Rekons

I’m not quite sure how it’s happened that I’ve been writing this blog for over two years and have only merely hinted at Rekons up to now. It’s a true Argentinian treasure that needs to be shared and not locked in my secret chest. The counter of empanadas , embutidos and enticing cakes, muffins and alfajores seduces you to enter and what was previously a small space has recently been ‘renovated’ (read ‘bashed a wall out’) and has opened up the capacity downstairs. If full there’s also the terrace outside or a shimmy past crates of milk and beers to some upstairs seating. It’s also the only place I’ve ever been where I’ve had to sit sideways on the toilet.

Not sure if it’s the Yorkshire genes or limited budget but regular readers of this blog will know I like to trumpet places that offer great food at reasonable prices and there are few places I’ve come across that achieve that more successfully than here.

Starting with a fruity glass of red I went for the grilled chicken sandwich leaving off the cheese, just adding a dollop of mayo. Unless you are seriously hungry then order the half sandwich, you’ll also pay less than 3€ for this beauty. When I have a sandwich like this I always wonder why on earth international chains with their fake bread, warm limp salad, soggy breaded chicken and not exactly bargain prices are so popular.

Grilled chicken salad sandwich

My companions shared a plate of varied empanadas, one of beef and pumpkin with an unusual but complimentary sugary topping, another of celery, roquefort and walnuts and the others that slip my mind but the full selection is available on the menu here. Each costs between 1.50 – 3€ depending on your choice and they still have a crispy, flakiness after reheating which is a failing of some of the empanada joints in the city.

What I haven’t captured here are the mountainous, varied salads they serve which have a plethora of ingredients that work even when you sometimes think they wouldn’t. Check out their ‘rekomendaciones’ here for more tantalising options.

A bouncy sponge with a fluffy meringue topping drew us to dessert and had an unexpectedly pleasurable hint of orange running through the sponge and filling which left us with that uncomfortable moment in dessert sharing where noone wants to take the last spoonful but secretly everyone’s hoping it can be theirs.

Orange cake

You can easily enjoy lunch or a light supper, some dessert and a glass of wine here for under 10€, so now my secret’s out go forth and enjoy the riches of Rekons.

Rekons, C/Urgell 32 (corner of C/Floridblanca), Sant Antoní

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Vegan bakery

One of the best mass produced cakes I’ve ever tasted was a stem ginger cake that also happened to be vegan. It opened my mind to the possibilities of non-conventional cake baking. So I was keen to try out some other vegan baking from the appropriately named Vegan Bakery in El Born, covered in my article in September’s miniguide. Much easier on the eyes, the article is also on the miniguide website here.

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Lukumas

Last summer someone special arrived in Barcelona en route from his Greek family heartland. From his stuffed suitcase I was showered with a number of native gifts, one of which was mastika. Hailing from the Greek island of Chios, mastika is a chewable resin from the mastic tree and, as it was the least appealing amongst the saffron and other gastronomic goodies that I had been lavished with, it sat in the cupboard for several weeks before I ventured to try it. When I finally gave it a shot all I can say is that it was spat into the bin in under a minute. It was pretty vile.

So, when I was planning to postpone the current healthy eating for a sugary Saturday breakfast at  Lukumas I was intrigued to see that their most recent blog entry was exhulting their new mastika icing topping. Now I really had to go back and sample more of their creations. Lukumas is the Greek word for doughnuts which give the café its name. The doughnuts are seemingly hand made every day and this was one of the first places I’ve been to in Barcelona that made the point of serving Fairtrade coffee. In a city of heavy coffee drinkers this should certainly be something we see more of here. There was quite a selection of candy coloured, icing topped varieties to choose from including ring doughnuts which are the classic lukumas, filled strogylo of chocolate hazelnut or various creams, lukumaki which take the sweet filled ones to another level with an iced topping and for those who can stand the sugar hit ekler which have double fillings. My personal favourites are usually the small lukumaki which contain a couple of bites in each and are a real help for indecisive choosers like me, they are also a snip at 50 cents each. Try to resist passing Lukumas and not popping in for just one of those. The café is a lovely minimal, bright, airy space and has the now common feature in newer Barcelona cafés of a large communal table. I love if you get this to yourself and can sprawl the newspaper out whilst crumbs drop on it as you read and eat. Trying to put aside my bad mastika memories I went for that most sublime of sweet combinations, chocolate and hazelnut filling, with the mastika icing. And in the interests of blogging research and sticking an all out temporary middle finger to the diet, I also had a mini coconut glazed one on the side.

