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For many of you, this is probably a childhood memory, and I bet that every once in a while you get tempted to buy them again and eat two in a row without your mom scolding you. Well, if I tell you that you can make them at home and that the size is up to you, I think you should already be on your way out to buy some good ripe strawberries.

What do we need?

• 500 g (1.1 lb) strawberries
• 250 g (9 oz / about 1 cup) cream cheese (Philadelphia type)
• 100 g (about 1/2 cup) heavy whipping cream
• 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
• 2 teaspoons powdered cuajada (rennet-based setting mix)

How do we make it?

1. First, wash the strawberries and remove the stems. Blend them well with a hand blender until you get a strawberry purée.
2. In a small glass, put a bit of the strawberry purée and dissolve the cuajada in it. Set aside.
3. Put the rest of the strawberry purée in a saucepan and heat it until it boils.
4. Remove from the heat, add the portion of purée with the dissolved cuajada, and stir well.
5. Put it back on the heat for about two minutes, stirring constantly. (BE CAREFUL at this step because if the heat is too high the strawberry purée can splatter and burn you. Trust me, the stuff is worse than water — being denser, it really sticks to you.)
6. Let the purée cool down a little and then add the rest of the ingredients (sugar, cheese, and cream).
7. Blend everything well with the hand blender and you'll see it has already taken on a lovely petit suisse color.
8. All that's left is to pour it into whatever little glasses you want to serve it in and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Tips:

– We used shot glasses — they look really cute and it's the perfect portion size, since we have to admit this is a pretty rich dessert (now I understand why our moms wouldn't let us eat too many… :-P). You can also use the little glass yogurt jars or any small cup you have around.

– I can't tell you for sure how long they'll keep in the fridge, but with these ingredients I'd estimate they'll last a week without any problem.

Today we’re bringing you a muffin recipe. Muffins are similar to Spanish magdalenas but, unlike those, they usually use butter instead of oil and the batter isn’t as smooth (you just mix the ingredients without having to beat them). Also, muffins can be either sweet or savory and they take a wide variety of “chunks” inside (chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc.). Don’t confuse them with the famous cupcakes that are so trendy these days, which are always sweet and decorated with buttercream or some other kind of frosting.

What do we need?

• 230 g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour

• 150 g (¾ cup) sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

• 2 eggs

• 110 g (½ cup) butter (room temperature)

• 3 ripe bananas

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

How do we make it?

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

• In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).

• In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until you get a purée. Add the lightly beaten eggs, the softened butter and the vanilla. Mix well.

• Fold the banana mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, mix until the ingredients are just combined, but don’t overmix. The batter will be a bit thick and lumpy.

• Divide the batter into muffin molds, filling each one about 3/4 of the way since they’ll rise. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out completely clean.

Tips:

• You can add walnuts or chocolate chips to this recipe by mixing them in with the dry ingredients.

• The riper the bananas, the better. You can even use those ones that have gone ugly and a bit brown.

• Even if you use paper liners, I recommend placing them in a metal muffin pan. Otherwise, the paper liners might not hold the weight and the batter will spill out.

  [English version] BANANA MUFFINS* Ingredients:-*

• 230 g all-purpose flour

• 150 g granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

• 2 eggs

• 110 g butter (soften)

• 3 ripe bananas

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

• Preheat oven to 180ºC.

• Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).

• In a different bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add lightly beaten eggs, soften butter and vanilla. Mix well.

• With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold he wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth.

• Bake about 20 -25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tips:

- You can add nuts or chocolate chips when combining the dry ingredients. - The riper bananas the better. You can use even those ones that have turned brown. - When using paper liners, use a muffin pan too. Otherwise paper liners might not be strong enough to hold the butter and the muffin shape will be ruined.

They say good things come to those who wait, and it seems that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to do with this new recipe. But anyway, we’re finally back to posting, and we’re bringing you an easy, quick, and delicious appetizer suggestion, once again borrowed from La Receta de la Felicidad, who recommends it as a Christmas gift. But hey, when it comes to enjoying a good cheese, who cares if it’s Christmas, Easter, or the middle of August, right?

