Claudia&Julia's blog

I have always enjoyed making desserts, desserts with history like these traditional frisuelos that are made in Asturias and whose recipe has been passed down from parents to children time and time again.

When Claudia suggested I prepare a recipe with the Ilsa flan molds, I immediately replied that I wanted to make my tocinillos de cielo. They are such an exquisite and delicate bite that I wanted to show you how to make them at home. And the thing is, whenever I serve them at a gathering, they’re a hit.

You're probably wondering first: Where's the fruit? I asked myself the same the first time I saw this dessert. A cobbler is a dessert with a base of caramelized fruit covered by a layer of cookie dough or shortcrust pastry and baked. This dessert has nothing to do with the classic cobbler, but that's what they call it.

Back in the Second World War, two Canadian officers were staying at a hotel in the northeast of England, where they handed the recipe for a pudding to the hotel's owner; and it makes sense what they tell us about its origin being Canadian rather than English, since the batter is more like that of an American muffin than that of a delicate, spongy English cake. I'm talking about the delicious sticky toffee pudding.

You don't think a pressure cooker is only for steaming vegetables, do you? Because far from that, the pressure cooker lets you cook meats until they're tender and excellent in record time, lets you make stews with a fabulous blend of flavors, you can steam fish for a very healthy option, you can make delicious cakes (yes — cakes turn out great in a steam cooker!), and you can also make delicious flans like the one we bring you today, the coconut flan recipe. Among many other things, of course.

Today I’ll show you how to make wonderful homemade vanilla-flavored custards that don’t taste like egg. Once you make them at home, they’ll become one of your go-to recipes, since they’re nothing like the ones bought at supermarkets.

A few months ago Nordic Ware told us that they would stop making the beautiful Beehive pan. I couldn't believe it — it's so beautiful! With it you get lovely mini cakes, perfect little treats for breakfast, to go with coffee or for the kids' afternoon snack.

Usually, this is a cake I make in a 20-22 cm diameter pan, but when I wake up feeling a little unorthodox I get the urge to experiment and today has been one of those days. That’s why I reached for my individual Emile Henry crème brûlée ramekins, which I’m crazy in love with, and decided to prepare the pink apple cake individually. The presentation improves a lot and the baking time is reduced to less than half — two great advantages to keep in mind.

The tray that Emile Henry has won our hearts with this year is extremely versatile. It’s a tray that serves both to present any appetizer, cheeses or cold cuts at the table, and to cook: it’s designed to go in the oven, with the great qualities of Emile Henry ceramic, so you can bake puff pastries, tartlets with brick pastry, cookies and everything your sweet side desires, or you can use it to bake delicious pizzas, roast vegetables, potatoes, make stuffed, gratinated onions or mushrooms... Whatever you can imagine! But with one great added benefit: you can take it from the oven straight to the table, and its presentation is sensational.

Today I put my Nordic Ware roaster back into use and it wasn't to make potatoes. No. I felt like trying something new and thought of making a classic pastry item: baked apples. Because even though the gadget in question is christened a “potato roaster,” there are other foods and preparations for which we can use it. I'm already thinking of roasting sweet potatoes or pumpkin next time

I had never made cabello de ángel and I even thought I wasn't a big fan of this sweetish concoction. This recipe is a special request from Doña Claudia, whom I thank especially because a homemade cabello de ángel like this one as it's meant to be is something else, not even comparable to the industrial bayonesas fillings I've known since I was little.

It's autumn, and it's the season for chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins; it seems like we’re starting to crave baking pies, tarts, cakes, and pastries with apples and pears. In a way we want to turn on the oven to fill our home with those intoxicating scents of butter, cinnamon, and sugar. If only we could keep that smell in a glass jar and open it every now and then!