Viva Espana: Flavours of Spain Part I

Raised in the South of France only few minutes away from the Spanish border made us discover the Spanish food before all the celebration we are encountering  right now. Every library, bookshop, display Spanish Cookbooks. It is said that Spanish food is now the best of the world. Thrue , they have one of the best Chefs (among them Ferran Adria / El bully) , all young, talented, in love with their cuisine and their country.

There was a time where French People were going regurlaly to  the Spanish border to get their vegetables, fruits, meat and of course alcohol for half  the price they paid in France. My parents were among them. Once a month we were going the 4 of us by car to the Spanish Border at Fontarabia. I remembered crossing the border, at the time Franco was still alive . Armed soldiers were in the street hands on their guns. ..always a little bit scary. And on our way back we never knew if their will look in our trunk , usually my father  was buying more alcohol that it was allowed. What we loved the most with my sister was looking at the huge Billboards posted along the roads. We had none in France at this time… It was a great entertainment for us! During our day-trip to Spain we visited the farmer market, then the Grocery store, then the Souvenirs store. Our favorite things were : hard or soft tourron ( almond paste), Pipas ( salted sunflower seeds), Serrano ham / Jamon, leche / caramels, Manchego cheese, Spanish Oilive Oil, Tuna in olive oil, Sausages Chorizo…

For lunch we usually had Tapas or Paella in a small cafe… I love Paella, alwauys loved always will.

I had no idea my mother was so “trendy” with her Spanish Pantry. It is easier now to get in the USA Spanish ingredients: Manchego, Olive oil  tortas, Spanish Olive Oil, Spanish wines, Spanish ham … are now available at local stores. There is even a small Spanish Boutique/ store located in Pacific Beach San Diego who carries only Spanish ingredients, very expensive but very unique.

Today is my Celebration of Flavours of Spain: Crema Catalana

Crema Catalana or Catalan Cream is the Spanish version of the French dessert, crème brulée.  It is a great dessert for Spring, since it is also called Crema de Sant Josep, or St. Joseph’s cream, traditionally prepared on March 19th, St. Joseph’s Day, the Spanish equivalent of Father’s Day in the USA.

Prep Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 stick cinnamon
• grated rind of 1 Organic Orange 
• 2 cups milk
• 1tsp Orange zest + Oranges pieces for decoration

Preparation:

Serves 4.

This is a great dessert to make ahead of time, since it is very easy and requires 2-3 hours of refrigeration before serving. Make it the day before and leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. In a pot, beat together the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until thoroughly blended and the mixture turns frothy. Add the cinnamon stick and grated Orange rind. Pour in the milk and cornstarch. Slowly heat the mixture, stirring constantly, just until thickened. Remove pot from heat immediately.

Remove the cinnamon stick and ladle the milk mixture into 4-6 ramekins (depending on size). Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Degustez!

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