The fourth Monday of this month has arrived at Casa de La Vida! And I don’t know how it’s possible, but I only gained a few grams after all the delicious dishes I made and ate. But I think that will really change after today, because as you may have guessed, every Monday at Casa de la Vida has a theme. And the next And the theme of the next table is desserts.
And what kinds of dishes did I rustle up for you today? Thirteen desserts and a few indispensable treats. Why did I choose thirteen desserts? Because that is a tradition in France, in Provence. I have modernized this tradition a bit without losing sight of the whole tradition itself.
So first a brief explanation: The thirteen desserts from Provence are a collection of dessert dishes that in their number refer to Christ and his twelve apostles. Making such a rich collection of desserts is a very nice tradition that many families in France still carry on, but I wanted to give it my own twist as I now live in Spain. So there also had to be regional desserts from Murcia, and I think I succeeded in including those!
But first I’m going to talk about chocolate, I have a love-hate relationship with chocolate. Sometimes I have periods when I can eat a lot of it and at other times not at all. But since I really came to live in Spain, I mainly started cooking with it. Why is that? Because I don’t think the chocolate they have here is really tasty or special to eat. In fact, many of my Spanish friends like Dutch chocolate better. Crazy, right? I can always make my sister-in-law, Inma, happy with a bar of chocolate from Tony Chocolonely, the version with nougat. And myself? I love the pretzel version. And so I decided to copy this one today, which was quite a task! But It worked! Maybe it’s also time that I will delve more into the world of chocolate, as if I am not busy enough already!
What do you see here on the table? A wealth of desserts, cakes, bread puddings, pies, fruits, and stuffed dates with homemade marzipan. I made nougat for the first time, but also cakes, apple from the oven, chocolate treats, truffles, crema catalana, and very special cookies!
But what is the significance of the desserts that I present to you today? Everything I really love in this life! These are all things I like to eat and make: my own bread pudding, a lemon cake with meringue, my own chocolate mousse, my brownie, treats I made as a child, dates with homemade marzipan and a new recipe for fudge! Of course there’s many more things I like, but I think this is a good start. And I keep saying it: I like cooking more than baking, since baking is more chemistry than art. But if I succeed in baking, then I am the happiest child in the world!
Today I was also allowed to make a recipe from my friend Sara who I’ve been talking to a lot via instagram recently. We share many recipes with each other there, and I felt so honored that she shared my fudge and entrusted me with her own recipes. I proudly present her speculoos biscuits on my table! They are really, really tasty. I have really become so addicted to them. And now I am already asking Luis, what are you not addicted to?
Life in the kitchen can be very varied. In addition to the forty hours a week that I work on my own company, I also spend a lot of time in the kitchen. All those combined hours of work sometimes bring problems to the surface. Saturday morning I woke up feeling very bad, with a throbbing headache. I just couldn’t get rid of it, so all I could do was get back to bed and sleep. But first I went for lunch with my dad and Luis to finish the last leftovers. Eventually I got out of bed in the evening and knew I had to go outside for a while. I also needed a thermometer to really properly prepare my nougat. Being outside helped my headache and gave me the courage to be in the kitchen again. Everyone around me knows that I shouldn’t be cooking if I’m not feeling well.
Luis and I had a blast. We cooked into the night, on a sugar rush, to make all the desserts we present to you today! And how proud we are and what fun we had while making the desserts! I really enjoy being in the kitchen with Luis because he knows how to often take my stress away by doing a little stupid thing or smearing flour on my face, haha.
The desserts in France vary a lot by region. In the region where I grew up we had a lot of fresh fruit, cakes and all kinds of filled puff pastry snacks! That’s why I really opted for chocolate, orange and lemon flavors, nougat and cake. And no, we didn’t have desserts for dinner today, even though I wouldn’t mind at all. We have filled pancakes with cheese and ham for later, which I am really looking forward to! And a lovely long walk awaits us, and tomorrow a day off.
This week is a big sugar rush rollercoaster ride! Let’s sin this week, without vegetables, fish or meat! So put on some sweatpants, because the pounds will really come! And by the way, now I really need a delicious cocktail. If you are nice, my friends, I may share the secret recipe with you! The question is, which recipe will I share first? They are all equally tasty!
Now I’m curious, of course, to hear what you like after a delicious meal. What is your perfect end to a dinner? Do you have a to-go dessert after a meal? Or are you someone how just enjoys a nice cup of coffee after dinner?
