TORTILLA DESERTS?

Desert Tortillas?

            Travel is supposed to be broadening, and I did not mean it in the sarcastic sense, which refers to the waistline or hips. Rather, we gather new ideas while seeing new places and different people as well as get a new perspective on the familiar. Tortillas have appeared in this column before in a variety of guises, but unexpectedly, this column was not inspired by a trip to Mexico. The unlikely place for my discovery and inspiration for Desert Tortillas was New Brunswick, Canada. 

            Returning from a leisurely fall trip around Nova Scotia, we stopped one night in Moncton and had dinner at the eclectic and unlikely named Montana Cookhouse. I should have known better than to listen to the desert menu after a large and flavorful barbecued beef rib. But, at the mention of a Tortilla Cheesecake, I naturally succumbed to curiosity and ordered one. It was huge, beautifully presented and to my downfall, absolutely delicious.  The simplest description would be: a 10 inch flour tortilla folded over a cheesecake filling in a half moon shape with the sides crimped shut, fried in vegetable oil and drained, placed on a large plate, smothered with caramel sauce and amply topped with whipped cream. Anyone even partially finishing this masterpiece was bound to feel AMPLE.

            Should you be also tempted to reproduce this extravaganza at home, it could be done with a smaller expenditure of calories. The advantage here of course is the ready availability of tortillas, so that a desert that would require the preparation of a very rich crust and careful selection and fitting of a pan, now only requires a smaller amount of the filling.

                                                Moderate Tortilla Cheesecakes

            With an electric mixer beat together 8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, ½ tsp. lemon extract, ½ tsp. vanilla,  2 eggs, 1 Tblsp. cream, 1 Tblsp. flour. Soften in microwave for 15 seconds four 8 inch thin flour tortillas.  Moisten the edges of each tortilla with egg beaten with ½ Tblsp. water and  place ¼ of the cheese mix in the center of each tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half, pressing tightly together the moistened edges. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and with a pastry brush cover the top with the rest of the beaten egg for a glaze. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until the top is brown and the filling is set. Serve warm or cold with a line of  caramel or chocolate sauce across the top. If you want to gild the lily, a small dollop of whipped cream would look pretty.

            Having been inspired by tortilla deserts, the fall apple season beckoned to try a fruit version of this type of desert as an easier variable on pies and strudels.

                                                Tortilla Apple Turnovers

            Peel, core and slice in medium slices 4 large apples. Sautè the apple slices in 2 Tblsp.  butter over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes, turning the apples once with a spatula. Sprinkle with cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar in the last minute on the stove. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, Soften four 8 inch tortillas as above. Spread ¼ of the apple mixture along one side of each tortilla, sprinkle with a few raisins or chopped nuts if desired and roll each tortilla tightly around the filling, securing if necessary with a toothpick. Place on a parchment lined baking pan and baste the top with some cream or ‘half and half’. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with a side of ice cream if desired.

            Good cooks have made various turnovers and filled baked deserts for centuries.  Adding tortillas to the long list of venerable pastries certainly makes a tasty and convenient sense.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)