Tarta de Santiago, a Delicious Northern Spanish Cake!

On my second visit to Spain, before I finally settled in Madrid, I had the chance to visit the enchanting city of Santiago de Compostela.  This city is a top Christian pilgrimage site and at times it rivaled with Rome and Jerusalem. To this day, the city still attracts thousands of pilgrims and regular visitors drawn by the beauty of its architecture and especially its impressive cathedral.

Santiago de Compostela impressed me not only with its spirituality and architecture but also with its signature dessert: Tarta de Santiago. This gluten and lactose free pie, named after Saint James or Santiago and made with only three basic ingredients, is a joy to bake and eat.

This cake melts in your mouth, it has a slightly chewy texture that will remind you of  macaroons.To the basic ingredients, the cake is usually flavored with citrus peel but some add cinnamon and vanilla.

I remember falling in love immediately with the cake just after the first bite. I took two with me when I went back home and my family loved it too. Before settling in Spain for good it was the only sweet I was asked to bring back with me each time I visited the country.

The feast of Saint Santiago is on the 25th of July and that´s why I decided that it´s time to make this cake. It takes less than an hour to be ready, it's very delicious and it can be suitable for people with certain allergies. I really encourage you to give it a try, I'm sure you won't regret it!

For an 18 cm pan you need:

• 2 large eggs
• 150 g almond flour
• 120 sugar (you can reduce the sugar quantity if you want)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• the zest of half an orange and half of a lemon
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

First, preheat the oven at 170 C.

There are 2 methods to make this cake, the first one is to combine all the ingredients, pour them in the greased pan and bake for about 20 to 25 min or until top is golden brown.

But if you want a cake that is a bit fluffier, separate the egg whites, beat them with the salt until stiff peaks are formed. Meanwhile combine sugar, almonds, citrus zest, cinnamon and vanilla.
Slightly beat the egg yolks, fold them with the egg whites then slowly add the almond mixture. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 20-25 min or until top and edges are golden brown.

Once the cake is cooled, dust it with some powdered sugar. This cake is traditionally decorated with the Cross of Santiago. You just need to print one, make a stencil out of it, lay it over the cake and dust the sugar over it, remove it carefully and you´re done. If this seems like a hassle to you, just decorate with some icing sugar.

Serve on its own or with some cream and enjoy a truly delicious Spanish delight. 

A creamy Pavlova with summer fruits.

In my last post I made a sumptuously creamy creme brulée which left me with lots of egg whites! This isn't really a problem as egg whites are extremely versatile, but whenever I have a large batch of whites I almost always like to make a meringue-based recipe. The end result is a recipe that can always be tweaked to suit individual taste. Having this in mind, perhaps the best way to make use of these egg whites is to prepare a delicious Pavlova.

Making a Pavlova seems complicated, but in reality, if you know how to make a meringue, you know how to make a Pavlova. Moreover, a Pavlova is really a fun recipe. With the same base you can create endless combinations of cream and fruit toppings. This time, the creamy layer I opted for is made from mascarpone cheese sweetened with maple syrup. Add some fresh fruits and you have a summary and gluten free dessert. Replace the mascarpone or whipped cream with vegetarian whipped cream and you will have a gluten and lactose free recipe. 


So let's get started.

For 5 mini pavlovas (10cm), you need:

• 90 g egg whites at room temperature
• 150 g super fine white sugar
• few drops of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of white vinegar
• 1 tsp of cornflour 
• the beans of one vanilla pod
• dash of salt.

First start whipping the egg whites at low speed with the salt, lemon, vanilla and vinegar, increase the speed slowly, when the whites are frothy start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Keep beating until the sugar has dissolved and you have a stiff and shiny meringue!

Now scatter the corn flour over the meringue and with a spatula gently incorporate to the batter. You can pass the flour through a sieve to make sure the flour won't create lumps in the meringue.

Cover a baking sheet with baking paper to be ready to form the mini pavlovas. Some like to delimit with a pencil a circle on the back of the baking paper as a guide when forming the cakes and this what I usually do to get a perfect circle. 

Spoon just enough meringue over the baking sheet to make a nice serving size and then flatten with a spatula but do make sure that the edges are higher so as to have a central depression which you can fill with the cream and fruits after the meringue is baked. Alternatively, you can use a pipping bag to form more elegant and uniform meringues but just make sure to pipe more meringue over the edges to elevate them in comparison to the center.

Bake the pavlovas in a preheated over (between 100 and 120C) for at least an hour. They will be ready when they are firm to touch and they can be detached easily from the baking paper. Leave them to cool off completely before using them.

For the mascarpone cream, you need:

• 200 g mascarpone (at room temperature)
• a tbsp spoon of maple syrup (just enough to sweeten the cheese, remember the pavlovas are really sweet)
• use any king of fruits you like for topping, I used strawberries and cherries
• grated dark chocolate

I added some balsamic vinegar to the strawberries, but you can use them as they are. Mix the cheese with the maple and spoon over  the baked meringue. Finally, add the fruits and the chocolate and you are ready to enjoy a delicate, creamy, light and delicious dessert!

