A faithful reader named Faith got Monday's open threaders going on the topic of what dessert she might serve at a Spanish-themed dinner party (and nothing so obvious as flan).
Despite an admission that she is not familiar with Spanish cuisine, Faith is pondering some pretty Spanish-sounding desserts like an egg-y cake with oranges in wine, a chocolate mousse with a burnt sugar topping, a flourless orange cake and even fresh-fried Spanish doughnuts. There were a few other great suggestions like almond cakes and a ricotta-cheese take on a traditional flan.
We found a few lists that might inspire: here, here, and also here.
Any true dessert-loving Spaniards out there? Chime in, help the woman!
Oh wow! Cool! Thanks for posting my question! Those links are great; I will explore.
manchego and quince paste are classic spanish flavors (the salt/sugar combo is so yummy). i wonder if you could do a savory manchego-flavored cheesecake (or maybe a filled tart) with a super-sweet quince glaze?
or how about churros and chocolate? or fruit poached in a sweet spanish dessert wine?
i need to stop commenting before lunch. i'm starving! :)
My favorite dessert when I travelled to Barcelona was a very dense yogurt (use greek-style here)pyramid drizzled with honey(orange blossom?) and sprinkled with large pieces of toasted walnuts. How simple is that?
My favorite way to end a Spanish meal is with a wonderful brandy presented in an interesting snifter (be creative). You could pair this with chunks of interesting chocolate and caramels from Spain. (No cooking required)
OR
The south of Spain has amazing lemons- you could make or buy a lemon tart or saffron and nut tinged cookies and serve with dollop of creme fraiche and little cups of mas fuerte cafe with a twist of lemon.
These are lovely ideas. Thanks so much everyone! I am shopping tonight, and I will let you know how everything goes.
While travelling in Spain a few years ago, I tasted a heavenly delight called Tocino de Cielo, which unfortunately translates (using Babelfish) as the untasty-sounding "bacon of heaven".
It's a custardy, flan-like dessert that I would kill to have more of, and I'm not normally a dessert person.
dairy products are so much tastier over there (from tastings in Portugal and Spain)!
faith,
my suggestion is to keep it very simple. you'll have plenty of taste and variety in the other dishes. One great dessert I had in Spain was simply a plate of fresh figs, unadorned! After a great meal, it was heavenly! (and I'm a dessert lover) Brandy and coffee, absolutely!
-Not a dessert, but this recipe is amazing:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106873
Ignore me...I just realized that I suggested flan!
Michelle - that's fine! Haha. I do love flan. Here's a recipe I saw a while back for tocino de cielo: http://scentofgreenbananas.blogspot.com/2005/06/imbb-16-tocino-de-cielo.html
25 egg yolks!!! I think another translation is "lard of heaven." Indeed.
I have been thinking more, and I think I am going to make a cooked custard, actually, as one of the dessert dishes - just not a baked one. It's going to be natilla - cold custard, similar to creme anglaise - with fresh cinnamon. I will also do small cups of dark chocolate mousse with brandy as a shout out to Spanish (hot) chocolate, and an almond cake with oranges in spiced wine.
I am cooking for over 20 people, so a variety is nice. The advantage to these things is they can all be made the night before, leaving me free on Saturday to work on the appetizers and salad.