What do we need?

• 1 Camembert cheese

• A handful of shelled walnuts

• 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

• 2 tablespoons butter

How do we make it?

• Place the whole Camembert cheese on a plate and arrange the walnuts on top.

• In a small saucepan or skillet, heat the sugar over medium heat and let it melt slowly without stirring (even if you feel tempted to).

• Once the sugar has melted into a kind of thick, pale syrup, you can stir it and let it cook a little longer until it reaches a golden caramel color.

• Turn off the heat, add the two tablespoons of butter, and stir well.

• Immediately pour the caramel over the Camembert with walnuts, trying to make a thin layer or even caramel threads.

Tips:

• Be careful not to leave the caramel on the heat for too long, as it could burn and result in a very dark, bitter caramel.

• You can cut the cheese into portions right after pouring on the caramel. Otherwise, once it solidifies it can get tricky (that’s another reason why the caramel layer should be thin).

________________ [English version] CAMEMBERT CHEESE WITH NUTS AND CARAMEL* *Ingredients:

• 1 Camembert cheese

• Several nuts

• 100 g sugar

• 2 tbsp butter

• Place the cheese into a dish and put the nuts over it.

• Place the sugar into a sauce pan and cook over medium low heat. Let it melt slowly.

• When the sugar is totally melt you can use a spoon to stir.

• Keep cooking until golden brown. Add the butter and stir well.

• Pour immediately over the cheese with the nuts. Try to create a thin layer.

• Tips:- Do not overcook the sugar or you’ll get a dark and bitter caramel.* - Cut the cheese into portions right after pouring the caramel. Otherwise, when caramel is hard it could be very difficult (that’s why you have to try to make a thin layer).

BLT stands for Bacon Lettuce Tomato, which translates to a spectacular combo. Especially if you make the bacon the way we did. Want to know the secret? Keep reading.

What do we need?

• 4 slices of bacon

• 4 slices of bread

• 2 tomatoes

• A couple of lettuce leaves

• 2 tablespoons of sugar

• Cayenne pepper

• Mayonnaise

How do we make it?

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

• Meanwhile, wash the lettuce and tomato.

• On a baking tray, lay out the bacon in a single layer on parchment paper. Grind the cayenne and sprinkle it over the bacon. Sprinkle the sugar on top too, and put it in the oven once it reaches temperature.

• Let it cook for about 15 minutes, until crispy and quite dark.

• While the bacon is cooking, slice the tomatoes into rounds and leave the lettuce in big leaves.

• Toast the bread. Once it’s done to your liking, spread a bit of mayonnaise on it and assemble the sandwich.

Tips:

• You can add lots of things, even switch up the sauce. The base is the BLT trio. We added onion, but avocado works really well too.

• You can make it with regular sandwich bread, but we recommend “long-life” bread (long live the king!!!!!). I think you can usually find it in supermarkets labeled as rustic bread (already sliced).

[English version] BLT* *Ingredients:

• 4 bacon slices

• 4 bread slices

• 2 tomatoes

• 2 lettuce leaves

• 2 tbsp sugar

• *Chili powder *

• Mayonnaise

• Preheat oven at 200º C.

• *Wash lettuce and tomato. *

• *In a baking tray, place some baking paper and the bacon (in one layer). Sprinkle with sugar and chili powder. *

• *Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy. *

• *In the meanwhile, cut tomato into slices. *

• *Toast bread, spread some mayonnaise in each slice and make your sandwich with all the ingredients (tomato, lettuce and bacon). *

• Tips:- You can add any other ingredient or sauce that you like. The essentials are Bacon Lettuce and Tomato. We added some fresh onion but avocado is also a perfect choice. **- You can prepare the sandwich with any kind of white sandwich bread but we like to prepare it with sliced bread. *

We’re back with a simple recipe, one of those everyone knows how to make, but that we wanted to share with you for two simple reasons: first and most important, it’s a really easy dish that you usually eat when you’re out for drinks but not at home (this is our way of encouraging you to make it yourself), and second because we’ve got a little tip about how to fry the potatoes. Want to know what it is? You’ll have to read the rest of the recipe.