Ruffled Milk Pie, a Greek Classic!

I don´t know about you, but in most of my trips to the supermarket I end up forgetting what I came in for initially and instead buy stuffs that, let's say, were not really needed urgently.

So during my last supermarket adventure, I bought filo pastry because it was just there and I couldn´t resist! I also bought way too many blueberries and raspberries. When I left, I thought to myself, how on earth am I going to consume all of these fruits before they go bad or are no longer in their prime flavor and texture?

In my head I started jumping from one recipe to another in which I would use the fruits and the pastry together, and I finally landed on a pie I saw many years ago while watching a Martha Stewart show. The Galatopita, a typical Greek recipe, was prepared on the show  by Vefa Alexiadou and I loved how simple and beautiful the pie was.

I felt that the pie would lend itself beautifully to berries and so I decided to twist the original recipe a little by omitting the cinnamon and using the excess blueberries and raspberries I had. If you want to stick to the original recipe, by all means do, it is perfect as it is: sweet, crunchy, creamy and with a mild taste of cinnamon.

To make this pie, for an 18 cm pan you need:

• 7 filo sheets
• 50 g melted butter
• 100 g of mixed berries: blueberries and raspberries
• 130 g sugar
• 2 eggs (about 100 g in total)
• 100 ml milk and 100 ml of cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

First you need to generously butter your pan. Then brush a filo dough with the melted butter and place some berries at the longest side of the sheet; I used 3 blueberries and 3 raspberries in each sheet. Roll the sheet to just cover the fruits then gather the rest of the sheet to create the ruffles.

Roll the ruffled sheet into a flower shape and place in the pan. As you work on one sheet of filo, make sure to cover the other sheets with a damp cloth or kitchen towel to prevent them from drying.

Once you have all your filo filled and rolled bake in a preheated oven (180C) for about 25 to
30 min or until the dough is golden brown.

Meanwhile, combine the milk and the cream and let them simmer on a low heat. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla, slowly start adding the hot milk mixture. You need to temper the eggs before adding the rest of the milk and cream mix.

Add the custard mix over the filo and bake in the oven again for another 20 to 25 min or until you see that the mixture is set. If you feel the custard mix is in excess to what the pie needs, reserve the excess and cook separately.

Serve with a dust of powdered sugar and extra fruits. Enjoy the crunchiness of the filo on the top layer, then the tart and fragrant flavor of the fruits and the velvety smooth creaminess of the bottom layer.

What a wonderful Greek pie! I highly recommend you try it, especially if guests are coming over!

Torrijas, a Typical Spanish Dessert

Spain buzzes with so many recipes during Easter time, but if there is one that you will surely find everywhere it would be Torrijas or ¨Spanish French toast¨!

Although you may find the dessert in some places all year long, but it´s in the Lent season that you find it just about everywhere, either in cafés, restaurants or in bakeries.

In modern times, many chefs have been really creative with this traditional dessert, adding more flavors to the basic recipe or making up fancy sauces to go along with it. However, the traditional version is still the Spaniards' favorite.This is a really simple recipe that requires only a few basic ingredients; you can't go wrong with it!

Now let´s make some torrijas. For 6 to 8 servings you need:

• 1 baguette or torrija bread (it´s widely available in Spain but I'm not sure if it is easy to get by elsewhere)
• 500 ml milk
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• A piece of lemon rind
• 50 g sugar
• 1 xl large egg or 2 small ones
• A pinch of salt, dash of cinnamon and a bit of lemon zest for the egg
• Olive oil for frying

For the honey syrup you need:

• 3 tbsp of honey
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of water

First you need to cut the bread into 2 or 3 cm thick pieces. In a saucepan, combine milk, cinnamon stick, lemon rind and sugar. Let them simmer gently and once you can smell the cinnamon and lemon turn off the heat. Let the milk cool slightly and you´re ready to soak the bread pieces. While the bread is soaking, whisk the egg with the salt, cinnamon and lemon zest. You don't need to overbeat the eggs, you just wanted all the ingredients to be well combined.

When the bread has absorbed the milk, coat it in the egg mixture, fry the torrijas until golden on both sides!

Traditionally, the bread is fried in lots of oil, however, I didn't want the torrijas to be too greasy, so I used only two tablespoons of olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. I wouldn't put less because you really need the oil to give the golden color that torrijas are known for.

Remove the golden pieces of bread from the oil and drain the excess on a paper towel.

Prepare in advance the syrup by simply combining all of its ingredients and letting them simmer over a gentle heat until all the sugar is dissolved into the honey. 

Serve the fried and drained torrijas with a healthy drizzle of the honey syrup. Adjust the amount of syrup to your liking!

Torrijas are great for breakfast, or a perfect companion for your afternoon coffee or tea! Do try this recipe and make it for your family or friends this Easter which I hope will be a very happy one for all of you.