Spanish Brunch

Menus inspired by Spanish tapas are ideal for breakfast and brunch and you probably already know tapas make great cocktail party fare.  What I like about a Spanish brunch is that most of it can be prepared ahead, like Italian antipasti, so host and guests can enjoy a leisurely morning.  This mix and match menu works well for vegetarian and meat-eating guests as well as picky younger eaters.  Here’s the menu:

Spanish Tortilla 

(egg-based torte with potatoes and parsley)
Spanish cheese platter with Jamon Serrano and Fresh & Dried Fruits
Meson Mushrooms
Pan Tomat
Patatas Bravas (fiery potatoes)
Assorted Pastries

Cava or Sangria

Orange Juice, Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate

Spanish Tortilla
Spanish tortilla, closely related to the frittata, is the brunch centerpiece.  Infused with potatoes, onion, parsley and sometimes  chorizo sausage,  it can be made a day ahead.  If you are not confident making one yourself, you can easily make it as a frittata by making a big egg scramble that is finished in the oven instead of flipped pan to pan in the old style to finish it.  Or if you have a Spanish restaurant in town, order one or two and reheat them.  (You can even order one from LaTienda.com.) 


Tortilla tastes good hot but is very at home room temperature or just warmed through.  Slice the round torte the classic way—in bite-sized squares and serve with toothpicks or slice into wedges like a quiche or pie. 

Another way to get the flavors of Spanish tortilla is to bake mini crustless quiches in large muffin cups or 1/2 cup ramekins.  For each mini-tortilla  combine 1 egg, 1/4 cup diced boiled potatoes, two tablespoons chopped onion sautéd in olive oil and a teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley.  Add a bit of salt and pepper and pour into well-oiled muffin cups.  Bake in a 325˚F oven for 15 minutes until egg is cooked through (not jiggly as in quiche).  Don’t skimp on the oil in the muffin cup since it is part of the tortillas’ distinctive flavor and will allow the mini-tortilla to slip out easily. 

If you have unsalted potato chips in the house, follow famed Spanish chef Ferran Adrià's method (popularized here by Chef Jose Andres) and replace the cooked potatoes with lightly crushed chips.  Let the mixture sit 10 minutes before baking to allow the eggs to soften the potato chips.   Ever since I tried this method, it is my go to tortilla ingredient.  

Spanish Cheese Platter
A platter of ham and cheese is an easy accompaniment now that Spain’s Jamon Serrano (dried ham) and Manchego cheese are widely available.  Chorizo sausage is also a good fit on a platter if not used in the tortilla.  Be sure to get the cured type that requires no cooking.  Set out small bowls of olives and Marcona almonds and garnish the platter with dried or fresh figs.  Fresh sliced cantaloupe would not be out of place here also.

Meson Mushrooms
I learned to make grilled mushrooms the Spanish way by watching the grill master at a meson (tapas house) beneath the Plaza Mayor in Madrid.  He would not give out the recipe but I think I got the gist of it pretty well via many enjoyable repeat visits.  Meson mushrooms are simply grilled mushroom caps with a chunk of cured chorizo in the center cavity.   When they come off the grill, finish them with a good squeeze of lemon juice and fresh parsley.  Don’t skimp on the parsley. And make sure it is fresh not dried. The herb is much loved in Spain and once you taste it in tortilla and meson mushrooms you will appreciate the terrific pop of “green” flavor it brings to more subtle egg and mushroom dishes.   These mushrooms can be prepped ahead and baked instead of grilled in a 400˚F degree oven for 12-15 minutes.  Finish with lemon juice and parsley as with the grilled version.

Pan Tomat
Pan Tomat is a specialty of the Barcelona and the Catalan region of Spain.  Guests can prepare these themselves from a shared plate.  Set out slices of lightly toasted rustic bread, halved fresh garlic cloves and halved small tomatoes.  Guests rub the garlic and tomato over the rough surface of the toast (warm or room temperature) to infuse the bread with a light, fragrant coating of juice and pulp.  Full flavor extra virgin olive oil is drizzled on top.  Be sure to use a Spanish olive oil for a robust olive flavor in these dishes.  You may be lucky enough to have a wide selection in your market but if not, I like Goya extra virgin olive oil for most Spanish dishes.  Pan tomat is Spain’s answer to garlic bread and it goes perfectly with tortilla and platters of ham and cheese.

