Obamitas

Wars continues to be waged, and ten percent unemployment persists, but at least we can console ourselves with the thought of Obamitas, the artisanal chocolate cookies out of Spain that feature the likeness of President Barack Obama.

Cute cookies -go Obama-rama! The website is soo cute too! Thanks to Diana for spotting this and sending it to me.

SOOO EnglishMy favourite Northerner has this for lunch very frequently, hmm...shall we say every day Barbarella?
Prawn sandwich and a packet of crisps from Marks and Spencer. She lurrves this combination, sometimes I persuade her to go to Pret a Manger or even once we had a dirty kebab, but the Barbarella loves the prawn mayo sarnie; maybe it's a Northern thing. I love guessing what her lunch is when it swooshes around in her little green bag nearing my desk, the smile on her face gives it away and I am correct about the little pink fish nestled between two slices of bread. I especially love the lovely Northerner, working with her is always a pleasure. Too bad I cannot eat the divine Spanish food at her Mallorcan wedding in a few weeks. How do you say doggie bag in Spanish?

Santander sweetsI received a lovely gift of Spanish turron (torrone in Italian) from my marine engineering friend in Spain. It was very sweet for me but I brought it to the office to share and it was a hit! It is a nougat-y bar filled with nuts, honey, sugar and other things that make it taste great.

Thanks ER, next time we meet am looking forward to another Spanish treat and hearing about your boss trying to seduce you and turn you into a gay man ;)

Turned onto - sherry wine
I received a sherry wine book entitled, The Perfect Marriage - The art of matching food and sherry wines from Jerez from some contacts at a PR agency. One of their clients is the sherry producers of Jerez. In an hour I learned quite a bit about sherry wines and how it is not a drink just for your gran anymore - it is a versatile wine for us to pair with fabulous food dishes. Here is a recipe from the book. Enjoy!

Chocolate Delice With Sherry Prunes & Vanilla Cream

Best paired with: Cream, Moscatel, Pedro Ximénez Sherry

Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, plus 8 hours chilling
serves 6

Ingredients

• 12 prunes, stoned and halved
  
• 150 ml cold water
  
• 4 tablespoons PX sherry
  
• 2 handfuls of Raspberries

For the delice

• 75 g free range egg yolks
  
• 100 g caster sugar
  
• 300 g full fat milk
  
• 250 g double cream
  
• 200 g dark chocolate, chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons PX sherry

For the vanilla cream

• 200 ml double cream
  
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (or 2 tablespoons caster sugar and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)

Method

Place the prunes in a small pan with the cold water. bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, gently stirring twice. add the sherry and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until the cooking liquid thickens, then leave to cool. Chill, covered, in the fridge.

Meanwhile to make the delice, whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar until pale in colour. Place the remaining sugar in a pan with the milk and cream and bring to a simmer.

Pour the hot cream over the egg yolks, whisking continuously, then return to the pan and cook over a moderate heat, stirring constantly until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Place the chocolate and sherry into a metal bowl, pour the hot custard mixture over and gently mix it together until the chocolate melts. Pour through a sieve into a clean bowl. Press some baking parchment on to the surface of the delice and leave to cool. Chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours to set.

To make the vanilla cream whisk the double cream and sugar until it forms soft peaks. Chill in the fridge.

To assemble, use 6 small glass bowls or martini glasses and place a raspberry or a few raspberries in the bottom of each. divide the vanilla cream amongst them. top each with a spoonful of cooked prunes and then a quenelle of the delice. drizzle each dessert with a few teaspoons of the prune liquid.

Tip to quenelle the delice, half fill a heatproof jug with very hot water. sit a dessertspoon in it to warm up – ideally a spoon with a half egg-shaped hollow. run the hot and still slightly damp spoon across the top of the delice, slightly digging it in as you drag it along. the delice should roll up into the spoon and give you an egg-shaped quenelle.

More jamon & vino?
It aint lookin pretty for poor ol' Nat after a night of jambon and vino in Granada. I love this pic. Sorry Nat but this is a fun reminder of our new acid theory so remember on your world travels to stick to it.

This post is for you Jil, this is what I was talking about when you go to Spain, many places have these legs of cured ham hanging over the bar and all over restaurants. The cured ham on the plate with cheese was a tapas that was given free to patrons at a tapas bar in Granada. It is a pretty good deal as you can nibble on some fantastic tapas which are made from local produce, meats and fish.

Tapas can vary from just a few nuts or a small dish of olives to almost a mini meal in itself. One of the greatest pleasures of being in Spain is to go out with your friends for tapas. It's a healthy way of drinking because as you drink you eat! Also you stay in each tapas bars for one or two drinks and then visit several others in the evening which gives variety.

In a bilingual dictionary the word "tapa" means lid, cover, top, cap, etc. Many people will tell you that the word tapa originated because the glasses of wine were physically covered by a small plate of food or a piece of food. Others say that the word "tapa" was used because it "covers" the appetite.

Types of tapas:
champiñones (mushrooms)
setas (wild mushrooms)
patatas bravas (spicy potatoes)
patatas a lo pobre (potatoes slowly fired in oil)

Tapas in taverns or bars are for people in Granada a social ritual and is called the “tapeo granadino.” Get to sunny Spain, I missed this last trip but will get there soon!