I went for a 7.25km (4.5-mile) walk Wednesday to one end of the Paseo and back (it’s become my short walk). A healthy walk is part of my daily routine. But yesterday it was especially needed to burn off the lemon merengue pie Chef Robbie insisted we try with our morning coffee.
San Geraldo arrived home a few minutes after I did. “I bought us a treat!” he said.
I saw bakery wrapping and thought, “Oh, crap. So much for my walk.”
But then he unwrapped the paper. And I thought, “SO glad I took that walk.”
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| TORRIJAS!!! AN EASTER TRADITION. |
The first time I had torrijas was during Semana Santa 2012 (Holy Week) in Sevilla. I bought them in a local bakery. They were good, but nothing to write home about — so I didn’t, and quickly forgot about them.
Last year, Elena made us some that were, as San Geraldo said, “to die for.” (Click here for Elena’s torrijas and a glimpse of the Easter Moose.)
This year’s bakery torrijas, smothered in honey, were sweet and delicious but nothing like Elena’s. And we still have Elena’s to look forward to (hint, hint).
Recipes
If you’re interested in making torrijas, just search “torrijas recipes” or “recetas torrijas” and you’ll find plenty of versions (and opinions). Last year, I explained:
Elena’s version consists of a thick slice of bread soaked in warm milk for an hour, and then dipped in egg batter and fried with olive oil before being sprinkled with cinnamon. The bread gets crusty on the outside and custard-like on the inside. Elena’s torrijas are out of this world.
The bread is often soaked overnight and wine can be used instead of milk. Traditional recipes call for the addition of honey, which The Goddess Elena doesn’t like. But we’re not complaining. (She doesn’t like raisins either, and calls them flies.)
In my opinion, if you only dip the bread in the batter, as some recipes suggest, instead of soaking it for an hour or more, the result is pretty much like American “French Toast.” The extended soaking changes the consistency of the bread to custard. So much better (again, in my opinion).