Let them eat Spanish cake
Whenever I am commissioned to make a dessert for a special occasion I am always fascinated by the things I learn and the people I meet; add to that the pressure of being entrusted with an heirloom recipe, and rest assured that the product will be a labor of love.
This was exactly my situation when the King of Spanish Cuisine, Juan Carlos de Terry, the chef owner of Terry’s, a successful chain of authentic Spanish restaurants, called me. JC, as many fondly call him, challenged me to make a dessert for the International Wine & Food Society, Manila Branch. He had a specific cake in mind, using a cake recipe by their family. He wanted me to make a cake called Tarta Goxua, a traditional sponge cake soaked in Patxarán, a liqueur made from sloe berries that grow wild in Navarra — a region north of Spain — frosted with cognac and peach-flavored cream.
The Biscocho dela Abuela, a sponge cake recipe, carried with it childhood memories: he would have it for morning, snacks, lunch and dinner to cap off a scrumptious meal. It is actually a dry sponge cake that becomes moist when soaked or sprayed with a simple syrup. The day after I met with him, I tested the recipe for Bicocho dela Abuela and followed the cake description he had in mind. The challenge started. I made five versions of various tastes and textures, careful to check with chef De Terry as to how he wanted the cake to come out. He wanted a special texture not as fine as chiffon but coarser, so that it could be moistened with Patxarán syrup and brandy with pastry cream and peaches coming from Spain.
After experimenting with peaches, Patxarán and brandy, he decided on a version of the cake that I made with a coarser texture, and I totally agreed with him. Since a cake with a coarse texture has no fat in the ingredients, it can absorb syrup better. With a look of approval on his face he promptly invited me to one of the exclusive events of the year, the Cena Despidida, a special dinner held for close family and friends that highlighted the various dishes and products Terry’s Selection features, and this dinner is the conclusive highlight of a series of dinners Terry’s has held over the past year.
His inspiration this year came from the provinces of La Rioja, Navarra and Aragon, regions by the Ebro River known for its fine wines and culinary products. Since chef De Terry is a certified oenologist or, in layman’s terms, someone who has a recognized doctorate in the study and science of all aspects of winemaking (except vine growing and grape harvesting), I was prepared to be welcomed with a festival of flavors stemming from his unrivaled wine-pairing abilities.
My husband Benny and I were seated at the Malvasia table, along with other distinguished guests of honor that sat in anticipation of JC’s masterpieces. It was a long dinner filled with wonderful conversation and decadent food. I was grateful that my husband was there with me since, amid the plethora of cheeses and chorizos, I thoroughly enjoyed the fine wines from the Ebro provinces of Spain.
We were presented with the longest longaniza as an appetizer and then the chuleton, inspired by Meson Egues in Logrono, La Rioja, a one-kilo, two-inch-thick steak pan-fried in olive oil and butter, then roasted in the oven. It was really juicy and thick.
Next were Kokotxas and Bacalao Loin Ajoarriero in puff pastry, where the small, jellylike pieces from a fish head are mixed with dried salt-cod loin or lomo, then mixed in a delightful tomato sauce with peppers and onions and cooked inside a pastry shell. Up next was Menestra, the quintessential Rioja vegetable stew crowned with La Catedral asparagus and artichokes, escargot and Teruel ham.
To cap off a gustatory trip to the regions of Ebro, our featured dessert of the evening was a Chaud-Froid of Calanda prune confit, Arbequina olive oil, Estrella cheese ice cream and Alvaro Palacios’ Placet warm sabayon, in other words a cheese-flavored ice cream drenched with prune sauce with olive oil as one of the main ingredients, with a dollop of sweet creamy wine sauce alongside trays and trays of Rusos de Alfaro, which is similar to the texture of Sansrival cake.
All in all it was a wonderfully enriching experience where I got to travel through regions of Spain with their cuisine, swap stories and learn a treasure of a recipe from one of the most distinguished chefs in the Philippines, Juan Carlos de Terry. With that in mind, I could ask for nothing more.
* * *
For more comments and suggestions, you may e-mail the author at info@henysison.com or visit www.henysison.com and the Heny Sison FB account.