Patatas Bravas
Of all the items on the menu, this one may show up again at your next Super Bowl party.  These are for every hash brown and steak fry lover in the house.  They get their name from the spicy tomato-based dipping sauce.  Use small new potatoes or larger ones cut in quarters and halves. First boil a batch until just tender.  Drain and toss with olive oil then roast in a hot oven (alongside the mushrooms) turning occasionally until all sides are crisp.  Serve lightly salted with a simple tomato sauce (not marinara) and a  shot of hot sauce.  (If you’d like a sweeter version, mix ketchup with hot sauce.)  Make them as hot as you and your family likes.  The potatoes can also be dipped in a good mayonnaise spiked with sherry vinegar.

Beverages
Any combination of the list below will match the meal:
Cava (Spain’s sparkling wine)
Orange juice
Sangria—white or red
Hot chocolate, coffee, tea

Fruits
Oranges—sliced on a platter
Sliced cantaloupe
Dried fruits

Pastries
Churros are fried tubes of dough rolled in sugar and are sold on street corners in Spanish cities.  They are beginning to be seen here but the pre-packaged ones are not fresh tasting.  An alternative is to pick up fresh donuts.  Cream-filled ones are very Iberian but small donut holes coated in simple cinnamon sugar are also a good (and lighter) choice. 

New Year’s is a nice time to throw an impromptu cocktail party or a brunch.  Or perhaps a leisurely breakfasts with just family.   Happy 2011^

Chocolate Stocking Report

Dark chocolate is very popular in this household.  Our siblings know this and treat us to some truly special ones at this time of year. 

This year we received a stockingful of dark chocolate bars to sample and compare.  It’s every chocoholic’s dream holiday.  We try to restrain ourselves and only sample one or two at a time.  It helps us keep the nuances of flavor clear and our heads from spinning.  So far we have broken into three bars and thought we had a clear favorite.  Today there was a split decision.  As we sample we are contemplating what to cook with the briefcase-sized brick of semi-sweet chocolate sent by another sibling.  Grated semi-sweet chocolate in hot milk makes very nice hot chocolate.  I have several fondue recipes floating around that would put the giant bar to good use.  A neighbor told me that the chocolate cake she recently baked for a crowd required a full two pounds of chocolate.  I think I’m set for any eventuality.  And then there are the profiteroles we made the other day that only require freshly made fudge sauce as a topping. 

I won’t divulge the winner of this year’s dark chocolate competition but I do encourage you to set up a sampling too.  It may be too late for stockings, but New Year’s is around the corner and a tray or table stocked with a variety of chocolates is fun for guests.  Many people like to sip red wine with really dark chocolate.  Others like a snifter of rum or brandy.

Chocolate isn’t the only food that lends itself to party sampling.  Now that craft-level caramels and toffees are popular and abundant, you can create a sampling of salted caramels, chocolate-covered  toffee, dulce de leche cheesecake and butterscotch brownies either homemade or from speacialty stores.  On the savory side, a salsa tasting or cheese sampling is very easy.  Pick a theme to create a focus, like goat cheeses or blues and dig in.  It’s a great way to find a new favorite.

Special thanks to Diana, Jim, Julia, Liam, Chester and Bill.  This blog entry would not have been possible without you.

Holiday Bread Pudding

This is a festive and light holiday dessert that combines several seasonal favorites.   Cinnamon-sugar, almonds and sliced pears nestle into a loaf of eggnog infused bread pudding. We like ours with raisins but dried cranberries or cherries make the season bright too.  Leftovers make a terrific post holiday “French toast.”  Individual slices can be re-heated in the oven or grilled then dusted with extra cinnamon or powdered sugar. 

Bread pudding using an eggnog base makes sense since eggnog is basically a custard—milk, eggs and sugar.  If you have homemade eggnog leftover from a party, this is a good use for it.  You can also use store-bought eggnog.  Since the eggnog is cooked in the dessert, there is no raw egg in this recipe.

