The "guys" are back

When we were packing up in Siracusa, having already spent time in Girona and Mount Etna, C.C. realized that she was missing her “guys.”  She has had a set of small, stuffed dinosaurs for years—they are her “guys” and they are her absolute favorite toys.  The Apatosaurus, who is blue, is named “blue guy,” the T-Rex, who is green, is “green guy” and so on.   She had brought two (blue guy and XXX) of them on our Sicily trip.  We looked everywhere but could not find them. We couldn’t remember packing them up at the Mount Etna agriturismo, so we called several times but could not get anyone to answer. C.C. was quite upset, wondering if someone had made off with them and if they’d be okay. 

A few years ago, after one of them got lost and could not be found, Alec got on the internet and ordered a replacement.   Smart man that he is, he ordered extras of all of the “guys” should a similar situation occur again.  The extras are stored in a box in the basement, and over the years we have miraculously “found” one or another of these guys, restoring calm and order to the household.  I wondered if I could steer our tenants to the box and have them send replacements, assuming our stash included the right ones.

Finally, I sent an email and, sure enough, they had been found.  C.C. was ecstatic.  After a long journey in a box (along with all of Alec’s socks, which I had also left at the same place) they arrived yesterday, safe and sound.

Meanwhile, back in Barcelona, Alec and I skipped out of work early on Wednesday to meet our friends Michael and Don at Comerç 24, a much-lauded restaurant where Carles Abellan rules over an incredible kitchen.  The room is lovely—clean and bright with red and yellow banquettes, sculptural Lucite cubes filled with ice for filling drinks, lots of light.  When I walked in, a few minutes late because I’d made a wrong turn, the hostess greeted me warmly and one of the cooks called a welcome from the spotless open kitchen.  Some high end restaurants make you feel as though they are doing you a favor by deigning to let you eat there, but at Comerç 24, it felt as though they were genuinely happy to have us—which is as it should be.

You can dine a la carte at the restaurant, but most people choose either the Festival or Grande Festival pre-set menus.  Now, doesn’t “festival” put you in a much better mood than a simple “tasting menu”?  Once we learned that the Grande Festival took three hours, we opted for the simpler Festival menu—Alec had to pick up the kids and I had an appointment to have my hair highlighted.  We had some lovely rose cava while we decided, and then a Priorat—Michael and Don had discovered Priorat at 7 Portas, and there was no turning back.

The food delivered one amazing taste and texture combination after another—my favorite was the “kinder” egg, which had truffle, egg, and potato foam.  It tasted like the most upscale, rich comfort food you can imagine.  They even graciously accommodated Don, who eats no meat or fish; he reported that it was the best vegetarian tasting menu he’d ever had, and he’s had a few.  Dessert was also spectacular.  The servers put all five sweets (yes, 5 for each of us) on the table at the same time and instructed us on how to eat them and in which order.  We started with a layered drink that included peach juice and green tea, and ended with a rich chocolate mousse-y thing drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.  I had had it at Abellan’s Tapaç 24 (more accessible, less expensive, also excellent) and loved it.

I left Michael and Don to wander the Born, and headed to the train so that I could get to the salon on time.  I was so full, happy and relaxed that I fell asleep in the chair.

Michael and Don left this morning and, when we came home, we found a copy of Abellan’s cookbook waiting for us.  I don’t know if I have it in me to tackle potato foam, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be making that bread with olive oil, chocolate and salt before too long.

Photos of the Day

Moving Up Hill

I packed up one of my offices yesterday—the one in Poble Nou, where Alec also has his office.  It’s being moved to what was formerly known as my “secret second office” and what shall heretofore be known as “my office.”  It’s a good thing.  I am consolidating.  I only have one place to go.  And I like it better there.  The five of us (6, when Manuel is in town) are a good little community.  It’s quiet, closer to home and to the kids’ school, and I can easily pop up to the Carretera de les Aigues for a walk when I need to clear my head.  And, Manuel gave me his parking spot during the time that he is in California.  It’s a godsend.  I used to either take the train and then walk up Tibidabo, or park way far up the hill and walk down.  I had to go back up to put money in the meter every two hours.  Except for the 2 – 4 time slot, which is free because everyone is supposed to be eating lunch, or resting.

I like having all of my books and papers in one place too.  I was forever forgetting things on one computer or another, in one office or another.  It’s simpler this way.

I taught Michael how to make a Spanish tortilla last night, which is a good thing because it means that Spanish foodways are spreading east.  And I know at least three people who received The New Spanish Table as a holiday present.  Keep cooking, everyone!

The First Pancake

You know how, when you are making pancakes, the first one always sticks to the pan and you have to eat it instead of serving it?  How the first brownie you cut from the pan never comes out whole?  That’s what the first week back in Barcelona felt like, and I’m glad it’s behind me.  Endless loads of laundry, kids cranky about school and homework, a nasty cold.  I should have eased in more slowly instead of leaping forward without getting my legs under me first.  Whatever.  It’s in the past and I’ve eaten the first pancake, the first week.

It felt good to get back to my office today, to cross all those niggly things off of my list and begin to read again.  I made progress, which always feels good, and then went for a great walk on the Carretera de les Aigues.  So I’ve turned it around, and I’ve made a vow to get more sleep this week.  Why is it so hard to just turn out the lights sometimes?

