Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban: 100 Great Recipes for Cuban Entertaining by Glenn Lindgren, Jorge Castillo, Raul Musibay

From the Publisher

They're baaack! Yes, those three crazy guys from Miami are back once again to celebrate the joy of cooking great Cuban food.

In this companion to their immensely popular first book, Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban, the Guys have created a fun and entertaining guide that will keep you cooking and laughing in the kitchen for years to come.

Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban will show you how to easily prepare some classic, and some not-so-classic Cuban dishes-all re-interpreted in the Miami style. The Guys make cooking fun with recipes for delectable desserts, amazing appetizers, savory soups, scintillating side dishes, great grill recipes, and some main dishes that will literally knock your socks off. (Quite literally! In fact, we recommend that you run out right now and buy some extra socks!)

The recipes in this book are the result of more than 20 years of great Three Guys from Miami parties. You'll find recipes that are suitable for everything from a family dinner, to a small dinner party, to a huge feast for everyone in your social circle.

Publishers Weekly

Actually, it's two guys from Miami and a Minnesotan who just winters there (Lindgren). The semi-wild and mildly crazy trio are back with their second effort (after Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban). It features 100 new party-friendly creations and page upon page of less than stimulating banter laid out as marginalia opposite each recipe ("Milk has always been thought to provide some comfort for an upset stomach"). Still, it's hard to dislike a cookbook that puts the desserts at the beginning. Cake de Cuba Libre is the most effervescent of the batch, with rum and Coca-Cola in both the batter and the accompanying sauce. Standouts among the various soups and main dishes include Sweet Plantain Soup, Cuban Wedding Shrimp in a sauce of rum and orange juice, and traditional pork chops with plenty of garlic. The authors are willing to Cubanize at will; there is Cuban Style Lobster (with Chorizo), Cuban Stuffed Turkey (with a rice and bean stuffing) and Cuban Baby Back Ribs (with Guava Sauce). The many full-page color photos make all the recipes look mouth-watering; less appetizing are the shots of the Three Guys in loud shirts or staggering down a beach. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In this equally lively follow-up to their first book, Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban, Lindgren and his Cuban brothers-in-law, Ra l Musibay and Jorge Castillo, offer a guide to entertaining Cuban style. They note that "every Cuban knows that you can create a party with five foods: roast pork, black beans, white rice, fried plantains, and yuca with oil and garlic," and they present recipes for these classics and many more. Head notes, written more or less as an ongoing conversation among the three, show that their shared corny sense of humor remains intact. They also provide background and other relevant information on selected Cuban holidays and celebratory events. Along with numerous color photographs of the food and various Miami scenes, there are a glossary of ingredients and a source guide. Recommended for most collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt

Merenguitos-Meringues

Jorge: A merenguito or meringue is just a mixture of beaten egg whites whipped with sugar.

Raul: So why do they taste so good?

Glenn: That, Raul, will forever remain a mystery. People in Miami eat thousands of these little white morsels every day.
You see them displayed at the checkout line in every supermarket.

Jorge: Never try to make merenguitos on a rainy day.

Glenn: Just a bit of humidity in the air can really make a mess of the whole project.

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon anise extract (optional)

Baking parchment, sprayed lightly with cooking spray

1. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites at high speed in a large bowl with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Stop beating.

2. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. With a candy thermometer, bring the liquid to the soft ball stage: 238 degrees F.

3. Set mixer on medium speed and pour the hot syrup into the egg whites in a slow, steady stream. Beat until mixture is completely cool and shiny-about 6 to 8 minutes. OPTION: add anise extract to the mixture about halfway through the beating.

4. Spoon out by tablespoons onto your baking parchment. Add an artful swirl or other design. Be creative! Leave plenty of space between the meringues.

5. Bake meringues at 180 degrees F to 200 degrees F for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Oven temperatures may vary, so start with the lower setting if possible.) The meringues should be dry and crispy, but notbrown.

NOTE: Whenever you work with eggs there is a risk, no matter how slight, of salmonella contamination. You may want to use pasteurized eggs in this recipe to reduce this risk.

Serves: Makes about a 12 merenguitos