mosaic road

Croissant Considerations

I always feel uneasy eating a croissant and I keep this occasions to the minimum. Having watched them being made I am well aware of the enormous quantity of pure butter that goes into making this classic French crescent pastry. I always wonder if the taste is worth the number of flaky, buttery, yeasty calories. I don’t feel such unease with an almond croissant. My love of almond and all things marzipan overrides any negative thoughts. In Madrid I came across a wholemeal croissant and felt quite calm on considering it for breakfast. No less butter but a little more rustic fibre goes a long way in reducing any guilty thoughts.  I also love anything wholemeal. Another plus is one of my holiday rules is to eat what I want and then consider damage control on returning home.

Ingredients

12g		        		Shortening
130g				Strong Flour
130g				Wholemeal Flour
1 tsp				Salt
12g	            			Yeast; powdered
150ml				Warm Water
1	        			Egg; lightly beaten
50g	        			Butter
1 tsp				Castor Sugar

 

Method
Rub shortening into flour and salt until it becomes breadcrumbs. Using your hand, make a well in the center.

Mix yeast in warm water before adding into the mixed flour. Add beaten egg and mix and knead until the dough is no longer sticking to the bowl. 

Lightly flour the kitchen top and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky anymore. Roll out dough to a long strip. Drop the top 2/3 of dough with 1/3 of butter. Fold unbuttered part of dough over the next 1/3 and then fold over the top 1/3 over that. Press edges firmly to seal and give the dough a 1/4 turn so that the folded edge is on the left. Keep repeating this process until the butter is all used up. Wrap dough in greased polythene bag and chill for half an hour.

 

Now, remove dough from fridge. Roll, and fold the dough for another two times. Wrap again and chill for another half an hour. 

Roll out into rectangles and cut into 6 triangles. Brush with beaten egg and curve into crescent shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet. (remember to leave enough space between each croissant). Brush top of croissants with egg and leave in warm place for half an hour.

Brush with egg one more time before baking in preheated oven at 230°C. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until croissants are golden and puffy. Enjoy! 

The National Symbol of Madrid

If you are an ardent Real Madrid supporter then it will be hard for you to believe that the football is not the National Symbol of Madrid !! It is this bear on hind legs sniffing a tree !! The tree is known as a Madrone tree with fruit that resembles strawberries. This is a 20 tonne statue and is the result of a dispute in the 13th century being resolved with the Church owning the soil and plants and the people of Madrid owning anything above the soil namely the animals. So the Oso and the Madrono became the official city symbols.

The Cookie Monster

Here we really do have the breakfast of champions !! I was the champion and I must confess this was my breakfast in Madrid one morning. How could I not ?? I did not eat it all, there was no way on my conscience that even I could consume a cookie bigger than my hand in one sitting. My coffee Americaine came in a bowl and was a delicious accompaniment. I was breakfasting with my wonderful friends at Le Pain Quotidien . Although these bakeries are a small chain with 4 now in Sydney, they are all about fabulous quality and rustic style breads - and cookies - originating in Belgium.

Rhehearsalling [ new word ]

We had been warned about a massive demonstration in Madrid that could become violent so when one evening I came across packed streets and rows of police I  presumed it was in progress.  I could hear a loud brass band which did not quite fit with my image of angry demonstrators. It got louder and louder as I approached. I raced into the hotel where my friends were staying on the first floor. We threw open the curtains and shutters to reveal a huge religious procession coming around a corner to the local church followed by a band. An enormous float holding the Virgin Mary on a donkey was being carried by up to 24 men or Costaleros. The corner they were turning was so tight for such a huge float they were literally shuffling, almost marking time on the spot as they manoeuvred  through such a tight space. The marching drum  band followed close behind. My photos are not good as it was dark and I was not very close but it was an amazing thing to witness. We asked many people in order to find out what was the reason for the procession. The only explanation  given to me  was ‘rehearsalling’ for Easter. 

 

 

A Really Fine Kettle of Fish

Spain is not all jambon and tapas, the enormous coastline puts paid to that. Fresh fish and shellfish are huge components of Spanish cuisine. Seafood stew and paella feature on many menus as well as dishes incorporating squid, salt cod, baby eel - not my thing-  and the jumbo red shrimp. The jumbo shrimp is really very red, almost pillar box red which surprised me after the dusky pale prawns we see in Australia.

 

I saw razor clams, loads of sea urchins and mussels in shops and cafes. All exquisitely fresh. One night a friend ordered hake and loved it. I think hake is a fishy fish so not to my taste. I am not a big seafood eater unless somebody peels my prawns or  gives me sashimi grade tuna. Both unlikely !!

