la di laa it's time for ice cream!

Ice cream is the perfect food, dessert, snack, or any other name you want to throw in its humble direction. It cools you down in the summer, comforts you in the winter, and has the ability to satisfy a variety of cravings or match your mood to a tee. Sweet, creamy, floral vanilla bean for a happy-go-lucky kind of afternoon or a complex, dark chocolate for an intense kind of night. For me any flavor will suffice. Satiny, luscious coconut speckled with fresh shredded flakes; bright, fragrant peach sorbet or perhaps a heavenly dulce de leche, swirling with ribbons of divine caramel. I am not going to pretend like I am a master of portion control, because clearly I don't want to lie to you, so I will just lay it all out on the table. I can easily, easily finish off a whole tub of ice cream in the course of a day and maybe even one sitting. Ok, It may be a low fat variety, but still come on that's impressive. 

The point of me rambling on about this creamy treat is to segue into me now telling you about Cremaría Tuscana, which is a gourmet ice cream shop situated in the El Born neighborhood. Hands down, this pintsize of a store is the place to visit when you want to cool your bones and pleasure your taste buds with a quality made ice cream. I have not tried every flavor, so I will only attest to the following: banana, nata (cream), stracciatella, green apple sorbet, vanilla bean and dulce de leche. In the end I must confess I am a sucker for nata. Boring I know, but there is something so appetizing about the taste of pure cream and sugar. Honest, simple and delicious. When I traveled around Spain last summer, I think I licked my way though enough of this to turn anyone with a stomach of steal to becoming a lactose intolerant wimp. That is to say I ate a lot.

Now, go on. Go. Make me proud and order a couple of cups or cones of this wonder food and revel in its splendor.

Cremería Tuscana, Corner of C/Canvis Nous and Vells de Barcelona.

formatgeria la seu

Ahhh cheese! Wash-rind, fresh, pasteurized, unpasteurized; so many wonderful varieties each with their own story to impart and distinct taste to spring upon our palates. As I wrote in my previous post I paid a visit to Formatgeria La Seu the other day and comfortably nestled into a chat, over a tasting of three cheeses and a little vino, with the store’s proprietor, Katherine. She explained that she handpicks each cheese, and only stocks those that are her love. With 25 different types living in a temperature controlled room, along with olives, wine, and olive oil, you are bound to leave with a smile and hopefully a cup of her delicious formagelat, which is ice cream concocted with her own cheese. Katherine offers three flavors, Arzua-Ulloa, a sweet, mellow cow's milk cheese; a tangy goat from Galicia; and a blue cheese, which is quite savory as you can imagine. I had a taste of the Arzua-Ulloa and was in heaven. Mildly sweet, very creamy and the cheese flavor definitely comes through in a delightful way. It would be a perfect accompaniment to a berry compote or perhaps some fresh figs and honey.

From the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of what I thought was Tetilla, it’s characteristic cone shape is hard to miss; however, Katherine explained to me that it was actually San Simon Da Costa, a smoked cow’s milk cheese from the Terá Cha region of Northwest Spain, boasting a very similar pear like shape to that of Tetilla. San Simon Da Costa is a Protected Designation of Origen (D.O.P.) cheese and can be made from either raw or pasteurized milk from Galician blond, brown Swiss, and Friesian cows. It is semi-hard and aged between 30 and 45 days, depending on the size.

Intrigued by what else Katherine deemed "stockable" I inquired about other cheeses she carries. As a fan of the stinky, blue veined variety, I was happy to see Valdeon enrobed in its signature sycamore leaves sitting pretty on her shelf. It is the only blue she offers, but what a blue it is. Haling from the Castille-Leon region high in the Picos de Europa Mountains, Valdeon is a strong, spicy cheese aged 2 to 3 months and made of pasteurized goat and cow's milk. It is smoother and easier on the palate than Cabrales, Spain's other famous blue from Asturias, which is more rustic in texture and pungent in taste. Valdeon is a Geographic Protected Indication (I.G.P.) cheese, rather then a D.O.P. Both trademarks refer to products that display certain qualities specific to a particular geographical area, i.e. damp climate in Asturias, and follow an approved method of production. The labels protect cheese from imitations and ensure that you are buying the real deal, but the main difference is that I.G.P. by law only demands part of the production to occur locally.

 

Moving on to the next cheese is Manchego. Surely not an unknown, but one of my favorites and this is like nothing you have tasted. Manchego D.O.P. must only be made from the milk of Manchega sheep in the "La Mancha" region of Spain, and is aged 30 days to two years. The sheep graze on shrubs and grasses of this vast plateau situated 600 meters above sea level and produce thick, aromatic milk, giving Manchego cheese its distinctive taste. It can either be made from pasteurized or unpasteurized milk, but Katherine only stocks unpasteurized, because she believes the taste is superior and I would have to agree. Pasteurization destroys all of the bacteria and in the end takes away the complexity of the cheese.

