Sponge Cake with Strawberries and Cream (Bizcocho con fresas y nata)

The bizcocho is the most simple form of cake in Spain. However, cakes, pies, or any type of pastry are reserved for Sundays, birthdays and special occasions. The rest of the week dessert is an assortment of seasonal fruits.

Ingredients for the bizcocho:


12 eggs (6 yolks-6 whites)
1 and 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 yeast envelope


Separate the eggs - the yolks from the whites. If you have an electric mixer place the whites in the bowl and turn to half the power until it starts getting fluffy. Then add the sugar little by little (if done by hand, 1 tablespoon at a time). Increase the power to full until it stiffens and then add the egg yolks and mix well. Then add the flour with the yeast until it is very well mixed. Grease a rectangular pan or pans with a brush with liquid butter and add the mixture. Preheat the oven to 325 ˚F and bake the mixture for 30 minutes.


For the filling and syrup:


2 cups orange juice
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 pint strawberries


In a pan heat the orange juice, sugar and strawberries. Let it reduce to half its size. Remove the strawberries and mash them.

To assemble:

Take a cookie cutter or ring and cut the bizcocho. Set one on a plate, spread the mashed berries, then whipping cream and top with another piece of bizcocho. Decorate the top with fresh berries, pour some of the syrup over them, and finish with a spoon of whipping cream. Drizzle some of the syrup on the plate.

Watermelon Glass (Copa de Sandia)

This cup of watermelon is a very refreshing way to finish or start a dinner.

In many towns in Spain trucks arrive loaded with watermelons and other melons. The driver with a megaphone announces they are selling the best melons or watermelons from Murcia. They drive to remote areas and then turn on their megaphones and start screaming "el melonero, los mejores melones de Murcia, baratos..." The vendors usually buy a truck load and drive from Murcia, going town to town until they sell everything. 

I thought about this story when I was at the grocery store and saw watermelons for sale. We couldn't resist and bought one. It was especially sweet and juicy, and very refreshing since it has been unusually hot for this time of the year.

Ingredients:

watermelon balls
the juice of one lemon
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon ginger zest

Mix everything well and pour over the watermelon balls. Serve cold and add mint to garnish.

Manchego and Quince Amuse-Bouche

This amuse-bouche is inspired by the typical Spanish dessert of "queso con membrillo"  (cheese and quince) and also by an amuse-bouche that we were served in a spoon at the Parador Nacional in Teruel, Spain. It was made of tomato preserve and a cheese from the region. An amuse-bouche is a bite size hors d'oeuvre, a chef's selection that is not part of the menu whose purpose is to tease your taste buds and show the creativity and technique of the chef. A master of this is Ferrán Adriá, considered the best chef in the world. In my case it is just playing with food and having fun with it. There will be only one serving per person. 

Ingredients:

Manchego cheese cut in cubes
quince paste cut in cubes

Churros con Chocolate

There is nothing more Spanish than "Churros con Chocolate". They make a great "merienda" in the afternoon, a good breakfast after the clubs and pubs close at the wee hours of the morning, or a birthday meal. It is a social act. There is nothing more social than a group of friends sitting around a marble table in one of the old churrerías with their friends. The custom of eating churros is believed to have started with the traveling fairs and has since moved onto the breakfast menu of regular cafes. The chocolate has a much longer history. It comes from the Aztec word Xocolatl and is a product introduced to Europe by the Spaniards. Xocolatl, the gift of the gods.

Ingredients:

To make the churros:

2 cups flour

1 cup hot water boiled with a lemon peel

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

oil to fry

sugar

Put the flour and the salt in a bowl. When the water with lemon peel starts to boil, pour it into the bowl with the flour and start mixing. Then add the olive oil and keep stirring. It doesn't matter if there are some lumps of flour. They will disappear when frying. Pour the mix in a "churrera" or if you don't have one, use a pastry bag with a star tip. Use a fryer or deep pan with vegetable oil. When the oil is hot pour the mix in pieces about 6 inches long and let them get to a brown color. Remove the churros and let them rest on paper towel to get rid of of any extra oil Then dust the churros with sugar - lots of sugar.

