Larger images on my Flickr page.
So I may have mentioned that I was really excited about Fany Gerson's My Sweet Mexico. So excited, in fact, that I used the first opportunity that arose to try one of its recipes. The occasion? A friend's birthday. The recipe? Dulces de frijol.
I know what you're thinking. Bean candy? WTF is that? Well guess what, I'd never heard of it either. It was the first recipe in her chapter on heirloom sweets, and it just so happened that I had most of the ingredients on hand to make it. So, I rolled with it.
Oh, did I mention that I've never actually made candy before? Yeah, I haven't. Sometimes I like to just shoot from the hip.
I won't go into a whole lot of detail because the book is fantastic and you should get it...but here's the gist. This recipe fairly simple. Cook 1 cup of pinto or red kidney beans in cinnamon, then let cool and puree. Make a syrup of equal parts fresh squeezed orange juice (I used blood oranges) and sugar, along with orange zest. Cook the pinto beans in the syrup until all of the liquid is gone. Stir in currants or raisins (I used currants). Once cool enough to handle, roll the candy in a mix of cinnamon and sugar.
The flavor was very interesting, prodominantly orange and cinnamon, and reminiscent of the traditional Mexican candies I'd had in the past. The earthiness of the beans was very subdued. My guess is, if you tasted one, you wouldn't guess that they were made of beans. They looked a bit rustic, but a little packaging helped that:
On deck for this week is Pastel de Tres Leches... for my birthday! Yes, I'm baking my own cake. Who cares? If there's an excuse to make dessert, I will.
