December 13th, 2007
Yucca and Flan: A Moral Dilemma
Recipes are the new gold. family’s assign custodian’s to them, friends camouflage them, while some would have them enshrined with them when oblivion descends, allowing the legend of the Apple and Walnut Bundt cake to live on only in memory, and legend.
The Cuban fragment of my extended family is in possession of two recipes I covet, recipes they guard with their lives.
Popi, prepares a yucca combination of the most mouth watering variety, the best I’ve ever come across, and I eat a lot of yucca. Di makes a flan to die for, and it appears I must be almost dead to ever get a chance of peaking at the words which when combined produce such a delightful tongue party.
Neither Di or Popi are inclined to give out the secret recipe. Each claiming ownership of the recipe for their culinary masterpiece.
Popi’s recipe always belonged to him, a family recipe he brought over from Cuba, one of the few things he took when fleeing the revolution. The flan recipe belonged to his wife, and now his daughter Di.
Popi tells me he will prepare the Yucca combination, transporting it to me whenever I desire, even Christmas Day or Eve. He will drive the forty eight or so miles from his home and deliver it, (as long as it’s before he heads to Miami for the winter - he won’t go that far even for me) but he will not give out the recipe. He says it’s because he likes to see me and give me a hug, he always was an old flirt. I know secretly he likes ownership of this delight because everyone loves it, even those who don’t usually eat anything but Krispy Kremes revel in the mouth watering divinity of this dish.
Di as well will prepare me a flan and deliver it to me with the obligatory kiss on the check the family always dispenses. I’ve had many flans, this one is always better believe me, there is just something more to it.
Di and Popi possess both recipes claiming ownership only to one each.The truth be told, neither Di nor Popi care one way or another about the recipe the other holds dear, both willing to give the classified recipe of the other away. Popi said he’d give me the recipe for the Flan and Di will hand over the yucca recipe in a split second if I request her to do so.
While the evil recipe warlock tugs at my head, the angle of virtue taps on my soul.
As much as I crave those recipes, there is something venal in obtaining them in that manner.
Looks like both my Yucca and Flan will be delivered this year.
What a delightful post! I’ve never eaten yucca :)
I guard my recipes like a gargoyle, but they’re all baked items mostly so no one’s really clamoring for them.
The Starbuck’s Secret Santa thing (cleverly named secret barista) is going on right now and quite a few people are actually asking each other to just give them family recipes instead the of the otherwise priceless $5 to $10 gift designated.
Are you saying that if you held a secret recipe you wouldn’t guard it with your life?
Having worked in restaurants, every summer for the last four years, believe me there are some secrets worth keeping. Makes the recipe more valuable.
From the standpoint of tradition, I think it’s fun. My uncle has a secret fudge recipe he has never given out, but ever y holiday everyone gets a box of his homemade fudge. We wait for it like pets waiting for a late feeding.
I was going to a lecture a month or so ago and hadn’t eaten all day. Was looking for a non chain restaurant and walked into a tiny tiny Spanish storefront that looked interesting
Had no food food left–but I stared at the flan and knew it would be memorable–it was. Though I’m sure not as good as Di’s.
I love yucca
The only present I know I’m getting is a giant batch of Coquito. The recipe is supposed to be secret but after my friend made the first batch, she drank so…
I don’t use recipes, but it seems to me that this is the perfect setting for an O’Henry short story so don’t feel guilty about tempting Di and Popi to sell each other out. You’re just performing your literatary function.
We have yucca plants here ….but I haven’t heard of the edible Yucca….
hand me down recipes….always turn out better when cooked by the original recipe owner :)
Yeah, when I heard “yucca” I thought first of the genus Yucca, deserts plants pollinated by moths that also eat the seeds (the classic ecologist’s example of Hobson’s choice) - and about as edible as tanned leather. I wondered if this site was turning into Cooper’s Xtreme Vegan Adventure.
I had to dig around for awhile before I realized you meant “yucca = yuca = cassava, Manihot esculenta. Something with “tasty” (esculenta) built right into the scientific name I reckon would be safe to eat.
Though perhaps a scientist’s taste is not always to be trusted. Which is why I can’t give away any of my recipes. Be warned … in case of curmudgeonly meetings in March.
Can’t we all just share the love? Reminds me of the person we have all worked with that refused to train us fully because if we could do everything they could, they would no longer feel unique. Crack open those recipe stashes and find some apprentices I say!
How timely! My granny holds many of our family’s secret recipes and she will not give them up at all…says that we can have them when we put her in the ground…
My question is: how will we get them? They are all in her head…unless she has them secretly written down somewhere and no one, not one of us knows where they are…
Oh well…
recipes are intended to be treasured, but not necessarily meant to be treated as state secrets. nor is the obama bollywood youtube video I posted on my site (because I am such a dweeb that I can’t figure out how to get it in here; probably a recipe for disaster anyways).
My Southern relatives by marriage used to request a recipe every year. I got tired of copying them out of my husband’s Betty Crocker (inherited from his gram), so one year I sent a real one. It’s my famous guacamole recipe. Only I took some creative license with it, comparing the avocado to a woman’s succulent flesh, and a few other extraneous details I won’t include here. I thought it was creative. Shot it off via email to Sundry Southern Republicans.
The relatives have never asked me to share again.
Cooper,
How marvelous that you have the life you have. It wouldn’t be that way if you weren’t who you are.
Enjoy the treats, not just the food, which your family gives you and treasure them as they treasure the gifts you give to them- as giving is so much better than receiving.
And you wonder why the whole blogging world adores you.
May you and yours have the most special Holiday Season.
Ciao.
Cooper…I was looking in the wrong place (silly me)
“Yucca and Flan”…that post, never heard anyone make the taste of food so good..
I so wish I had threaded comments. That may be my goal for the weekend. Find some threaded comment plugin which works.
Leena: Thanks. I eat it as often as I can though I have to go to a special market to get it. I don’t think all yucca is edible but the edible yucca when prepared correctly is wonderful.
mojo: You would be a recipe guarder mojo. I would think baked items to be popular.
Jake: I’m not sure really. I have a few recipes non of which were guarded or secret so I can’t honestly say. I may have to make a secret recipe though because I am feeling left out.
G: ha ha, fudge sound good.
Pia: I so wish popi and Di drank but alas, wine with dinner and that is all for them…
Doug: Always making me feel better about my inner Baby Jane.
laketree: This is probably the case hre as well so maybe it’s best I just let them make me the treats.
OC: Yes, that is it it may be yuca…cooked with garlic and other things which no one will tell me about.
Dave: I so wish but not this year I guess.
I actually just found a recipe for a “yucca salad flan” - I may try.
SK: I’ll have to walk over and take a look.
sandra: I only wish recipe were usually that entertaining.
Adrian: People get lost here at first..eventually they find their way.. I’m glad you made it.
Tonight we are using a secret pizza recipe belonging to my girlfriend’s family.
I’m not supposed to be around to see the ingredients., but I had to go to the supermarket and purchase the ingredients so there went that secret.
I wouldn’t eat anything with a name like yucca, it sounds like a bug.
I’d like the Apple Walnut Cake. Forget the Flan and the Yuca preperation.
Walnut Apple - sound so good.
Everyoen has to have some secrets.
Oh my Gosh! I was trying to think of this amazing Philipines Recipe + Cassava is it! I never would have remembered it in a Million Years! Truly one of thee most mouthwatering desserts i’ve ever tasted* ;)) Thank U!!
Another fave from my Argentinian friends is Dulce du Leche? Pure Heaven!
I spotted a Blogger mmmarete who has her Tiramisu Recipe up*
Now i’m Hungry*
;))