Today we continue collecting recipes for typical “Desserts and Sweets” from Spain. But first a little history and some curious facts Freeze dried candy michigan.
According to Wikipedia, little is known about Spanish pastries before Roman times. Roman pastry was the first to influence, mainly due to the introduction of new pastry techniques, but it was the Arabs who really brought splendor to Spanish pastry. With them came a new way to sweeten “sugar cane”, since until then the only thing that was used to sweeten was honey. Also from the Arabs, the taste for the use of almonds in many sweets has remained.
In the Middle Ages in Spain, a large part of the recipes were evolving in the Monasteries and Convents, thanks to the nuns. They even created many of the sweets and desserts that we know today as typical of Spain.
An interesting fact that should be mentioned is that Spanish confectioners were the first in Europe to work with chocolate, adding sugar to get rid of its bitter taste and flavoring it with vanilla. But despite this, few recipes with chocolate are known in the Spanish national cookbook.
The first Spanish work dedicated exclusively to pastries was written by Francisco Martínez Montiño (Philip II’s cook), in 1611. It was called – “Art of Cooking, Pastry, Biscuit Making and Canning”. This chef is also one of the creators of puff pastry, so popular among Spanish pastries of this century.
Knowing a little more about the history of Spanish pastries, he leaves you with these typical sweet recipes from Spain, all of them prepared by the colleagues of the ” Facilisimo Network “.
Sugary pestiños
We start this journey with these very, very old sweets. The pestiños are of Andalusian tradition and are Christmas or Easter sweets, made with flour dough enriched with wine, fried in olive oil and dipped in honey. They can also be made with sugar as an alternative to honey. You will find the recipe for these sugary pestiños on the blog “Yerbabuena in the kitchen”.
Tocino de cielo with raspberry sauce (step by step)
Another typical sweet from Andalusia. Tocino de cielo is a dessert made from caramelized egg yolk and sugar. It is cooked in a bain-marie and served very cold. The author of the blog “Pincholos” has prepared a wonderful tutorial for us on how to prepare heavenly bacon, and she also presents it to us accompanied with raspberry sauce.
Angel hair pastissets Pastissets
are typical of Terres de l`Ebre. They are little cakes made of a dry dough, shaped like a half-moon, filled with angel hair jam (made with the pulp of a very fibrous pumpkin called citron) and filled with sugar and cinnamon. The dough is made with olive oil, flour, muscat and anise. Once the dough is kneaded, the pastissets are formed and baked in the oven.
Buñuelos
Buñuelos are typical sweets in many autonomous communities of Spain, and especially during their regional festivals. They are usually eaten as a snack or to accompany coffee after eating. The fritter dough can be enriched with potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin or even filled with apple.
Crema Catalana
Crema Catalana is a dessert, as its name suggests, typical of Catalan cuisine. It is made up of a pastry cream prepared from egg yolk and is usually covered with a layer of caramelized sugar, which gives it a delicious crunchy contrast. It is usually eaten throughout the year, although it is customary on Sant José’s Day, celebrated on March 19.
Ensaimada
The ensaimada is a type of cake or sweet bread typical of Mallorca (from the Balearic Islands). It is a sugary, fermented and baked dough food, made with strong flour, water, sugar, eggs and lard. It is usually eaten for breakfast and is sometimes accompanied by hot chocolate or coffee.
“Old-fashioned” brioche torrijas
Torrija is a Spanish sweet typical of celebrations generally during Lent and Holy Week. It consists of a slice of bread soaked in milk or wine with honey and spices, and after being coated in egg, it is fried in plenty of oil. It is flavored to taste with various ingredients, such as cinnamon, lemon, anise… and sweetened with honey, syrup or sugar. On the blog ” Cuuking ” they have prepared some delicious brioche French toast, which is finger-licking good.
Yemas de Avila or Santa Teresa
Yemas de Avila or Santa Teresa are sweets made only with egg yolk, water and sugar. They are flavored with lemon and cinnamon, and covered with icing sugar or a thick syrup glaze that gives it a special shine. They are round in shape and have a very soft and delicate texture.
And here ends today’s tour of Spanish pastries.
Since I think there are still some sweet recipes that are worth being part of this compilation, for next week I am preparing the third part of “Typical Desserts and Sweets from Spain”. Until next week!!!!