The 'Napolean tres leches' dessert cake is one of the most popular desserts in the world, for its creaminess and smooth flavour. In addition, it is very easy and quick to prepare, so in a short time, we can have a truly spectacular homemade dessert ready. In Colombia we use Ducales Craker for the layers of this dessert, these Crakers add a unique and incredible flavour that we all Colombians know. In this occasion, one of our customers shared to us a recipe to learn how to prepare this delicious dessert at home with Ducales Crakers, simple, delicious and very creamy. INGREDIENTS: Ducales crackers (1/2 package approx) 1 can cream 1 can condensed milk 3 tablespoons Maizena (cornstarch or corn flour as substitute) 3 cups milk 1 egg yolk PREPARATION: 1) Blend all ingredients except the crackers. 2) Take everything to low heat until it has a creamy consistency. 3) Take it out of the heat and leave it to stay until it’s not too cold or too hot, just warm. 4) In a container put a layer of crackers in the base, then use the creamy mix as a second layer to cover the crackers. Keep doing layers of crackers and creamy mix, until you finish in a creamy layer. Then use crushed crackers to decorate the dessert. 5) Take to the fridge overnight to end up with a nice consistency. That's it! nice and easy mate! Enjoy! Read more cooking ideas, info and histories of Colombians in NZ in our Blog: https://www.latiendacolombiana.co.nz/blog Special Thanks to Carolina Campillo, Colombian living in Auckland who wanted to share her cooking recipe with us. Cheers!

The “Arepa de Choclo or Chocolo”, also known as cachapa, chorreada, jojoto corn, or sweet corn tortilla, is a delicious traditional dish in Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Ecuador. Its preparation is similar to a pancake, or a common arepa, except that it is not made with wheat flour, but with sweet corn. We have imported to New Zealand the sweet cornflour mix ready here. It is usually accompanied with peasant cheese or curd They are a delight in every way and perfect for breakfast with scrumble eggs and hot chocolate, or also as a small snack at any time of the day. Specifically in Colombia, the sweet arepa is more common in departments of the country such as Antioquia, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Valle del Cauca and Santander, as well as in the Llanos Orientales. For many, this type of arepa is the favourite among all, due to its ideal contrast between sweet and salty. A bit of history The preparation of this type of arepas has its origins since before the conquest of the Spanish in America, since the native Indians used to knead the tender grains of the cob or corn, then putting them on fire, until creating this dough. Over the years, this food was increasing its popularity, until it became known to all Colombians and the same in other countries in the region. Recipe and Preparation (Servings: 8-10) INGREDIENTS: 1 cup P.A.N. Sweet Corn Mix 1 cup water ¼ cup milk Vegetable oil or butter to grease the pan 1 egg Cheese (Mozarella works well) PREPARATION: Add P.A.N. Sweet Corn Mix along with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix using a whisk or fork until homogeneous. Let the batter rest for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you desire a harder consistency, add an additional tablespoon of P.A.N. Sweet Corn Mix. If you prefer a lighter consistency, add an additional tablespoon of water or milk to the original recipe. Preheat a grill or pan and grease with vegetable oil or butter. Stir. Pour a portion of the mixture using a ladle and spread forming a disc. Cook for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from heat. Grease the grill or pan with paper towels before cooking each additional serving. Serve with butter, cheese, ham, syrup, or any other side of your choice. TIPS: In this type of arepa, it is ideal to get a wet dough, you are not supposed to knead the dry dough like a regular arepa, so it is ok if the mix is not dry. Try doing it without water, replace that amount with milk. It is easier if you cook the arepas individually in a small pan Similar to Pancakes size We have here in New Zealand Sweet Corn Mix P.A.N. It is made with the best cobs and allows you to cook the typical sweet arepas recipes. This product is the ideal one to prepare typical recipes of sweet corn, cornbread, sweet rolls, sweet corn croquettes, cachapas and many others. Thanks for reading! Latino Foods

Empanada is a popular snack in Colombia and it is served by most Colombian restaurants and Latin American Restaurants in New Zealand. Many countries in Latin America have different versions of the 'Empanada'. Today, we will share with you a traditional recipe of the Colombian Empanada with this Empanada flour: Ingredients: 1 cup Mezcla lista para empanada su sabor flour 2 ¾ cups of water ½ cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped tomato ½ cup cubed potatoes 1 Garlic clove Oil 1 Lemon 1/2 teaspoon cumin Salt and Pepper to taste Meat (pork, chicken or beef) See video of how to make Colombian Empanadas below: Directions: Step 1 – The filling Meat (pork, chicken or beef) – simmer meat until very tender when pierced with a fork, about an hour. Place cubed potatoes in medium pot with 2 cups of water and add a hint of salt; add enough cold water to cover potatoes completely. Place pot over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside. Put in a panfry a teaspoon of oil with ½ cup of chopped onion, ½ cup of chopped tomato, 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic, ½ cup of cubed potatoes. Add pepper, cumin and salt to taste and stirring, until cook for about 10 minutes. Transfer all the filling ingredients to large pot and mash all the ingredients until you get a consistent mix. Step 2 - For the dough Add Empanada flour to medium bowl and pour in ¾ cup of water, ¼ cup of oil, lemon to taste, salt and pepper. Using hands, knead dough until soft and smooth. Form dough into large ball. Divide dough into portions about the size of a golf ball. Use a piece of plastic to put on the bench to assemble the empanadas, place the ball between the plastic wrap, cover the ball with it and use a rolling pin to press the ball into 4" diameter circle. Remove top plastic and add 2 tsp of the filling in the centre of the dough. Fold dough in half to form half-moon shape; cover again with the plastic. Seal edges by pressing with fingers. Or, using open side of drinking glass/cup, press firmly on edges of dough to seal (remove any overhanging scraps of dough). Repeat with remaining dough and filling to make your empanadas. Strep 3 - We are almost there, now is time to fry our empanadas! Heat 2 cups of oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat until oil registers 350°F on deep-fry thermometer. Alternately, to test the temperature of the oil place a small ball in the oil, if this floats it means that the temperature is right, and you can start frying the empanadas. Fry empanadas in batches until their colour change from pale yellow to golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Transfer empanadas to paper towels to drain. Your Colombian Empanadas are Ready! You can buy Doñarepa Yellow Corn flour here: https://www.latinofoods.co.nz/product-page/do%C3%B1arepa-yellow-corn-flour-harina-de-ma%C3%ADz-amarillo-1kg Thanks for Reading! Latino Foods Team