Chcolate and hazlenut filled doughnut with mastika icing and coconut glazed mini doughnut

What Lukumas does well where so many doughnuts fail is their light texture and non-greasyness. The mastika was also nothing to fear and added an almost pine flavoured note to the icing. It was pleasant and would be interesting in other dishes or cakes but for me was an unnecessary addition to this already delicious ball of fried dough. The small coconut glazed one was magnificent and made me wish that again I’d gone for a selection of the miniture un-iced varieties.

I’ve discovered few wonderful corners of Greece in Barcelona but this is certainly one of them.

Lukumas, Torrent de l’Olla 169, Gracia

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Are these the best croissants in Barcelona?

I’m not much of a croissant eater. That’s not to say I don’t adore those golden horns of buttery, flaky pastry, but as someone who both likes a substanstial breakfast and puts on weight a little too easily, I find myself always going for a more filling, relatively less calorific option.

So it was on the advice of my croissant loving friend who reliably informed me she had road tested many of these pastries whilst in Barcelona, that I was pointed in the direction of Hofmann with the promise that these were the best specimens the city has to offer. Hofmann is a key player on the Barcelona culinary scene with a prestigious restaurant, cookery school and patisserie in the city and their croissants not only get the thumbs up from my pal Sarah, but also won the award for the ‘Best hand made butter croissant in Spain 2010′.

Croissants might be there star performer but the Born patisserie also sells a range of cakes, macaroons, jams and other sweet goodies in this pastel, quaker, slightly-too-cutesy-for-my-taste setting.

So, are these croissants worthy of such an esteemed prize? In all honesty, yes. They are beautifully light, buttery yet not greasy and they go without that unnecessary sticky glaze which crowns so many of Barcelona’s croissant offerings. At 1.10€ they are also a snip and don’t come with an award winning price tag. Hofmann Pastelería, C/ Flassaders, 44, Born

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Sole Graells

Sole Graells first came to my attention on a pre-move visit to Barcelona in 2009. A gift of the ‘A Day in the Life of El Bulli’ book and the realisation that making anything out of it would be impossible without some of the ‘Texturas’ ingredients developed by the Adriàs. Thus I was led to the shop after some online research. However, the creations of Catalonia’s most famous modern sons is not my focus for Sole Graells here. Rather, this is my second suggestion for sourcing the scarce baking ingredients in Barcelona.

Essentially for pastry chefs and the catering industry, although a godsend to the home baker as well, this is where the treasure trove of ingredients, colourings, essences, oils, spirits, moulds and industrial kitchen equipment can be unearthed.

Hidden behind its unassuming door are shelves of supplies for some of the best and influential restaurants in Barcelona and its environs such as El Bulli, 7 Portes, Celler Can Roca and Mugaritz as well as stocking products and ingredients developed by these restaurants’ chefs.

'Texturas' developed by Ferran and Albert Adrià

'Seeds', part of range of grains, special ingredients and aromatic mixtures developed by Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz

Also catching my eye were some interesting nectars and a broad selection of balsamic vinegars of every perceivable flavour combination, fig, apple, lychee, chocolate……Nestled amongst them was also a bottle of ‘garum’, that fermented anchovy sauce that the Romans used to cherish and was the ketchup of their day. Incidently, under the History of the City museum you will find Roman remains which include a garum factory.

However, it’s for those working with pastry and us home bakers where Sole Graells really comes into its own. The shop’s website offers a comprehensive list of everything they stock so I won’t laboriously go through them here, but I would go so far as to say that if Sole Graells doesn’t stock it then give up your search.

Moulds, tins, knives, industrial equipment for large quantity baking are all available, along with mixers, blenders, scales and fryers, which I haven’t captured on camera here.

Silicon baking moulds

Cake tins and rings

Industrial equipment

Equipment ready you need the ingredients to fill them. Flavourings, colourings (many of them natural), those elusive dark sugars we see everywhere at home, tinned and bottled fruits, super strength liqueurs for boozey desserts and tub upon tub of baking ingredients such as bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and pectin amongst many, many others. As I mentioned with Parami these are sold in large quantities but again by weight work out much cheaper than in supermarkets. Why not buy with a fellow baking friend and save yourselves a few euros?

Range of colourants

Syrups

Tinned fruits, liqueurs and sugars

Baking ingredients

Any brave soul willing to try their hand at tempering and moulding their own chocolates will find a range of moulds here, from individual bonbons, for decorations such as chocolate leaves and seasonal, festive ones.

Chocolate moulds

Easter chocolate moulds

Sole Graells is also the place to learn new skills, either through their selection of books or in their teaching kitchen which offers courses to professionals and amateurs alike. Recent classes for the general public have included Easter chocolate moudling, French pastry , canapes and quiches and Japanese cooking. At 30 euros for 3 hours these are very reasonable.

Book selection

Interesting books on macarroons, included many savoury recipes such as ones filled with anchovy paste.