It is nice to know stores like this exist where you can wander in on a lazy day, have a chat, a bite of cheese, a sip of wine and walk out with a bag of goodies without having to second guess their quality. Katherine takes the legwork out of finding delicious artisanal cheeses and that is something to savor. For the dairy farmers it is a laborious job lasting from sunup to sundown; tending to the animals in grassy pastures, under the golden sun, creating a story with their weathered hands. As for us cheese lovers our job is easy. Manchego or Valdeon?

Formatgeria La Seu, C/ Dagueria 16

rabbit food

Usually when people hear salad, they think boring or elementary; however, a perfectly balanced salad actually takes a bit of thought to compose. As you know by now I am obsessed with fresh, seasonal produce and nothing gives me more pleasure than biting into a cacophony of colorful, crisp veggies showered with fruity olive oil and a little sea salt. The heat here in Barcelona is, well, hot. Hot and humid. Hot, humid, sticky and without the luxury of an air conditioner, cooking, i.e. turning on the oven is pretty much out of the question. However, a salad, a salad I can do. I get one bunch of romaine and one bunch of frisée from La Boqueria, both for one Euro, and one small bundle of radishes, two carrots, a trio of vine ripened tomatoes, a cucumber and one avocado later I am ready with one bag secured in each hand to make the 15 minute journey back to my apartment. Knowing that I have a can of tuna and a bit of chickpeas leftover, my shopping spree is complete; albeit after I pick up a watermelon and some delicious toasted almonds to munch on throughout the week. Wait, who am I kidding the watermelon will be gone by nights end!

There is not much you need to do when you have such quality ingredients to work with. Honoring them is your only job. So don't underestimate the ability of a beautiful extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt, a dash of white wine vinegar and fresh, fragrant herbs, such as basil, roughly torn and liberally scattered amongst your mix of lettuce and vegetables. Thinly sliced sweet onions are also a nice addition. Do remember to think about textures and flavors when constructing your salad. Creamy avocado is a welcome contrast to crunchy bits of julienne radish and soft, juicy tomatoes, as are sweet carrots and briny tuna melding with slightly bitter frisée. You can't help not having a sublime forkful, bite after bite!

After all that is chopped and tossed I know it may not yield the comfort of a hunk of sirloin and roasted potatoes, but when you are on a budget in the heat of summer, surrounded by ridiculously inexpensive produce, you can't help but to eat like a rabbit from time to time; and that ain't too bad when this little rabbit calls La Boqueria her very own personal garden.

tis' the season

Well kiddies, Summer is in full swing and I am loving the wealth of produce I see everyday. Whether it be at La Boqueria or the smaller markets dotting the streets, there is an overflow of shiny, chrimson red cherries; soft skinned, blushing peaches; gorgeous varieties of verdent lettuce and adorable little Seckel pears, all begging to be taken home and gobbled up. My refrigerator is stocked to the brim with these delights, from my daily trecks to the market. The peaches I purchased are dripping with juicy sweetness, that is quite floral, and I am thinking how delicious they would be as a prelude to dinner or a little snack to nibble on in the safety of the sun's shade. Pair the peach slices with a mild and delicate fresh cheese like mató, from the famous Monserrat region of Cataluña, and a few leaves of basil.  Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt to brighten the dish and a drizzle of mellow honey to tie the flavors together. The pureness of the ingredients and a cool, crisp white wine like an Alberiño will immediately have you singing the sweet song of Summer.

where there is cheese...

In my quest the other day to find information about dairy farms in Spain on the internet I came across a blip about a store that specializes in artisinal farmstead cheese from all over the country. This store just so happens to lie tucked away in a side street very close to my apartment, so the following day I took to the streets to find this little gem. The shop is called Formatgeria La Seu, located on Carrer Dagueria 16, just off of Carrer Jaume1 on the left when walking towards La Rambla. The cheese specialist behind the name is Katherine McLaughlin, a Scottish woman who opened the store in December 2000. It is the only store in Spain dedicated solely to Spanish cheese. What a beautiful concept!

The afternnon sun shined upon me as I wandered into the cozy, inviting space, that actually used to be one of Barcelona's first butter making factories, and was inspired to ask Katherine if I could possibly stop in one day and talk with her about the delicacies she carries in hopes of aquiring a better knowledge of Spanish cheese and to learn about her jewel of a store. Luckily, she was more than willing to schedule a time to chat. So, this Wednesday "Cheese 101" awaits me with open arms. Details and pictures to come!