 

Torta and Tarta

Baking is a subject very close to my heart and I love to see how it is presented in other cultures and countries. Thankfully it is enjoyed worldwide so anywhere I go I can either gaze longingly through bakery windows or enjoy, with coffee, a local type of cake or pastry. Mostly I do a bit of both. Religion in Spain has been an important influence on Spanish baking and tortas are even mentioned in the Spanish translation of the Bible in the Book of Leviticus. The nuns of Spain have often sold a special cake locally made in their convent and usually these cakes are linked to a specific Saint. In Madrid I saw wonderful food including a huge and beautiful array of speciality tortes and tarts.

When I first saw this I thought it was black olive but no, its blueberries cooked right down to a jam like consistency. So perfect with cream or ice cream.

Fig or pumpkin and almonds is in this tarta, originating from the Mondonedo area of Galicia.

Lapeira from Galicia and is more of a bun than a cake and filled with vanilla creme patisserie. Divine decadence !

Spanish merengue - identical twin of meringue - gently kissed by a blow torch and total marshmallow inside.

This looks like a pecan pie - a Spanish version - the nut is bigger than a pine nut, probably almond but I could not quite tell. I love the glossy toffee look and wish I had stopped for a slice.

And of course bread - looking and smelling so enticing ! Much of the tapas we ate was served on either baguette slices or small rectangles of bread,lightly toasted and crustless.

The Meaning of Friendship

 I have had 3 days in Spain, 3 days of true camaraderie. We all experience many varied friendships over time, some steadfast and some come and go but some very special friendships are a wonderful combination of the two.The friends I met up with in Madrid come under just that heading . It is a friendship of longevity and one where we have  followed separate life paths  at times and been very involved at others. But come what may, our joy in sharing experiences, meals and confidences has never wavered.  On meeting in Madrid, D and I spent many hours together seeing the sights . We had a lot of catching up to do and did not draw breath sharing stories, anecdotes and gossip. Every night P would join us for more conversation and laughter over tapas, salads, crepes and more. No awkward moments, no boredom just the casual chat and resumption of old in jokes accompanied by the warmth and privileged ease that comes with close trusted companions.

The Meaning of Friendship

 

 

 I have had 3 days in Spain, 3 days of true camaraderie. We all experience many varied friendships over time, some steadfast and some come and go but some very special friendships are a wonderful combination of the two.The friends I met up with in Madrid come under just that heading . It is a friendship of longevity and one where we have  followed separate life paths  at times and been very involved at others. But come what may, our joy in sharing experiences, meals and confidences has never wavered.  On meeting in Madrid, D and I spent many hours together seeing the sights . We had a lot of catching up to do and did not draw breath sharing stories, anecdotes and gossip. Every night P would join us for more conversation and laughter over tapas, salads, crepes and more. No awkward moments, no boredom just the casual chat and resumption of old in jokes accompanied by the warmth and privileged ease that comes with close trusted companions.

Simply the Best

You can see we are in very good company - in fact this cafe was dotted with photos of famous people who have eaten there. We were at the Chocolatier San Gines  in Madrid eating their world famous churros dipped in thick cups of their world famous hot chocolate. 

It has been in Madrid since 1894 and surprisingly has outlets in Osaka, Tokyo and Shanghai. It has the same sort of feel to it that my favourite Melbourne cafe Brunetti has. There is no menu and after queuing for 10 minutes or so it is presumed, when you get to the counter, you want their churros and chocolate and you do, let me assure you of that. !! You pay at the counter and then are seated and suddenly you are in heaven. The churros are thick and very crispy, not sad, cake like and wilty as others can be. The chocolate is soft, silky and spoonable. Tina Turner puts it so well " Simply the Best " 

A Little Loco

When travelling often you see signage or a menu item that makes you smile or giggle a bit. It may be a typo or error of some sort . These caught my attention. 

Laminated suckling pig ?? I envisaged a whole roasted piglet with apple in mouth flattened and laminated like a plastic place mat. In reality the dish was very thin, thin shavings of pork served with hummus. Who would know whether it was originally a suckling pig or not ?? No apple was on the plate !!

Trunk of whipped cream ?? Here my mind conjured up a hollowed out tree trunk. Someone else mentioned an elephant !! But in actuality what was served was a small cone or pastry cornet filled with creme patisserie, sitting in a pretty swirl.

And lastly, after all my blog posts on Casablanca and Rick's Cafe and their menu not really reflecting specifically the movie, the era or the local cuisine, I travel to Spain and find Chicken Couscous a la Ingrid Bergman in a contemporary tapas restaurant. What a twist ! What a coincidence !