[Ninja Baker] The Peace that Surpasses Chocolate – Argentine Tango!

[Ninja Baker]

Makela Brizuela and Javier Rochwarger

Muscles stretching into Tango moves allow meditative moments as the mind expands and encompasses the stillness required to communicate. The leader’s directions are decisive and clear. So as not to miss a move, the follower listens with every fiber of her/his being.  (In the age of political correctness, instead of men and ladies, we have leaders and followers.) Milongueros – dancers whose lives revolve around Tango - swear that with practice, the state of satori is prolonged. (Guess I need a little more practice.) Argentine Tango is the West’s – peaceful challenge to Tai Chi.  

Vladimir Estrin and The Dark Lady (from Shakespeare's sonnets)

Read my article on page six of El Firulete if you are keen to learn more about enlightening Tango. 

(P.s. The article is in English. El firulete means flourish – a term – which often comes to life on the Tango floor.)

Ironically the dance originated with the gauchos, the cowboys of the South American plains. (Not exactly the picture of a yogurt-eating, yoga devotee.) Lonely for female company, the Argentine cowboys trotted into town so they could Tango the night away. The dance hold – “the embrace” - is very close. (Coming from a ballroom background where heads and chests are separated miles apart as if there were a stench coming from their partner; the Argentine Tango is a comfort zone buster.)  

At any rate, the Parisians got wind of this risqué dance. (Figures. Had to be the French.) By the early 1900s, Argentine Tango was the craze on The Continent. When Prince Edward of England introduced the Argentine/French fad to his countrymen, the elite in pre-WWI London embraced the Tango tea dance as a desirable high society diversion.

Fairy Cakes

Although the dancing seen on the floor was viewed as exotic and different, the fare served at the afternoon teas remained the same. Since 1819, Londoners have frequented tea dances that have featured high society staples of afternoon tea like Earl Grey (considered the champagne of tea) and fairy cakes (aka English cupcakes.)  

The Afternoon Tea Book by Michael Smith (an advisor to BBC’s popular series, Upstairs, Downstairs) provides recipes for traditionally served treats and describes the days of Prince Edward. The out-of-print publication is still prominently displayed on my bookshelf. Twenty plus years after purchase. Some books simply hold magic! (I can’t imagine feeling that way about a paperless publication on Kindle or the iPad. Can you?)

The recipe for cream puffs in The Afternoon Tea Book is similar to the one I learned from my friend, Betty. Mr. Smith, however, suggests chilling the dough for thirty minutes before piping. He also pours liqueur into his whipped cream filling.

Betty’s Cream Puffs     

Ingredients

4 eggs (at room temperature)

1 stick (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter

1 cup milk

1 cup flour plus a pinch of a salt

Instructions

Place your whipping cream bowl and beaters into the freezer.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Aerate flour with a big spoon.

Melt the butter with the milk over medium to low heat (to prevent burning.)

Keep stirring.

Add flour when (and only when) the milk/butter mixture is at a full boil.

Keep stirring until one ball is formed in the pan.

Place the mixture into a food processor and add your eggs.

Continue pulsing until all ingredients are combined.

Pipe out the dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. You may have to smooth the tops with a wet fingertip. (A clean one!)

Ninja Baker Note: The best tool for this procedure for yours truly is a mini ice cream scoop. Second best is a standard piping bag.

Betty like Semi-Homemade author Sandra Lee cleverly uses sandwich bags instead of piping bags. They both make tiny cuts in the corners of the bags. But somehow my holes are always too big or the dough doesn’t squeeze out evenly. However, if you have a steady hand and good eyes, go for it!

Bake the squiggled out/scooped out mounds for 16 to 20 minutes.

Let the puffs cool.

Split in half and fill with whipped cream.

Beat your whipping cream in the pre-frozen bowl. Betty adds 1.5 tablespoons of powdered sugar plus a teaspoon of vanilla to every pint of whipping cream.

Another option is to use instant custard for your filling.

Betty sometimes uses a combination of both whipped cream and custard.

I met Betty at a dance class in LA. The majority of participants are foodies. So it is no surprise that we reward ourselves (every three months after learning a new dance) with a feast. Betty is one of the ladies who consistently goes home with empty Tupperware because everyone has gobbled up her goodies.

Makela Brizuela with one of her many handsome gents.