To make the chocolate:

Baker's unsweetened chocolate

Grate the chocolate and place in a double boiler. Let it melt and add milk little by little, stirring and let it thicken to your likeness. 

Carnival Basque Toast (Tostadas de crema de carnaval)

This is a traditional Basque dessert for Carnival and Easter. It is made of a custard but sometimes is made with brioche bread, much like a good French toast. 

Ingredients:

4 cups milk (reserve about half a cup)
5 eggs
8 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon peel

For the coated batter:

1 cup flour
3 whisked eggs
sugar

To fry:

1 cup oil
lemon peel
lime peel
cinnamon powder
sugar

Put the milk to boil with the lemon peel and cinnamon stick. In the meantime, make a mixture  in a bowl with the sugar, cornstarch, eggs, the half cup milk and blend very well.

When the milk starts boiling add the mixture and let it boil for about 5 minutes to make a custard. Do not stop stirring, especially at the bottom of the pan.

Grease a 3-4 inch deep baking sheet, add the custard and let it cool off. Brush the top with oil. Keep it overnight in the refrigerator.

Cut the custard in 3 by 3 inch squares, dusted with flour and coated with egg. Put on a rack to get rid of any excess egg. In a pan put the oil with the lemon and lime peels on high heat. When they start getting wrinkled, remove the peels and add the custard and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan and let them rest on paper towel to get rid of any excess oil. Then add cinnamon and sugar. Place them on a platter and garnish with berries and whipped cream.

Pears in Red Wine (Peras al vino)

Another two products that are abundant in Spain are fruits and wine. So what is better than to pair the two of them? Fall is a great season to combine them with the picking of ripe pears and the grape harvest. Some years the abundance of grapes and wine in "La Rioja" was so great that with the surplus they celebrated a festival called "la batalla del vino" (the wine battle). On this day groups of young (and not so young) people squirted wine on each other with sprayers. This celebration continues and is held June 29th in Haro, La Rioja, Saint Peter's Day. In this recipe we are going to mix both products.

Ingredients:

6 pears peeled but keep the stem on
1 liter bottle red wine or 4 cups
4 tablespoons sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 star aniseed


In a deep pan put the pears, sugar, wine, cinnamon stick and star aniseed. Let them cook until the pears are tender and then remove them from the pan. Reduce the wine until it becomes a syrup. Serve the pears with the syrup and vanilla ice cream.

Apple Torte (Pastel de Manzana)

Sunday's lunch is the time reserved for sweet desserts; otherwise, a variety of fruits is the custom. This recipe, with other cakes, tortes, and sweets, is reserved for Sundays and holidays. 

Ingredients:


1 sheet puff pastry
3 apples
sugar
peach marmalade


Leave the puff pastry to defrost. Then, roll it with a rolling pin from the center to the edges. Peal the apple and cut it in small wedges. Sprinkle granulated sugar over it. Put it on a tray and into a preheated oven at 325˚F. The baking time will depend on the type of apple and the its thickness. When it turns brown, remove from the oven and add the peach jam. Serve with some strawberries, wild fruits, and cream.

Catalan Cream (Crema catalana)

This is a traditional Catalan dessert made of milk, eggs, cinnamon or vanilla beans, lemon peel, and sugar. It is a very creamy custard topped with caramelized sugar. It is a staple of many holidays, especially for Saint Joseph or Father's Day in Catalonia, so some people know it as Crema de Sant Josep. Today it's eaten any day of the year and it's offered on many dessert menus year round. This dish is the equivalent of the French crème brûlée. The difference is that the French burn the sugar with a torch and the Catalans use a hot iron in the shape of a circle. 

Ingredients:

4 cups whole milk

8 egg yolks

2 tablespoons corn starch

6 tablespoons sugar plus 1/2 tablespoon more per dish to burn

1 cinnamon stick (I use 1 vanilla bean instead. If you use vanilla bean, cut the bean open and extract the vanilla with the tip of a knife.)

