SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Intensely spring--the perfume of orange blossoms.

From my kitchen window I look down across rolling hills and a river valley to the blue Mediterranean Sea. After spring rains the hills are covered with a velvety growth of new grasses. Wildflowers spring up in meadows. In the rocky crevices of the arroyo I hear partridge calling for their mates. The nightingales are tuning up their moonlight arpeggios and the swallows have returned to nest under the eaves.

Bare, gnarled limbs of fig trees begin to sprout tender leaves, like green butterflies alighting on the tips of branches, some with nubbins of tiny new figs. Vineyards show new sprigs of green on pruned-back vines. A grove of orange trees borders my property. When they bloom in the spring the heady fragrance fills my valley. It is so achingly sweet.

Fresones--extra large, extra sweet strawberries.

The orange blossoms inspired a dessert for tomorrow’s dinner party.  At the supermarket I bought a two-kilo box of strawberries (about $5.00 for 4 ½ pounds). They are huge fresones, grown in Huelva province (southern Spain). You might think that berries this glamorous can’t possibly have any taste, but they are sweet and flavorful.

To go with the strawberries, I concocted an orange-blossom sauce, adapted from a recipe for Mulhalabya in Paula Wolfert’s Moroccan Cuisine. Her recipe calls for orange blossom water. I used real orange blossoms instead, steeping them in hot milk. The orange blossom infusion is wonderfully fragrant, but slightly bitter. I added powdered stevia to sweeten. Cornstarch and an egg yolk thicken the mixture to make a pouring custard.

Bring 2 cups milk to a boil. Remove from heat and add a strip of orange zest, 3 crushed cardamom pods and ¼ cup washed orange blossoms. Allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the milk, discarding the blossoms and zest. In a small bowl, mix 4 tablespoons cornstarch with ¼ cup milk. Place the orange-blossom milk in a saucepan with sugar or stevia to taste (2-4 tablespoons) and whisk in the cornstarch. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Beat 1 egg yolk in a small bowl. Stir some of the hot milk into the yolk, then whisk it into the saucepan. Cook until thickened. Cool, then refrigerate until serving time. To serve, spoon the sauce over berries.

Alongside the strawberries with orange blossom sauce, I’ll serve crunchy almond meringue cookies, made with the leftover egg whites from a yolk extravaganza a couple weeks ago (see the recipe for Crema Catalana here). I saved the whites in the freezer. 

Crunchy almond meringue cookies with berries, orange blossom sauce.

Almond Puffs
Suspiros de Almendras

The puffs can be made with finely chopped almonds, but sliced or slivered almonds make a wonderfully crunchy cookie.

Sliced almonds.

Makes about 30 2-inch puffs.

2 ½ cups sliced almonds
2 large egg whites
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread sliced almonds in a shallow oven pan and toast them in the oven, stirring once or twice, until they are very lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove and let them cool.

Reduce oven heat to 250ºF.

Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl. With a mixer on high speed, beat them until stiff. Beat in the sugar, lemon juice and zest.

Fold the almonds into the egg whites.

Line baking sheets with no-stick baking paper or, alternatively, have ready about 30 small (2 inch) fluted paper cups on a baking sheet. Spoon the almond batter onto baking sheets or into the paper cups, mounding it.

Bake 40 minutes in a slow oven. Turn off the oven and let the puffs cool in the oven. Store them in an air-tight container.

Crunchy almond puffs.

STRAWBERRIES--AND NO WHIPPED CREAM

Fresh strawberries with luscious natillas custard.

Are you bored with plain old strawberries and cream? Here’s a luscious alternative to whipped cream—natillas. Natillas (yes, it is singular) is a creamy custard that can be poured over fresh berries. 

Most of Spain’s strawberries are grown in the province of Huelva the southwest corner of Spain, bordering Portugal. Huelva is Europe’s largest producer of strawberries (about 275,000 tons), with about 85 percent of the crop being exported. Strawberries from Huelva—known as fresa or fresón, meaning "great big strawberry"—are gorgeous red berries, fragrant and sweet.

Natillas is a simple homemade pudding, typical in rural areas where fresh milk and eggs are plentiful. In La Mancha it is made with warmed sheep’s milk (Manchego cheese is a sheep’s milk cheese) that is thickened with egg. The custard is poured over tortas, sponge cookies, somewhat like ladyfingers, then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. In Andalusia natillas is made with goat’s milk and served with crispy galletas, plain cookies. Commercial natillas, a favorite store-bought dessert for kids, may not contain eggs at all, but is thickened with cornstarch.

Natillas traditionally is flavored with lemon and cinnamon. However, the milk can be infused with alternative flavors—vanilla bean; orange zest and rosemary; mint. Vanilla custard is particularly good finished with a dribble of chocolate sauce instead of the sprinkled cinnamon.

Use egg whites to make meringues.

What to do with all those egg whites? Make meringue toppings to serve with the natillas.


Custard Pudding with Meringue Topping
Natillas

Cook the custard in a double-boiler over boiling water, as direct heat is likely to scramble the egg yolks before they thicken. If the custard is to be served with fresh berries, let it cool before spooning over strawberries. With berries, the ladyfingers and sprinkling of cinnamon can be omitted.

Serves 6.

Fresh berries, custard and meringue topping--lovely dessert.

3 cups milk
2-inch cinnamon stick
2 strips lemon zest
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
4 eggs, separated
Sponge cookies, ladyfingers or plain cookies (optional)
1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon (optional)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Strawberries, as desired

Combine 2 cups milk, cinnamon stick, zest and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and strain into a heatproof bowl.

Stir the remaining 1 cup milk with the cornstarch until smooth. Beat in 4 egg yolks. Whisk in the hot milk. Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler and cook over boiling water, stirring, until it is as thick as cream, 10 to 12 minutes.

If using, place 2 sponge cookies, ladyfingers or plain cookies in each of 6 shallow pudding bowls. Spoon the custard over the tortas. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Chill the puddings.

Or, if serving with fresh strawberries, allow the custard to cool, then spoon it over sliced berries.

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat at high speed until stiff. Beat in the lemon juice. Add the sugar gradually and beat at high speed until combined.

Heap 12 mounds of the meringue on the baking sheet. Bake until peaks are golden, 12 minutes. Turn off oven and allow the meringues to dry for 30 minutes.

Place one meringue on top of each pudding. Remaining meringues can be served with fresh berries. (They are too sticky to be eaten out of hand.)

Classic natillas, sprinkled with cinnamon, served with cookies.