Leche Frita Egg Rolls

I really love custard and pudding-type desserts – I don’t have a preference on whether it’s baked or made on the stove top, I grew up eating them and simply love them all…

They make such great desserts, and if you use the right ingredients and make it correctly, you will have something that is so deliciously creamy that you are guaranteed to find yourself making it over and over again. Whether you make it to use as a filling in a cake, a fresh fruit tart or just simply topped with your favorite topping like a caramel or chocolate sauce, it’s a dessert that is quick and easy to make and can be served either warm or cold.

I had a yearning for some custard, but wanted to make something a little different from the norm. I discovered a great little dessert that is well known all over Spain called leche frita which translates into fried milk. Technically it’s not fried milk but rather a fried custard, and I was curious to try this delicious looking dessert. There are many different variations – some use whole eggs, some use egg yolks, and I found one recipe that used no eggs at all. I’d be a little worried that I would end up with glue if I did that, so I quickly tossed that one out of the mix.  Some use just flour as the thickening agent and some use a mixture of both flour and cornstarch. There were so many recipes online and I always prefer to use my own if they are similar to what’s out there. I decided to use my recipe for vanilla pastry cream, and made a few tweaks for the egg rolls AND a few additions to make the more traditional leche frita.  You can follow the step by step directions on the link on how to cook the custard.

Basically, the traditional version cooks the custard on the stovetop until it thickens to remove the floury taste— you cook it like you would a roux, then pour it into a dish and allow it to cool and firm up for several hours, or overnight. Then you cut it into shapes, (either squares or triangles), then they are breaded and fried.

By definition, these would fall into the category of a true comfort food and enjoyed while they are still warm, tossed with some lightly spiced powdered sugar (or granulated sugar) or drizzled with your favorite sauce.

You may choose to make this the traditional way or you might like something a little more unique like the egg rolls…either way, I have provided both recipes for you. I had some large egg roll wrappers that I needed to use up, so I decided to make the custard with just the cornstarch and keep the custard a little creamier since it was going to be more of a filling. Both custards are basically the same way, just the type of thickeners and quantities vary. When the custard is cool it still needs to be firm enough to handle if you are making the egg roll version. I cut long thin rectangles that I used as a filling for the egg roll wrappers.  I wrapped them all in the skins, covered them and let them sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to form a good seal before frying. I also made some smaller triangle, wonton size pieces that I used to serve alongside some fresh fruit ‘salsa’ that included small pieces of fresh fruit, some strawberry sauce, sugar and some Grand Marnier liquer – as you can see below, these were simply delicious…but then again they all were.

Leche Frita Egg Rolls
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cups sugar
8 yolks
4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla pod)

Firstly, measure out the milk and the cream into a large measuring cup, and heat gently (scald) on the stove in a medium sized, heavy bottomed pot. Next separate the yolks and add them to a medium sized bowl, add the sugar and vanilla and whisk these well together. Sift the cornstarch and add it to the yolk mixture, whisking together to make a paste. Slowly add in the heated cream/milk mixture and whisk together again. Place everything back into the same pot and begin to heat gently again, continually whisking to prevent lumps. You will see the mixture start to thicken but continue whisking and continually smooth out the thickened parts of the custard. Once it has thickened, pour into a lightly greased (and wiped) 9”x9” glass dish. Immediately cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and allow it to cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. When ready, cut the custard into long pieces to fit the egg roll wrappers.

Place the egg roll wrapper on your counter and coat the edges with water. Lift out the custard and place it in the center of the dough. Lift the dough closest to you over the custard, then fold in the edges and roll the rest of the way.

Repeat with the rest of the custard, and place each piece onto a parchment lined pan. When all the egg rolls are ready cover and refrigerate them for at least an hour.

When ready to fry, heat about 2” of oil in a large pot of oil. These will cook quickly because the dough is thin, and should take no more than about a minute or so, until both sides are nicely golden. Remove onto a paper lined plate, dust or drizzle with your favorite coating or topping and serve warm.

Traditional Leche Frita (makes about 12 pieces)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cups sugar
8 yolks
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla pod)

Breading:
1 egg
¼ cup cold water
½ cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs

Firstly, measure out the milk and the cream into a large measuring cup, and add 1 cup of this mixture to a small microwave safe container and heat on high, remove from the microwave and add 1 stick of cinnamon and the rind of a small lemon. Allow this to steep (covered) for a few minutes, then remove the rind and the cinnamon stick when ready to use. Next, separate the yolks and add them to a medium sized bowl, add the sugar and vanilla and whisk these well together. Sift the cornstarch and the flour together in a bowl, and add half of this quantity to the egg yolk mixture and whisk together to make a paste. Slowly add in 1 cup of the remaining cream/milk mixture and whisk again. Then add the rest of the flour mixture and whisk again. Then add the 2^nd cup of cream milk mixture and whisk again. Lastly, add the other cup of warm steeped milk and whisk it all together, making sure here are no lumps.

Place all of this combined mixture into a heavy bottomed pot and begin to heat gently, continually whisking to prevent lumps. You will see the mixture start to thicken but continue whisking and continually smooth out the thickened parts of the custard. Heat this for a few minutes to really cook out the flour until no more liquid is visible. Pour this out into a lightly greased (and wiped) 9”x9” glass dish. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and allow to cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. When ready to fry, cut into squares or diamonds. Add the egg and the cold water together in a bowl and whisk together. Also add the flour and the bread crumbs onto separate plates. Flour each piece of custard, then add it to the egg wash, then to bread crumbs and fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove onto a paper lined tray and dust with sugar or drizzle with your favorite topping.