There is a sweet scene in Mango, Mambo, and Murder between Miriam and her four year old son, Manny. Miriam, the main character in my Caribbean Kitchen mystery series, is a food anthropologist and many of her recipes come with a cultural story. Such is the case in the scene with her son. She is telling him about the first time she had panqueques away from home. Miriam’s mother always served the family pancakes with ripe mango and or caramelized mango instead of the traditional American maple syrup. So, when 12 year old Miriam saw peaches in heavy syrup at a breakfast buffet she thought they were mini-mangoes! Much to her surprise the taste was not the same.
This is a Cuban-American pastelito spin on panqueques.
Guava & Cream Cheese Pancakes
Use the pancake mix of your choice. Add a splash of orange extract and /or orange zest.
Cut the COLD guava paste and cream cheese into small cubes. OR chill in the freezer for an hour and then grate the two ingredients.
Pour batter onto hot buttery griddle then sprinkle the guava and cream cheese bits into it.
Flip the pancake as you normally would when the edges go golden and toasty. Make sure the pan is well buttered before you flip as the cream cheese and guava will stick if you aren’t paying attention.
I don’t think these pancakes need syrup but if you do, try this.
In a small pot melt a tab of butter, a tab of guava paste, and a spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate. Stir over low to medium heat until blended. Delicioso
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