"Leche frita" dessert is truly a Spanish classic dessert recipe. With a firm, sweet, cold milk-pudding center encased in a warm and crunchy fried shell of flour and egg, it's sure to transport you back to Spain. This traditional Spanish dessert is easy, but does require refrigerating for at least 3 hours (and preferably overnight) before frying.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Refrigeration: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
•3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
•7 tablespoons all-purpose flour (3 1/2 tablespoons to coat the Leche Frita before frying)
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 quart whole milk
•1 cinnamon stick
•2 eggs
•1/4 cup olive oil
•2 tablespoons butter
•powdered cinnamon
Preparation:
Put the cornstarch, 3 1/2 tablespoons of the flour, and the sugar together in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the milk and mix well with a whisk. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Heat the rest of the milk in a large pan with the cinnamon stick over medium-low heat. When the milk begins to bubble, strain it little by little into the sugar and flour mixture, stirring well. Pour the sugar, flour, and milk mixture back into the saucepan and put it over low heat, again stirring well, for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil an 11 x 7-inch ovenproof glass baking dish with olive oil Pour in the leche frita mixture to a depth of 3/4 inch (use two molds if you have sufficient mixture). Leave to cool in the fridge (overnight if you have time).
Run a knife around the edge of the leche frita to ensure it's not sticking and very quickly turn it out. Cut it into 2 1/2-inch squares. Beat the eggs. Heat olive oil in a frying pan to a depth approaching 1/4 inch over medium heat. Add the butter. Dredge each of the squares in the remaining flour, dip in the beaten egg, and fry in the hot oil for approximately 1 minute on each side, until very lightly golden. Sieve over powdered cinnamon and serve hot.
Preparation Note: Although the author suggests using a 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish, we recommend using a smaller size dish to obtain a depth of 3/4 inch. It is important that the leche frita be at least 3/4-inch thick, or it will be unmanageable when frying/turning.
