Apple Crumble & Vanilla Ice Cream

If I were asking which my favourite food is, I certainly would say all kind of apple tart.

When I was a child my mother always prepared an apple tart for my birthday day. Maybe it's the reason I connect this dessert to a relax moment, celebrations,... I can remember helping her to make the filling for the tart and cover it with jam. Uhmmm, delicious!!




Today is a tipical autum day. So, after a busy week I've decided to spend this afternoon in the sofa with a portion of an apple crumble. I need a day off and relax,...


Apple Crumble

6 apples
90 + 60g white sugar
90 + 60g brown sugar
360gr flour
180gr butter at room Tª


Peel and slice the apples. After that, place the apples and 60g of white sugar in a large bowl mix well.

Place the flour, the rest of the white sugar and 90g of brown sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and add this to the flour and sugar and mix with your fingertips.

Cover the apples with the crumble mixture and sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes at 170ºC until the crumble is golden and the apple hot.



Vanilla Ice Cream

200ml double cream
400ml milk
115g brown sugar
3 egg yolks
2tsp vanilla extract


Pour the milk and the vanilla extract into a saucepan and bring slowly up to boiling point but do not let it boil.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick. Pour the milk into the mixture of egg yolks and sugar whilst stirring. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently, stirring until the custard thickens.

When the custard base is cold stir in the cream. Transfer the whole mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

A hen party

Seems like only yesterday when we were a child and now when your friends start to get married you realize we've getting older. It's incredible but true, we met a long time ago and we are still good friends.

It's great to meet with friends who long ago don't see and celebrate an important event in our friend's life: her wedding and of course, her hen party!!.

And what couldn't be missing in the party? music, games, balloons, gifts, confetti,.... and overall food. And as my friend loves BBQs... so, what's better than a BBQ?

A quick barbecue sauce


A pinch of cumin, oregano, thyme and rosemary
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup ketchup
2 tsp brown sugar
5-6 drops tabasco
oil
salt


Combine all ingredients and spread meat before grilling.

Quiche Lorraine

Maybe I'm one of those people who after a busy day, loves cooking to relax. it's incredible how you can forget everything sorroundind you and focus on making that recipie which your friends and family like a lot.

Yesterday was one of those days you need to come back home and spend some time in the kitchen. I decided to make a Quiche Lorraine because my parents never didn't taste one before and it was fantastic.

Try to make one!


Quiche Lorraine

Sablée pastry
12 slices bacon
1/2 minced onion
1 cup double cream
2 eggs
Pepper
Salt
Grated nutmeg

Place bacon and minced onion in a frying pan, and fry over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl beat together eggs, cream, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

Place the sablée pastry in a mold and fill it with the fried bacon and egg mixture.

Bake at 220ªC for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the quiche is browned. Allow quiche to sit 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Tortilla (Spanish Omelette)

Tortilla can be served as a main course or, because it is good served cold, it makes excellent picnic food. In Spain it's served as tapas, cut into small cubes and it's also served as tortilla sandwiched between crusty bread.

If you haven't gone to Spain, maybe you could think that it's no usual to taste this omelete with a cup of coffee for the breakfast. But in the North of Spain it's quite usual, in most of "bares" you can see people taste it for the breakfast. It's really fantastic. Trust me!!!

Recently, I've read different ways to prepare this recipe and I find that some of them are no so real as we're usually used to cook it. So, I'd like to show you an easy way to prepare it.





INGREDIENTS:

1Kg potatoes
2 onions
1 green pepper
8 eggs
Olive oil

Peel and cut the potatoes, onions and green pepper.

Add the olive oil in a frying pan and when it's hot add the potatoes, onions, green pepper and a pinch of salt and cook until tender.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a large bowl and, using a fork, beat them lightly and add a pinch of salt. When the onions, green pepper and potatoes are cooked, quickly transfer them to the eggs in the bowl.

Put the frying pan back on the heat, add a little bit of oil and the potato and eggs mix. When there is no liquid egg left on the surface of the omelette, turn it over to cook the other side. To do this, place a flat lid or plate over the pan, carefully invert both so that the omelette is on the lid or plate.

Put the pan back on the heat and use the palette knife to gently ease the omelette back in. Give it a few minutes more, then turn the heat off and leave it for a further 5 minutes to settle. It should then be cooked through but still moist in the centre. Serve hot or cold, cut in wedges, with a salad and a glass of Rioja - it's brilliant.

Chocolate con churros

Winter… it’s so cold outside.