At this time of year it is easy to find fruited breads or ones made with eggs like challah, pannetone and paska.  You can use regular cinnamon-raisin bread for this recipe (or even regular bread) but if you have some day old holiday bread, pick that.  This recipe uses about half a loaf of most breads.  

Pear and Cinnamon Eggnog Holiday Bread Pudding
Ingredients
6-8 slices of raisin, paska or challah bread  (4 cups of 1/2 inch cubes)
(1/2 cup raisins if bread does not have raisins already)
12 ounces eggnog
2 eggs
1 ounce rum or brandy (optional)
1/4-1/3 cup sugar*
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash salt
1 pear, cored and sliced (peel if thick skinned)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar

Method

1. Lightly oil a 9x5 loaf pan with canola oil.  
2. Place bread cubes in a wide bowl.  
3. Combine eggnog, eggs, liquor if using, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a smaller bowl or 2-cup measuring cup. Whisk with a fork to break up eggs and combine thoroughly.  
4. Pour eggnog mixture over bread cubes and toss lightly to cover all the bread with liquid. Move bread cubes to the prepared pan and press slices of pear into pudding so that slices are 2/3 submerged.  
5. Sprinkle top with almonds and cinnamon sugar.   (Bread pudding may be covered and refrigerated at this point overnight or for several hours.) 
6. Now, preheat oven to 375˚F.  (If you have not stored the bread pudding, waiting while the oven preheats will give the bread cubes time to absorb the liquid.)  
7. When oven is pre-heated, bake bread pudding, uncovered, for 45 minutes.  Test in the center with a skewer for doneness.  Pudding is done when skewer comes out clean but still moist (no uncooked egg mixture on skewer) and pudding pulls away from sides of pan.  Let bread pudding rest about 10 minutes before serving. 

Serve slices warm with a scoop of plain , whole yogurt, whipped cream or ice cream and if desired a teaspoon of maple syrup.  Keep leftovers refrigerated. 

*Eggnog recipes vary.  Some are sweeter than others.  Test your mixture by using the lower amount of sugar and heating a bread cube doused with a few teaspoons of the eggnog mixture.  (Microwave on low for 30-45 seconds or until egg is cooked through).  Taste the cooked egg and bread and adjust for sweetness.

Holiday Whipped Cream

Whipped cream for cakes, pies and other desserts that can hold up to holiday travel and buffets if stabilized with a bit of gelatin.  A touch of gelatin prevents the cream from separating and “weeping” into a puddle, much like the sad look of an aging snowdrift. 

Adding gelatin is an easy step and mostly relies on having some plain gelatin powder in the pantry.  The technique is detailed below and if you don’t have the necessary ingredient, I’ve just discovered that mixing some softened cream cheese into whipped cream has a similar stabilizing effect (and tastes divine with chocolate or pumpkin desserts.  (Good with fruit pie too.)

Your whipped cream will hold up for hours but still needs to be refrigerated since it remains a dairy product. 

Cream Cheese Stabilized Whipped Cream
Makes about 1 cup (recipe may be doubled)

1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 ounce cream cheese, softened

Method

1. Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and whip with a balloon-style wire whisk or a hand held mixer until cream is thick and holds a peak. 
2. In a small bowl combine softened cream cheese with a large spoonful of whipped cream.  This will lighten the cream cheese and allow you to fold it into the whipped cream more easily. 
3. Gently fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Activated Gelatin

 Gelatin- Stabilized Whipped Cream
Makes 2 cups
(This is a commercial recipe used by bakeries).

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
4 teaspoons water
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (add more to taste, up to 1/4 cup)
1/2 -1 teaspoon vanilla

Method

1. Combine gelatin and cold water in small saucepan and let sit until thickened. 
2. Once gelatin has thickened, place pan over low heat, stirring constantly just until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly while you whip the cream.  
3. Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and whip with a balloon-style wire whisk or a hand held mixer until cream is slightly thickened. 
4. Lower the speed and gradually add gelatin to whipped cream mixture (or fold in gelatin if whipping by hand). 
5. Raise speed and whip at high speed until whipped cream becomes stiff and holds peaks. 

Cakes iced with whipped cream must be kept refrigerated.

Now that you have mastered softening and using gelatin, you may be interested in making you own fruit gelatin and mousse desserts.  Just follow the directions on the box.