Claudia&Julia's blog
How to make traditional aioli
Traditional alioli is a delicious sauce used as an accompaniment for fish or seafood dishes, grilled meats, and it is also served with paellas and fideuás. The word alioli comes from Catalan and means garlic oil.
Cinnamon Braid in a skillet
If you’ve been lucky enough to have tried — not to mention made — that wonderful invention called cinnamon rolls (or cinnamon buns), you’ll easily sense that what follows is going to create an irresistible urge to run check the pantry and get into the flour as soon as possible. Am I wrong?
Meatballs in Carrot Sauce
I'd say meatballs aren't as fashionable as they once were; they may seem too labor-intensive in these times of immediacy, but these meatballs in carrot sauce, besides being delicious, are ready in no time if you get the whole family to help. And shaping the little meatballs will give you the week's zen moment. I swear it on Snoopy.
Stewed Lentils with Pork Rib
One of the great advantages of the new WMF multi-function pot is that in a single appliance you can perform different types of cooking, from pressure cooking like in a pressure cooker to steaming, sautéing, browning, slow cooking... The idea of today's recipe is to make use of that multifunctionality.
Parisian Flan
I love making sweet preparations, whether tarts, desserts,… I enjoy any of them — with fruit, with cream, with or without pastry. But above all I like them not to be excessively sweet, that is, so I can appreciate all their nuances rather than have them masked by too much sugar.
How to choose a good paella
To prepare a paella you need 2 essential things: good ingredients and a good paella (or paellera, as manufacturers call it). Today we analyze why it's worth investing in a good paellera, which paellas we recommend and the differences between the Carbone and the Mineral paellas from De Buyer.
Galician zorza
I had never heard of Galician zorza until Claudia suggested making it, and I must admit I’ve fallen for it (well, me and everyone at home), because we’ve found a new way to prepare meat that’s different and not at all complicated.
Strawberry Tarte Tatin
Today I felt like putting on my apron to make my favorite tarte Tatin. It's the strawberry tarte Tatin — so easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Advantages of non-stick molds compared to silicone molds
If you've noticed, at Claudia&Julia we've never had silicone cooking utensils in the store. While we do have some spoons or spatulas for handling food and caring for pans, we don't carry silicone molds that cook directly, whether in the oven or in the microwave.
We always recommend cooking in iron, stainless steel, or ceramic cookware, all of which are very natural materials for cooking. When, due to the type of food or for convenience while cooking, another material is required, we certainly recommend nonstick utensils, never silicone.
That theory also applies when you want to bake, whether with sweet or savory cakes. We definitely prefer nonstick pans/molds or ceramic ones over silicone ones.
What advantages do nonstick molds have over silicone ones?
- Even heat distribution: nonstick molds have a very well-made body, and their design emphasizes constructing a mold that distributes heat very well, so that recipes achieve effective, even cooking. Nonstick molds from Le Creuset, for example, have an iron interior that reaches very high temperatures and achieves fabulous baking; or nonstick molds Nordic Ware, for example, have an aluminum body with a nonstick coating, and those inner layers are really effective at distributing temperature.
- Baking results: with a silicone mold you will never achieve a crust as well baked as with a ceramic or nonstick mold, given how the latter materials radiate heat into the batter.
- Silicone molds can leave a taste in the food you cook; you can notice the synthetic taste of the material you cooked in. That is quite noticeable, and in fact it's one of the most mentioned and negative characteristics cited by silicone mold users. In contrast, ceramic and nonstick molds do not leave any flavor in recipes — recipes taste as they should.
- Los silicone molds absorb odors, and over time they start to smell worse, since bacteria (which cause bad odors) adhere to the silicone.
- For health reasons: in recipe baking, and especially when baking in the oven, very high temperatures are reached, and it is at those extreme temperatures that materials are most damaged and release elements that are harmful to health. Silicone (plastic) is not among the healthiest utensils for cooking.
- Today, there are nonstick and ceramic molds that are extremely durable and economical.
For all of the above, we believe it's far more worthwhile to invest in a ceramic mold or a nonstick one than in a silicone one. What do you think? What type of mold do you like to cook with?
Ladyfinger sponge or ladyfingers
The soletilla sponge cake, or the soletillas we all know, are small flat, elongated sponge cakes, tender and fluffy, made with a very common sponge cake formula, similar to that of the Genoise sponge or almost identical; in fact, some people use the Genoise sponge recipe directly.
Corn, Cheddar and Jalapeño Waffles with Cheese Sauce
We start this New Year 2020 with a recipe that's super easy and impressive. Corn, cheddar and jalapeño waffles; a recipe that, I'm telling you now, will become a must for your whole family. And to make it even better, I'll tell you we're going to serve it with a cheddar cheese sauce. Yes, yes, just what you're thinking: for properly dunking the waffle!
How to Make an Authentic Moroccan Tea
Today Julio shows us how to make an authentic Moroccan tea, a wonderfully comforting sweet tea. Besides being comforting because it's served hot, it proves to be a very healthy drink (especially if we control the sweetness, as we do in our recipe).
