Well, we did it again. The 5th Saturday Supper Club met last Saturday, the theme this time was SPAIN and we had a fabulous meal! We all choose a course and everything really complimented well.
Starters were by Jane-Elizabeth and Judd: spinach empanadas and cheese straws. The dough for the empanadas was very thin and light, not at all overpowering the fillings. Margaret had manchego cheese topped with quince that she'd cut in little shapes. There were lots of other cheeses and olives and some caramellized walnuts which were amazing with a slice of a bleu cheese! The flavors just perfectly matched. Mike served a delicious sausage with a dipping sauce made of simple syrup and saffron. At first you would think it a mustard and the sweetness was a nice surprise. I am happy to hear about a new cheese market in Austin, Antonelli's. I'm heading that way.
Mike mixed a red and a white sangria, both very fruity and refreshing. I stayed with white which had pears and peach slices.
We moved to the table when Gail served a cherry and tomato gazpacho, which also had fresh beets in it. She garnished it with sliced cukes, pistachio and mint leaves. Lovely and fresh, very chunky.
Next came oxtail stew, made by Mike, a first time recipe which is a real keeper. It was filled with flavors and some of the bones were left in the stew. Fortunately it made a large quantity, and we had it again the next night along with some cheese straws.
Margaret served a delicious paella of tomatoes and smoked paprika. Just enough crunchy stuff on the bottom of the pan! Flavors were excellent.
Along the way were reds and whites as well as a delicious full bodied sherry. Mike and Margaret know how to pick the libations and they hit the spot each time.
Including the dessert drinks. There was a brandy so good you could have stopped right there. But we didn't. We also had a port and a chestnut liqueur that Barbara brought from her recent trip to Southern Spain, which was very cool and light, just about the opposite of the brandy.
I supplied the sweets and while sweet, they were not too heavy. Two flavors of flan on the plate along with a freshly fried churro. Typical dessert in Spain, churros are merely fried dough, usually done in long strips from a large star tip on a pastry bag. They are immediately sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and usually served with hot chocolate. When in Madrid, take the time to stop at some small cafe and treat yourself to this civilized custom.
My flans were pumpkin and coffee. It was interesting to note the different textures in the flans which I believe came from the cooked milk on the pumpkin. I was fortunate that one recipe called for 3 eggs plus 2 egg whites and the other called for 2 eggs plus 2 yokes! I loved the coffee one, so here is the recipe:
COFFEE FLAN
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yokes
14 oz can sweetened condensed Milk
1 C milk
1 t instant coffee
Preheat oven to 350F
Place sugar in 8" round cake pan and place over medium-high burner, shaking occasionally and stirring until sugar melts and turns golden brown. Set aside. Mixture will crack as it cools.
In a large bowl, combine eggs and all remaining ingredients and whisk until coffee dissolves. (This may take a bit of time as instant coffee is made to dissolve in hot water. Allow to sit a few minutes, and whisk again)
Pour egg mixture over caramelized sugar in pan and place pan in a large shallow baking dish, such as a 9 x 13 cake pan. Pour hot water into outer baking dish to about 1 inch. This is your bano marino
Place in over, loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake about 1 hour or until knife inserted in center of flan comes out clean.
Remove flan from water bath, cool on rack for 1 hour. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.
To serve, loosen edges and flip over onto plate, allowing any caramel to spill on flan.
BUEN PROVECHO!