What do we need?

• Good quality cured ham

• 3 large potatoes

• 2 farm-fresh eggs

• Olive oil

• Salt

How do we make it?

• While we heat the oil in a pan (preferably a deep one), we separate or cut up the ham.

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into irregular bite-sized pieces.

• Once the oil is nice and hot, lower it to medium heat and add the potatoes. Let them cook more than fry.

• When they’re soft, take them out and set aside on a plate. Turn the heat back up.

• Fry the eggs and set them aside.

• Now with the heat high, put the potatoes back in to brown them. This way they’ll be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

• After draining them on a paper towel, arrange them on a plate or platter, add the ham and eggs, and enjoy.

[English version] HUEVOS ROTOS (FRENCH FRIES WITH EGGS AND SPANISH HAM)* *Ingredients:

• Spanish cured ham

• 3 potatoes

• 2 free-range eggs

• Olive oil

• Salt

• Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan. In the meanwhile, cut the ham into medium size pieces and the potatoes in irregular pieces the size of a mouthful.

• *When olive oil is very hot, reduce heat into medium and put the potatoes. Let them simmer. *

• *When the potatoes are cooked (soft but white), take them out of the pan. Increase heat again. *

• Fry the eggs and set aside.

• When the heat is high again, fry again the potatoes until golden brown. They will be soft in the inside and crusty in the outside.

• *Take them out into a plate with kitchen paper to remove the extra oil. Place the potatoes into a large plate, the eggs and ham over them and enjoy! *

Good and freezing morning. Today we’re bringing you a really simple recipe, the kind that even Jesús will be able to pull off without having to call twenty times :p The thing is, I’m a huge fan of making burgers at home. They’re usually way better than the ones you eat out, plus you make them to your own taste and load them with the ingredients you like best. This time we made the burger with blue cheese mixed right into the patty.

What do we need?

(For each big-eater burger)

• 200 g (7 oz) ground beef

• 25-30 g (1 oz) blue cheese

• 1 egg

• Pepper

• Salt

• Breadcrumbs

• Tomato

• Lettuce

• Onion

• Burger bun

How do we make it?

• Take the ground beef and dump it into a large bowl, since you’re going to be getting your hands in there.

• Add the egg, a bit of freshly ground pepper, salt to taste, and a little breadcrumbs to give the meat some consistency.

• Mix everything together with your hands.

• Once all the ingredients are well combined, add the blue cheese cut into cubes. Try to work it into the meat but without pressing too hard so the cheese doesn’t break apart.

• Wrap in cling film and shape into a burger.

• Let the burger rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.

• When you’re ready to eat, put a frying pan with a splash of oil over the heat and, while it’s warming up, start chopping the rest of the ingredients.

• Cut the onion into rings, the lettuce into fairly large leaves (that way it’s easier to eat), and the tomato into slices.

• Once the oil is hot, lower the heat a bit so the burger doesn’t burn on the outside while staying raw inside. Cook it to your liking (I like mine rare).

• When it’s done, set it aside, wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper, and toast the bun for about half a minute.

• Build your burger and enjoy.

Tips:

• If you’re not going to use all the ground beef you bought, you can keep the formed patties in the freezer.

• For me, as I said, I really enjoy a good burger, so 150 to 200 grams (5-7 oz) of ground beef is the “standard” size. Yes, that’s on the generous side, but hey, it’s a burger. Obviously you can make it with less.

• If you want, you can dust the patty in flour before cooking it.

• As my dad says when we play tute, “side dish requested.” A good beer or a cold Coke with fries (homemade or store-bought) is a must.

[English version] **Ingredients:

(For each big hamburger)

• 200 g de minced meat

• 25-30 g de blue cheese

• 1 egg

• Pepper

• Salt

• Bread crumbs

• Tomato

• Salad

• Onion

• Hamburger bun

• Place minced meat into a large bowl and mix well with your hands.

• Add the egg, a bit of salt and pepper and some bread crumbs.

