lunaticsinge.com - Spanish Sweets

Watermelon Ice - (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 lb watermelon

2 1/2 cups crushed ice

1/4 cup sugar

Fresh mint leaves for garnish

1. Cut the watermelon into chunks, cutting away the peel and removing the seeds. Place the chunks in the freezer until solid, at least 2 hours.

2. In a blender, briefly whizz the melon along with the crushed ice and sugar. Serve in glass dishes or glasses, garnished with a mint leaf or two for decoration. The granizado can be eaten with either a spoon or a straw (offer both).

Wine Suggestion: A pale fruity Rosado from the Island of Ibiza.

Peaches in Red Wine - (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 large freestone peaches

2 1/2 cups dry red wine

1/2 cup sugar

Zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips

1 cinnamon stick

1/3 cup brandy (optional)

1. To peel the peaches, bring a saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil. Score an X in the blossom end of each peach. Immerse in the boiling water until the skin begins to curl away from the X, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of cold water, then peel away the skins.

2. Cut each peach in half through the stem end and remove the pit. Place the peaches in a heatproof bowl.

3. In a saucepan, combine the wine, sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the brandy, if using, then remove from the heat and pour over the peaches. Let cool, then cover and let steep in the wine for days in the refrigerator.

4. To serve, spoon the peaches, along with some of the liquid, into glass bowls or goblets. Serve cold.

Wine Suggestion: A sweet, but freshly fruity Moscatel from D.O. Malaga.

Spanish Fruit Salad - (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

12 large strawberries

Handful of each: cherries, blueberries, & raspberries

1/2 Galia melon or cantaloupe

1 slice watermelon

2 nectarines

2 peaches

2 kiwi-fruits

2 Bartlet or Comice pears

2 bananas

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Juice of 4 Valencia oranges, plus 2 whole oranges

1 grapefruit

2 tablespoons Cointreau (optional)

6 mint leaves

1. Stem and core the strawberries and pit the cherries. In a large glass mixing bowl, combine them with the blueberries and raspberries.

2. Peel, seed, and chop the melon and watermelon into similar-sized chunks. Leaving the skin on the nectarines, pit and chop them. Peel, pit, and chop the peaches, then peel and chop the kiwi-fruits. Core and chop the pears. Peel and slice the bananas. Add the chopped and sliced fruit to the bowl. Add the lemon juice and orange juice then mix and toss the fruit well.

3. Using a sharp knife, peel the oranges and grapefruit, removing both the colorful peel and white pith. Slice alongside each segment to free it from the surrounding membrane, letting the segments and any juice drop into the fruit bowl.

4. Add the Cointreau, if using, and toss everything again. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

5. Just before serving, roughly tear the mint leaves and mix them in. Serve in individual glass bowls or ramekins, for dessert or breakfast.

Wine Suggestion: A fresh, orangey, sweet, but not cloying, dessert Moscatel from D.O. Malaga.

Mel i Mato - (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 lb. mato or other fresh curd cheese such as whole-milk ricotta

4 to 6 ripe figs

1/2 cup light, aromatic honey, such as orange blossom

1. If using mato, cut the cheese into slices 1 inch thick and arrange on individual plates. Alternatively, if the cheese is not solid enough to slice, spoon it onto the plates.

2. Using a small, sharp knife, remove the woody stems from the figs. Cut each fig into quarters lengthwise and arrange them, flesh side up, next to the cheese on each plate.

3. Drizzle the honey evenly over the cheese and figs then serve at once.

Wine Suggestion: A golden, silky Moscatel from Alicante.

Rice Pudding with Cinnamon - (Serves 6 - 8)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups half-and-half

2/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon grated orange zest, plus more for garnish

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 cup short-grain rice, Spanish rice such as Bomba or Calasparra

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the half-and-half, 1 1.2 cups water, sugar, lemon and orange zests, and 1 of the cinnamon sticks. Using the tip of a small knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture and then add the pod. Stir in the rice. Place over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to just below a boil.

2. Reduce the heat to maintain a brisk simmer and cook uncovered, stirring often, until the rice is tender, but some liquid remains, 35 to 45 minutes. The pudding should have the consistency of thin oatmeal.

3. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Spoon the pudding into individual dessert bowls or into a 2 quart terra-cotta casserole. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cool, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. Grate lemon and orange zest and cinnamon from the other stick over the top just before serving.

Wine Suggestion: A cold glass of sweet, aged Sherry from the Pedro Ximenez grape