Restaurant Review - A Regional Journey of Discovery (Part III)
A Regional Journey of Discovery (Part III)
A Regional Journey of Discovery (Part III) A Regional Journey of Discovery (Part III)
A regional journey of discovery
(Part III)
GILLAINE HATHAWAY CONTINUES HER TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN TO SAMPLE FAMOUS DISHES FROM THE VARIOUS REGIONS OF A COUNTRY WHICH DELIGHTS IN FINE FOOD - AND USES LOCAL INGREDIENTS AND RECIPES IN DISHES DATING BACK THROUGH THE CENTURIES.
We are on our final tour of Galicia, Cataluña the Balearic Isles and Valencia. Over the past two issues we have enjoyed the starters and main courses from these delightful Spanish regions, where good food is so important, and now it is time to indulge ourselves and gather the odd kilo or two with some of their finest desserts.
Galician food is well known for its simplicity and excellence, with a strong emphasis on the quality of its raw materials over its culinary techniques. Though famous for its fish dishes it is also renowned for an almond tart called Tarta de Santiago. The following recipe serves around 10 portions and the reason for this is that it is so yummy that it is really important to have some left over for another day - so the cook can have an extra treat!
Tarta de Santiago
(serves 8 to 10)
Ingredients:
7 large eggs
400 gr ground almonds
400 gr sugar
Grated rind of one lemon
- Heat the oven to 160 C. Cover a 30 cm flan or sponge tin with butter, then line it with aluminum foil and re butter.
- In a large bowl mix the almonds with the sugar and the lemon rind. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding another. When well beaten pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for one hour.
- Remove and allow to cool before turning out, upside down. Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy.
Ideally the centre of the cake should have the sign of the cross of Santiago made with powdered cinnamon, but it won't spoil the taste if you do not have one.
I think the only accompaniment for Tarta de Santiago is a glass of wine or coffee, but if you really want to indulge, try it with some home made ice cream flavored with grated lemon rind.
Cataluña and in particular its capital, Barcelona, produces some of the most sophisticated and richest dishes in Spain. The city celebrated a Year of Food, Cuisine and Gastronomy last year... a celebration of 600 years of gastronomic culture with more than 100 events and activities which included trade fairs, cinema, music festivals and congresses as well as lots of street fairs and, of course, food sampling. Food is the city's passion and why not? After all they were the inventors of Crema Catalan, a yummy cream custard desert which is served not only in restaurants throughout Spain but elsewhere in the world. But have you ever made it yourself? It is so easy and keeps so well in the fridge that it can be made in advance for a dinner party and is guaranteed to wow your guests.
If you are feeling lazy or nervous about caramelising the top of this dessert, or would like to try a change, sprinkle some "ground cinnamon" on top instead just before serving. What could be simpler!
Crema Catalana
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 lt milk
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons corn starch (maizena)
200 gr caster sugar
1 stick of cinnamon
grated rind of one lemon
- Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed pan, stir in the grated lemon rind and add the cinnamon stick and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for four to five minutes stirring from time to time.
- Remove from the heat and in another bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar and the corn flour until thick and creamy.
- Gently pour the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, stirring all the while.
- Return to the pan and cook gently on a low heat, stirring all the time with the wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. It is ready when you can make a line with your finger on the back of the spoon.)
- Pour into ramekins or similar serving dishes and leave to cool.
- Sprinkle with caster sugar and caramelise with a blow torch or under the grill.
- Chill in the fridge before serving.
Mallorcan cuisine is genuinely Mediterranean and, though desserts are not the island's strongest point, we all know and have hopefully indulged in their famous ensaimadas. These fluffy spiral shaped pastries can be filled with both savory and sweet stuffings, in which case the pastry is dusted with sugar.
But another Mallorcan desert, the Gato Mallorquin, is truly delicious and well worth making, especially as a dinner party dessert - as again it can be made in advance. Gato Mallorquin has some almonds in it like the Tarta de Santiago, but then this is the season for almonds and it is entirely different and easy to make.
Gato Mallorquin
(serves 4 to 6)
Ingredients:
5 eggs
165 gr caster sugar
165 gr ground almonds
Grated peel of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Plus enough caster sugar to sprinkle over the dessert and enough lard to grease a 24 cm Springform flan or baking dish.
- Heat the oven to 150º C.
- Separate the yolks from the egg whites and set the egg whites to one side in another bowl.
- Add the sugar to the yolks and beat them together until you have a creamy and nearly white consistency.
- Stir in the grated lemon peel, then the almonds and then the cinnamon.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff and little by little gently stir them into the yolk mixture. (This ensures that you do not lose the air from the whites.)
- Grease the baking dish with the lard and gently pour the mixture into the tin and bake for around one hour.
- Prick with a skewer to ensure that the dessert is ready. If the skewer is dry then the dessert is done.
- Turn off the oven, return the dish to the oven and leave it there until completely cold.
- Undo the clasp and remove and place the Gato Mallorquin on a serving dish, sprinkle with the caster sugar and serve.
And now we have reached our last port of call, Valencia, a part of Spain where the gastronomy is varied, natural and traditional, and where fresh fish and abundant seafood are the main ingredients. So too are its vegetables and fruit.
Though Valencia is famous for its paella, it is also the home of many tasty desserts, especially those using oranges, as the region is renowned for its orange production. But the following fruity dessert, though it has a taste of orange, is mainly made with melons. It is so easy to make, there is no cooking involved and it looks so good that when you present it at the table (you are guaranteed to enjoy listening to all those "ohs" and "ahs"!
Water Melon Fruit Mix
(serve 6 to 8)
Ingredients:
1 large water melon
1 honeydew melon
1/2 kilo grapes
2 apples
2 pears
2 bananas
Juice of 2 oranges
1 or 2 tablespoons of brandy (optional)
- Cut the water melon in half and, using a melon baller, scoop out as many balls as you can. (If you do not possess this useful gadget then just cut the melon into cubes.) Trim up the inside of the melon halves and carefully cut a small piece off the bottom of each without breaking the skin so that they can stand firmly. Leave to one side.
- Put the melon balls into a large bowl and prepare the honeydew melon the same way and add to the bowl.
- Peel, core and cut up the apples and pears and add to the bowl. Peel and slice the bananas. add to the other fruit and gently mix all together.
- Fill each half of the melon with the fruit mixture and squeeze over the orange juice. Then pour over the brandy and serve on its own or with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of flaked almonds. What could be simpler!
Goodbye Galicia, Barcelona, Mallorca and Valencia. I shall miss you. But where oh where shall we go next?
