hundred years ago. Nonetheless, it gives similar results.

Coming up Next
Santiago Tart, from the Spanish region of Galicia
Thai Mango Sticky Rice
Philippine Mango Float
Salvadorean Pastelillos de Leche

References

http://servicios.prensalibre.com/pl/domingo/archivo/domingo/pdfs/do100803.pdf
Free Online Guatemalan magazine edition about Antigua: http://www.grupoquepasa.com/es/editors-blog/dulces/
http://www.trivago.es/antigua-guatemala-84075/curiosidades
http://www.viajeaguatemala.com/especiales/antiguaguatemala/historiadelaantigua.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_Guatemala

Natillas, to celebrate yesterday's Spanish Eurocup win!

As I walked on a straight path through small maze-like gardens, I wondered what mysteries I would discover behind the strong, 900-year-old stone wall. 

Natillas, a Spanish dessert similar to English custard

The halls, which surrounded a courtyard, were fit for pacing underneath gothic arches that adorned the ceiling like morning glories. This is the type of place where natillas, a custard-like Spanish dessert, came from. Nuns preferred natillas because they were inexpensive but at the same time wholesome and nutritious. 

This Spanish cloister is located in North Miami. A few decades ago, it was purchased by the Hearst family and it was shipped to Florida, where it was reassembled, piece by piece, like a numbered puzzle. 

If you burn sugar on top, you get catalan cream!

 Natillas were brought from Spain to Latin America, where they are enjoyed in countries such as Colombia (where the ingredients were tweaked a bit), Cuba, Mexico, among others. Cubans took this treat with them to Miami, where I tasted natillas for the first time at a Cuban restaurant in North Miami Beach. 

Natillas were taken by the Spaniards to Latin America

Recipe
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
100 grams granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
zest of half a lemon
cinnamon stick
raspberry sauce
blueberries and cranberries
vanilla wafers (optional)

Heat the milk, lime zest, and cinnamon stick. Whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together. When the milk boils, pour it through a sieve into the yolk mixture, then pour it back into the pot. Cook until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Place in a metal bowl and stir over cold/ice water until it's at room temperature. Place the custard in a dish and cover it with saran wrap and set in the fridge. Adorn it with blueberries, cranberries, a fruit coulis, and even vanilla wafers.

Raspberry Sauce (Coulis)
1 cup raspberries
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Cook the raspberries and sugar, stirring, in a pot, on low-medium heat, until the mix thickens and turns into a sauce.

References
http://www.spanishmonastery.com/
http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/pudding/spanish-mango-natilla-natilla-de-mango-espanola.html
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natillas
http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/pudding/spanish-mango-natilla-natilla-de-mango-espanola.html
http://www.cubasolar.cu/biblioteca/energia/Energia41/HTML/Articulo09.htm
http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/index.html