In addition to an appetite for fine food, a good many of our dance mates have developed an insatiable desire to improve their Argentine Tango. They have sought outside help. Thanks to our Tango-crazed classmates, many of us are now familiar with brilliant teachers like Makela Brizuela. Her tricks for captivating an audience may come from her days as a UCLA professor. 

Sneak a peek at Tango teacher and performer, Makela Brizuela showing off a variety of routines. (And handsome men!) 

Between requests for Tango choreography, performances and instruction, Makela makes time for creating empanadas. I asked her for the Brizuela family recipe. Her reply?  “I am not coming from a family of cooks. We are all artists and scientists. Sorry.” However, she highly recommends the Argentine meat empanadas from all recipes.com.

Empanadas with puff pastry shells.

Use lean beef or substitute ground chicken. My chicken variation needed a bit more salt. (A friend from Mexico said it was fine. But he may not have wanted to hurt my feelings.) At any rate, salt and pepper to your taste.  

The recipe specifies puff pastry for the shell. As I was embarking upon my virgin voyage, I was nervous. (I’ve created Paula Deen empanadas before with pie dough. But puff pastry was a foreign adventure.) 

Like a scientist I began to observe the best methods of rolling and stuffing the pastry sheet circles. Lessons learned include don’t over-roll the cutouts or else odd shapes appear. 

Also, as the recipe says, avoid the temptation of packing the pockets too full.

Chicken stuffed empanada.

Other notes to self I made: 

Remember to defrost. Meat and pastry dough.

Follow Food Network star, Anne Burrell’s method of boiling eggs.

(Don’t laugh. She’s Mario Batali’s right-hand woman on countless Iron Chef episodes.)  Want to learn the trick? Better click here.

Okay. For those of you who live for shorthand.

She brings her eggs to a boil. Turns the heat off. Covers the eggs. And waits precisely thirteen minutes. No more, no less.

Once fortified with Makela recommended empanadas, you’ve been inaugurated into the world of authentic Argentine cuisine. And you’re ready to take flight with Ms. Brizuela on her autumn Argentine Tango tour. The scheduled dates are 20-30 September 2011.

For details go to www.makelatango.com

Or e-mail: mak...@connectionsur.com

If your budget doesn’t allow for airfare to South America right now, how about driving to Santa Monica? Argentinean maestros will fly up to California and conduct classes for the second year in a row. The name of this momentous event is called SMITH. (Santa Monica International Tango Holiday)

Successful businesswoman, Takako Nomi and super teacher, Vladimir Estrin. Takako-san is yet another talented cook who goes home with empty Tupperware after our dance party feasts.

Organizer, Vladimir “Vladi” Estrin taught one of our three-month dance class series on Tango. As the class moved to the next series (Cha-Cha) we were all so impressed with Vladi’s teaching that we prevailed upon him to teach an additional ongoing Argentine Tango class.

 

Encouraged by Vladi, many of us are looking forward to attending this year’s SMITH. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s festival. Despite the fact that David taught ballroom dance (including American-style Tango) at Arthur Murray for some years, we chose the beginner’s track. Argentine Tango is quite different from the American interpretation.

Nito, the Ninja Baker, Elba and David

Our favorite teachers were Nito and Elba Garcia. Nito is a champion dancer who won fifteen contests between the years of 1955 to 1965. A highlight was seeing him doing fancy footwork while blindfolded.  

The Argentine masters scheduled for this year’s SMITH (6-9 May 2011) are sure to be equally entertaining and instructive. Sign up by scrolling down to the register button on the SMITH homepage: 

Or for more information, 

e-mail the SMITH organizers at

in...@SantaMonicaTangoFestival.com

If you need inspiration take a look at Vladimir Estrin and Rebecca Graziano doing a Tango called Todo.

Argentine Tango is good exercise and also evokes laughter. I know, I know Rudolf Valentino is not exactly synonymous with Saturday Night Live. But, believe me, when learning dance, if you don’t cry, you’ll laugh.

And there are comical interpretations of Tango. If you want to smile, watch this showdown between Russian and Chinese superpowers, Vladimir Estrin and Meng Wang. They do resolve their differences on the dance floor.

So, why not have a fling with Argentine Tango?

You may well be on your way to enlightenment.

Wishing you a peaceful tango as you recall the words of Teresa of Avila, “Pain is never permanent.”  

The Ninja Baker

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Posted By Ninja Baker to Ninja Baker at 4/10/2011 01:18:00 AM