Teaching kitchen

My time at Sole Graells left me aching to spend some time in a professional ktichen with a renowned pastry chef. It also left me wishing to thank the staff there, especially Esther Arumí who kindly gave up her time to show me round, explain the products and turn up the lights for photos. Wonderful hospitality.

Sole Graells, C/Princep Jordi 2, Plaça d’Espanya

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Parami

For those of us who like whipping up an airy sponge cake, a comforting, rich tea loaf, gingery biscuits, an elaborate birthday gateaux,  gooey brownies or any number of other sweet baked treats, finding baking ingredients in this city can be somewhat of a chore. The variety of sugars, flours, syrups and decorations which are standard stock in even the smallest UK store take a little tracking down here. Home baking, experiencing a revival in Britain in recent years, may be more engrained in our culture and have been practised by many more people than we think. Here, with a patisserie on every block it seems creating something at home may be something of a rarity as these items are like trying to find gold dust.

With this in mind, Moonraker Morsels this week shines the spotlight on the first of two shops which are a godsend for those of us who prefer our goodies out of the oven rather than out of the packet. One of these is Parami, a wholesaler of a wide selection of ingredients to enliven many a cake or biscuit.

Perched on the corner of the car park at the rear of the Boquería market, their shelves are stacked high with bag after bag of nuts, dried fruit and quality chocolate pieces for cake covering.

Whilst you won’t find the self-raising flour (for this try Chinese supermarkets where I’ve found it at reasonable prices) or the soft, dark brown sugars you may seek here, they stock a range of flavoured sugars, syrups, gelatine and additivies such as xanthan gum. After taking these photographs I left with a small bag of cream of tartar which has eluded me up to now.

A selection of flavourings (both natural and artificial), essences, extracts, colours and crystallized fruit are also stocked along with a range of honeys, jams and spices.

As a wholesaler you won’t find any 100g bags here, however, the larger quantities (usually 500g or 1kg bags of nuts for example) work out at much better value than the smaller quantities found in the supermarket, especially if you bake a lot. Just make sure you seal the bags tightly and they’ll stay fresh. I can think of few recipes that couldn’t be achieved after a stop here.

Parami, C/Jerusalen 30 (Boqueria) and C/Diputació 202-204 (Universitat)

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My Cookie Heaven

For years I was one of those strange British folk who never touched a drop of tea, preferring (and I’m being honest here) to put away gallons of chemical laden, dilutable squash. It was only making a new friend who never had anything to drink in his home other than tea that finally converted me to the amber nectar. Such a conversion was it, that these days I rarely start the day without two almost pint size mugs in quick succession and thankfully since moving to Barcelona where squash is a scarcity I have finally managed to wean myself off that habit which stems back to being a toddler.

I’ve mentioned my love of a good biscuit to accompany a brew here before but I shall raise it again as last week saw two innovative friends of mine launch a real treat for all biscuit lovers everywhere with their Iphone application ‘My Cookie Heaven’.

Sadly, I won’t be able to use it as I’m of the ‘if it calls and texts it’s good enough for me’ school of mobile phones. However, for those firmly planted in 2011 this is a nifty little application which puts 15 easy to follow biscuit recipes literally at your fingertips.

You’ll find traditional biscuits such as shortbread and chocolate chip cookies but also some more interesting creations such as chocolate cake cookies and cream cheese versions.

Chocolate cake cookies

Ginger spice cookies

Cream cheese cookies

I particularly like the look of the iced and decorated butter cookies which would make a great DIY gift.

Butter cookies

The application costs less than a euro and to whet your appetite or if you don’t own an Iphone there’s a free downloadable version for the Oatmeal Raisin biscuits here.

So get those sleeves rolled up, touch that screen and let’s get the kettle on.

My Cookie Heaven for Iphone/Ipad.

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Alfajores

Like my dad I’m rather partial to a biscuit, especially with a steaming cup of tea or a freshly brewed coffee. I can hear him now, saying in his broad Huddersfield accent “this brew’s a bit wet Claire” which indicates the biscuit tin needs to come out and soak up the liquid with his mug.

Alfajores are a biscuit I think my dad might approve of. I’d never come across them until coming to Barcelona, they originate in Argentina and considering the high concentration of their countrymen in the city it’s no surprise they pop up everywhere here.

They have similarites with shortcake, two discs sandwiched together with that Argentinian staple dulce de leche, a thick caramel from a sweetened vanilla milk boiled down until concentrated. An easier way than standing over a pan of milk and constantly stirring for nearly an hour is to use condensed milk and the method described by fellow London based food blogger Milly here. The edges of the sandwich are then usually dusted with desiccated coconut.