1 lemon peel

In a deep pan put 3 cups of milk (save one to mix with the corn starch), the cinnamon stick, and the lemon peel on a very low heat. Just before it starts boiling, remove the pan from the heat. While the milk is heating, take a large bowl, put in the eggs, the sugar and the corn starch previously mixed with 1 cup of milk, and stir. When the milk is ready, take a colander and add it to this mix little by little and keep stirring. Put everything back into the deep pan and cook it on a low heat, stirring continuously until you get a creamy consistency or until it gets to the boiling point. Then remove the pan from the burner and divide the cream evenly in small earthenware bowls. Put them in the refrigerator to cool off. Before serving, place about 1/2 tablespoon  of sugar on top of each dish and burn it to make a hard caramel.  I use a plumbers' torch.

This is a delicious combination of creamy cold custard with hot caramel. It's an easy and quick dish to make.

The Three Wise Men Pastry (Roscón de Reyes)

In Spain and other Latin American Countries the Christmas period doesn't end until the Epiphany, January 6, the arrival of the three wisemen to see baby Jesus and their offerings of gold, incense and myrrh. The eve of the arrival of the three wise men there are parades all over the country with the three kings riding camels or horses, with mules carrying presents for the children. The major cities televise their parades and children also go to the streets to see Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar. After the children have seen them they go home and put their shoes outside on a balcony or inside next to a balcony or window. The next morning when they get up there will be presents next to their shoes.


When I was little we had a big Nativity scene with shepherds, a town, animals, and of course a big star and the three wise men. Every day through Christmas we would move the star and the three kings little by little so they would get closer to Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus until they got there the night of the 5th. It was a very exciting time. The 6th is celebrated with a lunch. Our family tradition since the parade goes by under our balcony is to have the kids leave their shoes in the back patio the night of the 5th while we wait for the three wise men. We eat a light dinner of tapas Once the three kings have passed by, the children go to check if they got any presents and of course they do. So, in our family we receive presents the eve of the Epiphany.


The typical dessert is the "Roscón de Reyes" a circle pastry with candied fruits and dried fruits. Inside is hidden one figure of a king and a fava bean. Whoever gets the king will be blessed the rest of the year and also will get to wear a crown and whoever gets the fava bean will have to pay next the "roscón" next year.

Ingredients:


4 Cups flour
7 Tablespoons melted butter
1 Cup sugar
2 Eggs
1 Egg to brush the roscón
1 Orange Zest
1 Teaspoon rum
1 Teaspoon orange blossom water
3/4 Cup whole milk
1 Yeast envelope
Pinch of salt


First, in a stand mixer mix the wet ingredients, butter, sugar, eggs, orange zest, rum, orange blossom water, milk and salt. When they are all mixed very well add the flour and keep mixing until there is a nice and smooth dough. Make a ball and let it rest until it doubles in size. Then make a circle and add the fava bean and a little figurine and let it set for another 30 minutes. Then brush the top of the dough with the egg and add the candied fruit and sugar and put in a preheated oven at 350 ˚ F,;   Cook it for about 15 minutes or until the dough turns medium brown.

The Lucky Grapes (Las Uvas de La Suerte)

It is a tradition in Spain to celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of the next with "las uvas de la suerte" or lucky grapes. This tradition goes back to the end of the XIX century, but it really got a push in 1909 when there was a surplus of grapes, and some vineyard owners got creative and decided to commercialize them as the lucky grapes and from there it took off.

Why 12? Because at 12:00 we change from one year to another and the bell strikes 12 times. And why lucky? Because one is supposed to eat a grape with each bell strike, not before and not later, one at a time in unison with each strike. If you do that you will have a lucky year. In Spain, friends and families will gather at "Puerta del Sol" in Madrid, but most  Spanish families will turn on their TV sets to Puerta del Sol to watch the Bell Tower in the old Post Office Building. Puerta del Sol is the center of Madrid and it is also the km zero. After the bell strikes are over everybody gets ready to go out and spend the night celebrating with family and friends. This day everyone belongs to one family. 