What’s better than staying at home having a thick chocolate while you can see snowing through the window? Take a churro, bite it and taste the chocolate.

Great!!





CHOCOLATE

300 g dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk

Heat milk to boil. Add the chocolate, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. It should be very thick.


CHURROS

125 ml water
25 g sugar
½ tsp salt
12.5 g butter
100 g flour
1-2 eggs
Sugar to sprinkle
Oil for frying

Bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to boil. As soon as it boils add the flour and continue beating over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then remove. Add the eggs and mix well.

Put mixture into a large pastry bag avoiding air bubbles in the inside. Cut with a knife strips of paste 4 to 5 inches long. Fry until golden into hot oil.

Remove and drain on paper towels. While the Churros are still warm sprinkle generously sugar.

Madrid Fusion 2009

Is there such a thing as an image worth a thousand words? Of course there is, but the photo taken this morning by a multitude of photographers in the Auditorium at Madrid's Congress Hall requires a brief explanation. On the stage, collecting the Golden Apron designed by Amaya Arzuaga, during the award ceremony for the Prize to the Arts sponsored by the Autonomous Community of Madrid, were today's most important chefs, those who over the last decade have not only been widely acclaimed and respected by both the general public and food specialists, but have changed our whole approach to cuisine: Ferran Adriá, Juan Mari Arzak, Michel Bras (although the prize was handed in his absence to his son Sébastien), Pierre Gagnaire, Heston Blumenthal, Nobu Matsuhisa, Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, Pierre Hermé, Gualtiero Marchesi and Alain Ducasse, who unfortunately was unable to be present.

That was undoubtedly the most important photo of the morning, but there were plenty of others, starting with the latest edition of the Science and Cuisine debates which, this time, featured two chef-scientist teams, aiming to broaden the links between the curiosity of the chef and a practical response from science. First, Ángel León and Joaquín Gómez Beser, who spoke about Plankton as the origin of life in the sea and as a new dressing, then Eneko Atxa and Juan Manuel Madariaga focused their participation to the debates on new ways of using Ultrasound to absorb aromas.

Italian chef Gennaro Esposito surprised the audience with his talk on Dissonant flavors, materialized in complex dishes such as his Warm ricotta soup with red mullet and sea urchins, a real challenge for the taste buds. Elena Arzak dazzled her audience with dishes of extreme beauty, in Colour, another taste, imprinting on our visual memories dishes such as her Squid in red ink and her Bonito on a bed of flowers, both of which stemmed from her research on products such as Mexican red cochineal.

When the time came, David Chang and Sotohiro Kosugi presented the latest direction being taken in tapas - the North American trend, which in turn has been very much influenced by Asian tastes - towards "Small plates". Great cuisine in a small format. This was followed by the Italian chef Carlo Cracco, with a splendid demonstration focusing on The thousand facets of olive oil. His participation left us with memories of intriguing dishes such as Rigatoni, lettuce with liquorice and grated oil, or Flakes of veal with oil butter, marinated anchovies, broccoli and tomato.

In parallel to the demonstrations, plenty of other equally important activities were going on. In the Sala Londres, as part of the Wines from Spain in Madridfusion wine-tasting programme, the DO Ribera del Duero offered an appetising session in which many of the most important Castilian-Leonese wines were on display. Also in the wine section, but this time in the Sala Amsterdam, were the Semi-finals of the 3rd Custodio López Zamarra - Madridfusion Championship for Sommeliers.

Also during this morning's session, IFEMA presented its Design and Technological Innovation Awards to: Cocina Conmigo, by Nintendo; Actifry, by Tefal; Lavinia / Blackberry and Fritolimpio.

Now the competitions. Today was the third edition of the Competition for creative food using Italian ingredients, sponsored by Gusti Negrini. The winner was Fernando Pérez de Arellano from the Madrid restaurant Zaranda with his recipe, Creamy cuttlefish tapioca with smoked Mozzarella-type cheese and Gorgonzola. The second prize went to Bruno López, from the Kikara restaurant, and the third to Javier Hernández, from the Malaga restaurant Limonar 40, who won the award for the best marriages.

Lastly, a regular event at Madridfusion, the Truffle Auction. This time, winemaker Javier Moro bid 6,500€ for the white truffle, sponsored by the Restaurante Vittoria, and restaurant entrepreneur Ramón Rodríguez won the basket of black truffles sponsored by the Government of Soria. This year, as always, the takings from the auction will go to the Luis Granella Foundation which provides training for disabled women.

Merry Christmas