Here is that fabulous brownie recipe.  I’ve tweaked it a bit.   Although I have loved sweet and salty ever since I ate my first Reese’s peanut butter cup, I cut down a bit on the salt sprinkled on top after baking.  Turn off your computer and bake these right now.

Sweet and Salty Brownies (adapted from Baked Explorations)

Ingredients

For the caramel filling:

·      1 cup sugar

·      2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

·      ½ cup heavy cream

·      1 tsp. fleur de sel (I use Maldon sea salt—just as good and much less expensive)

·      ¼ cup sour cream or crème fraiche

For the brownies:

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Make the Caramel

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup with ¼ cup water, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan.  Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is dark amber in color, about 6 – 8 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and slowly add the cream.  Be careful, because it will bubble up.  Then add the salt.  Whisk in the sour cream and set aside to cool.

Make the Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Drizzle about ¾ cup of the caramel sauce over the brownie layer in a zigzag pattern, taking care not to let the caramel touch the sides of the pan (it will burn). Spread the caramel evenly over the brownie layer.  In heaping spoonfuls, scoop the rest of the brownie batter over the caramel layer.  Smooth the brownie batter gently to cover the caramel layer.

Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

Full and Tired and Happy

Milo stayed home on Thursday, and I stayed home with him.  We were both borderline cases, and our friends were coming in.  So I missed yet another day of intensive Spanish.  I did all of the cooking I had intended to do the night before—a tortilla, a salad of cauliflower, garbanzos, wine-soaked raisins, pickled red onions, endive… all in a curry vinaigrette.  Yes, that’s a Keller recipe, from Ad Hoc at Home.  As usual, more work than you bargained for, but ultimately worth the trouble. Keller, of course, expects one to make all of these little yummies like wine-soaked raisins regularly and have them on hand.   And, I continued my homemade brownie trials by making the Sweet and Salty Brownies from Baked Explorations.  Baked is a terrific, small bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and the brownies are amazing—if you go for the sweet/salty combo.  I’m kind of pooped right now, but will include the recipe soon.  I promise.

Our friends Michael and Don got out of snowy NYC just fine and actually arrived early.  We had a good time catching up and eating, and Milo and I both made it to school on Friday.  I can’t say that I mastered Intermediate 3.  Given that I came in during the second week of the level, and then missed two of the five classes, I will be repeating it.   After taking two weeks off.  It turns out that the levels each take 2 weeks to get through, and it makes more sense to do two weeks on and two weeks off than one week on and one week off, as I had planned.

After class, I met up with Alec, Michael and Don (who had done the market shopping) at La Pubilla, a great lunch spot just next to the market—delicious carrot soup with a dollop of mascarpone and a drizzle of olive oil, steak with roasted potatoes and a cabrales sauce, and a thin cheesecake with berries.  Alec went to pick up the kids, and the rest of us walked down Passeig de Gracia all the way down to Placa Catalunya, then back up Rambla Catalunya until the Provenca FGC stop, where we got on to come home. 

Milo had his second soccer game on Saturday morning. He wore his lucky pink socks, but alas, they kind of got creamed.  He played well, though, and is still at an age where playing is so much more important than winning, so it really didn’t matter to him.  After coming back for a quick rest, we all went to the Sagrada Familia—Alec and I had not been since we first came to Barcelona several years ago, and much more of it has been opened up since then.  We had tickets for 3 pm—you can get them online and print them out at home, thereby skipping the whole line.  This is the way to see the Sagrada Familia.  There is also a brand new audioguide for kids, which made it possible for us to all go.  Well, sort of.  Alec listened to the kids’ version so that he could help them along. 

Before I had time to realize what was happening, Alec had purchased tickets for all of us to go up one of the spires in the elevator.  You know by now that I don’t love being in high places, especially small high places where the wind blows.  But the walls of the TINY space at the top of the spire were high and solid, so as long as I stood very still in the middle of the space, I was okay.  The views from up there are incredible, but I’ve never placed a whole lof of value in views.  The part I appreciated most was being able to see the high up architectural details up close.  But I hightailed it back down the elevator pretty quickly, while everyone else took the stairs down.  There’s no two ways about it—the Sagrada Familia is an amazing building. I hesitate to write too much, because it would feel reductive.  Suffice it to say that, although the building itself has become a symbol of Barcelona—which means that you see representations of it everywhere, which can often result in an anticlimactic experience when you encouter the object that became the symbol—walking into the interior stopped me in my tracks.  It’s all that.

We had dinner at 7 Portes, an iconic Barcelona restaurant on the edge of the Born and famous for its paella.   It was very good—one of those restaurants you are glad to have eaten in—but not one I will rush back to.  There is a lot more food to eat in this city.  We took a long walk around the Born and the Barri Gotic after dinner—we have not gone out much in this city that is known for its night life.  We wandered and peeked into places rather than going in, and it was interesting to see what goes on while we generally sleep.

Today we slept late, cooked more good food, went out to Parc Guell, and came back to eat, play scrabble, and rest.  It’s good to have friends from home here—friends who appreciate good food, like digging into a good city, and enjoy taking things slow.

Photos of the Day