The quality of alfajores varies, I’ve had some where the biscuit has been heavy like shortbread and paired with the extremely sweet filling were a step too far even for my sweet tooth. Others have a coating of white icing on top, again unnecessary extra sugar in my opinion. My current favourites are the ones pictured from the charming little cafe Rekons (more about that another time). Crumbly, slightly pillowy biscuit that’s not overly cloying like some and lets the chestnut coloured dulce de leche play that role. Just remember to dust the crumbs off when you’ve enjoyed it in the street like I did.

If you fancy making your own here is a recipe (thus far untested I must add) taken from a book given to me as a gift from friends returning from a trip to Buenos Aires, called simply ‘Argentine Cooking’ by Mónica Hoss de la Comte.

600g plain flour

pinch of salt

4 egg yolks

200ml water

120g fat (butter or lard)

1 x can of cheat’s dulce de leche

The recipe suggests a cold water icing but I’m going to omit it so you can have them the Rekons way.

Method

Put the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre. Then put the yolks, salt, water and melted fat in the centre. Knead well for some minutes and allow the mixture to rest for a while, then knead it again.  Roll out, cut the round biscuits and put them in the oven on a greased baking sheet. (The recipe doesn’t give a temperature, I would suggest about 180°c but keep an eye on them). When they are cooked and cool, stick them together with the dulce de leche and sprinkle a dusting of desiccated coconut round the outer edges.

Alfajores Rekons, C/Comte d’Urgell 32 (Comte d’Urgell with Floridablanca), Sant Antoní

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Tarte and Quiche

I achieved my 32nd birthday last Wednesday. I use the word ‘achieve’ as this is the literal translation of saying you ‘turned’ a certain age in Spanish. I like this interpretation; that despite everything that life can throw at you and all the obstacles that could cut you down at any moment, you’ve survived to rack up another year.

Therefore, to celebrate having managed to get thus far in life, two kind friends whisked me off to ‘Tarte and Quiche’ for a birthday brunch at this tiny, tasty café.

After a spate of torrential rain and grey skies last week I was overjoyed to see that the non-existent weather god had answered my prayers and given us back the sol so we could enjoy the pavement tables and the warm, autumn sunshine.

It took me all of, ooh, 30 seconds to decide I wasn’t going to be torn on the decision of tarte or quiche when everything in the cabinet looked so divine, therefore I naturally chose to congratulate myself and plumped for one of each. My more restrained friends were drawn straight to the magnificent looking sweet tartlets.

Decisions, decisions

‘Tarte and Quiche’ is a prime example of a place limiting what it sells but doing it really well. There are no sandwiches, tortillas, fries on the side here, it just creates exactly what it states and to such a standard that it was difficult to get past salivating over the glass cabinet and make a selection.

My deep-filled wedge of crab and spinach quiche could’ve been heavy but both the pastry and filling were light and not stodgy in the slightest. I’ve wondered whether to reserve my criticism of using crab sticks in the filling as it was a flavoursome piece of quiche but I can’t hold back on that. Why choose crabsticks? They’ve never seen a crab in their existence and given the café’s concept of using fresh, local and some organic ingredients I’m surprised that they’ve included them. They must also have a fantastic microwave as I shuddered at the thought of soggy pastry as it went in to be heated but whatever they’re using kept it crisp.

Crab and spinach quiche

Whilst I wanted to be adventurous about my tarte, I predictably went for the chocolate and hazelnut one, whether it’s nutella ice cream or belgian praline chocolates, this is a combination I find difficult to sway from if it’s on offer. This was HEAVEN, sweet, very light and crisp pastry and the filling coated my mouth with a wave of dark, slightly bitter, hazelnut and chocolate ganache.

Chocolate and hazelnut tarte

Considering I was being treated to this brunch and that I already had two portions of my own to work my way through, it seemed unfair to start digging into my companions’ plates as well but my fork managed to make it’s way into that pillowy, swirled meringue, tangy lemon filling and more of that expert pastry on the plate next to me. I didn’t manage to sample the raspberry and almond tarte. Knowing how much my other friend would have a 3 course dinner comprising of ‘dessert, dessert, dessert’ I didn’t want to deprive her of a mouthful, the picture and her slow, contemplative eating showed how much it equalled ours.

Lemon meringue tarte

Raspberry and almond tarte

For further tarty titilation there’s a gallery of more of their products here.

I loved this hidden haven and will have to try my best to resist the temptation to regularly call in now I know it’s only a slight detour on the way for my train to work. It’s not a place for a large group, the inside space is limited to seating around 12 and as the cooler weather approaches and forces us indoors the street won’t be available to take the overspill. Curiously they open 6 days a week with their day of closing on a Saturday but maybe they know that this small package of indulgence is just what’s required to set Sunday on the right path instead.

Tarte and quiche, C/Aragó 39, non-smoking

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