• Mix well all ingredients.

• Then chop blue cheese into small squares and add to the meat mix. Try to ‘knead’ the mix integrating the cheese but keeping it into pieces.

• Make a ball, wrap in cling film and and flatten it with your hand to have hamburger shape.

• Leave for a couple of hours in fridge.

• Then, pour a bit of olive oil in the frying pan. Let it get warm and start preparing your fresh ingredients (onion, tomato and salad).

• Cut onion into rings, tomato into slices and salad (lettuce) into big parts (it will be easier to eat).

• Cook the hamburger according to your preferences (well done, medium or rare).

• When it’s ready take it out from the pan, clean the frying pan with kitchen paper and toat the bread bun.

• Prepare you hamburger sandwich with all the ingredients and enjoy it.

Tips:

• You can freeze the prepared raw hamburgers and you will only need to defrost and cook in the pan whenever you need it.

• This amount of minced meat is for a big hamburger but it’s up to you the size of your hamburger.

• You can coat in flour the raw hamburger before cooking it.

• It’s a must to serve the hamburger with a cold beer and chips or fries.

Truth is, this is a recipe we’ve been making for ages and one that I always thought was “the original” — the way I figured this typical Italian dish was prepared by mammas all over Italy. How wrong I was… Every Italian who’s seen us make this dish has been surprised, has laughed, and has gotten outraged in equal measure when watching us prepare “their dish” with cream instead of uovo. Here you can see how they make it, and without further ado I’ll show you our version (having tried both, I’ll stick with ours :p)

What do we need?

(Serves 2)

• 200 g (7 oz) spaghetti

• 4 slices of bacon

• 1/2 onion

• 200 ml (3/4 cup) cooking cream

• Salt and pepper

How do we make it?

• Put the spaghetti to cook in plenty of water (once it’s boiling), lightly salted.

• While the pasta is cooking — we’ll leave it for around 15 minutes — pour a splash of oil in a frying pan and add the onion.

• Let it sauté a little and add the bacon.

• Once it’s done, add the cream and let it come to a boil.

• Add a pinch of salt — careful not to overdo it since the bacon already gives flavor to the sauce — and a bit of pepper. Set aside if the pasta isn’t ready yet.

• Drain the pasta and mix with the carbonara sauce.

Tips:

• Depending on your stove, pot, and pasta, it may be ready a little before the fifteen minutes or a little after. Keep an eye on it if you like your pasta “al dente”.

• The bacon can be swapped for pancetta.

• You can sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese on top when you serve the pasta.

Comments

Miguel (2012-11-07 12:01:29):

I usually make this same recipe, but when I add the salt and pepper, I take the chance to throw in a tiny bit (very, very little) of nutmeg.

And I also prefer the cream version over the egg one.

tía pi (2012-11-07 23:41:40):

For me, carbonara is without onion, with bacon, cream and egg, but I’ll give yours a try.

Palstelera (2012-11-09 21:26:49):

I love nutmeg. Truth is I always add it to béchamel but never to carbonara — I’ll try it next time :-)

Palstelera (2012-11-09 21:27:17):

Without onion? Try it, it’s delicious!

Vio (2012-12-07 20:44:34):

Boo! I love the blog, but you also know I couldn’t stay quiet knowing you call this carbonara. Maledetti!

I’ll take the chance to tell you that, aside from the amazing recipes, the site is super pretty and the photos rock ;-)

Big kiss!

Palstelera (2012-12-11 13:04:25):

hehe, Vio. It’s not that we call it carbonara… it’s that half of Spain does! That’s why, to avoid hurting any feelings, we started the post by making clear that what’s called carbonara in Spain has nothing to do with the Italian recipe… But honestly, I love the Spanish version :-)

Vio (2013-03-05 12:39:39):

Haha, sure — you, Spain… it’s all about complaining :-P

The truth is I do really like this version, but I think the Italian one is much tastier when it’s done right, with crispy bacon, lots of pepper, and nice juicy spaghetti. I will say a lot of Italians make a pretty lousy version and it really brings the dish down.