At 4:55 PM in the U.S. We turn to Spanish TV, get on Skype and celebrate with the rest of the family. Who would have imagined in 1909 that we would be able to do something like this?

Walnut Cream Soup (Intxaursaltsa o Crema de nueces)

My friends reminded me that another traditional Basque Christmas Eve staple is the "Intxaursaltsa" - walnut cream soup. Walnuts as well as chestnuts, apples, pears, hazelnuts, cherries, and quince were (and are)abundant in the Basque country and where there is abundance there is a dish. In this case, one with walnuts.

The "Olentzero," a figure dated before Christianity that represents the winter solstice, has a legend that evolved through  different periods adapting to them. Today, the "Olentzero," a coal miner, will come down once a year on Christmas Eve to the village, his face dirty by coal with his beret and pipe to deliver presents to children. While the kids wait in the winter cold night for their presents they drink a glass of "Intxaursaltsa." This tradition was interrupted in the Basque Country but not in Navarre during Franco's dictatorship from 1939 to 1975, and brought back a few years after his death. Now the tradition of the "Olentzero" is very much alive. There is a strong appreciation of him (see link below).

"Intxaursaltsa" top with meringue

Ingredients:


6 ounces Walnut Pieces
2 pints Cream
2 to 3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Clementine Peel
Meringue


In a deep pan put the walnuts, cream, sugar, cinnamon and the clementine peel. On a low heat bring it to boil. Remove the cinnamon stick and peel and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and blend the mix.


For the Meringue:


4 Egg whites 
4 Tablespoons Sugar
Work the whites with a whisk or an electrical whisk until they are the consistency of whipping cream.


Serve the sauce in a glass bowl or martini glass  Top it with the meringue, a cinnamon stick, sprinkle powdered cinnamon on top and add some walnuts pieces.


To watch the "Olentzero" song go to the link:
http://tdn.com/video-olentzero-christmas-song/youtube_4d4424b0-2915-11e1-a833-001871e3ce6c.html

Compote (Compota)

This is a typical winter dessert, especially during Christmas time along with such staples as "turrón," "mazapan,"  "polvorones," and for the Epiphany "roscón de reyes."

I love to finish a Christmas meal with the aromas of cinnamon, orange, star aniseed and the flavors of fruits and dried fruits combined with the syrup of water, wine and sugar.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dried Apricots
1 Cup Dried Figs
1 Cup Prunes
1 Cup Raisins
2 Apples peeled, cored and cut in squares
2 Pears peeled, cored and cut in squares
1 Orange Peel and one Lemon Peel
1 Cinnamon Stick
6 Star Aniseed
1 Cup sugar

1 Bottle Red Wine
Water

In a deep pan add all the dried fruits, pears, apples, orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon stick, star aniseed and sugar. Add the wine and cover with water. Bring it to boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Before serving, remove the star aniseed, peels, and cinnamon stick.

Flan

This Spanish dessert can be found all over Latin America. It is creamy and will delight those with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients: (Double Recipe for 12+)

8 Eggs

2 cans Condensed Milk

Using the emptied cans, 2 cans of whole Milk

2 Vanilla Beans or 1 Tablespoon Vanilla liquid

For the Caramel:

2 Tablespoons Water

6 Tablespoons Sugar

In a pan heat the sugar and water until the mix starts bubbling and turning to golden brown without burning,

Pour the caramel evenly in a mold, making sure that all sides have a little bit. In the meantime in a bowl, combine the eggs, condensed milk, the whole milk and the vanilla. Whisk until it is a uniform mix, (you can use a hand mixer). 

Pour the mix into the mold with the caramel. Place the mold in a bigger pan and add water to reach about half the height of the mix. (This process is called in Spanish "al baño María" and in English I believe it is called "to cook in a double boiler"). Preheat the oven to 350˚ F, and put the pans in the oven for about 20 to 30 min. or until done, a way to know if it's done is by inserting a clean skewer in the mix and if it comes out clean then it is done.

Put the mold in the refrigerator and flip the flan out of the mold on a plate just before serving. You can decorate with whipped cream, berries, caramel stars, circles, etc....