Yet another food entry...
I’ve been doing a lot of walking in the last two weeks, so to even things out (since I wouldn’t want to, say, lose a pound or two) I have been sampling Madrid’s tempting array of pastries.
LA MALLORQUINA
The king of pastries—in my opinion, and according to the ever-present mobs in the store, apparently the opinion of the rest of Madrid—is La Mallorquina, located just off Puerta del Sol. A visit to La Mallorquina is an event in itself, with its white-jacketed wait staff, rack after rack of stunning treats, and the palpable energy of fifty or sixty happy, sugar-drunk patrons.
My love for La Mallorquina began when I tried the "Chocolate Napolitana". Yowsa. I have been spoiled for pastries for the rest of my life. I was just three bites into it before I started formulating rules for myself. “Okay, I can only have a Napolitana if I walk at least two hours a day. Oh, and only if I’ve had a small dinner. And then I can’t have another one for two, no three days…” I know when I have met my match.
Luckily, the other pastries have not been as devilishly good. This afternoon I had a "Palmera", a honey-soaked, buttery, flakey treat. It was good, even great, but doesn’t eclipse my Napolitana. Nor does the donut-like "Rosquilla". Next in line is the "Madrilena", pictured below at left. I’m not so worried about that one. Doesn’t look too good, eh?
I have to try it though because I have a compulsion to try all odd looking/sounding foods when I travel. (Wait till I tell you about sampling some of Madrid’s more exotic tapas, like pigs ear.) But if the Madrilena is anything other than a blissful experience, I will stop ‘wasting’ my time and focus entirely on Napolitanas.
CHURROS AND CHOCOLATE
Probably the most popular dessert in Spain is churros con chocolate. When I sampled it the other evening at the local Maestro Churrero (recommended to me by my taxi driver from the airport), every single other patron was also indulging in churros con chocolate.
Unlike the Mexican variety, Spanish churros don’t have cinnamon on them. Eaten alone, they are actually quite bland. To sweeten them up, Spaniards dip these little fried donut sticks in a warm chocolate liquid that would fall somewhere between chocolate milk and chocolate pudding on a consistency-of-chocolate-liquids scale.
I didn’t care for it. I found it a bit boring. Sorry Maestro Churrero…no more Euros from me. Thanks for the memory though.
THE ODD BALL
This morning I was running late, so I didn’t have time for my usual yogurt-and-orange breakfast. By break time (11am), I was famished, so I decided to patronize the local Juan Valdez Café downstairs (yep…same Juan Valdez that graced our TV screens in the 70s, alongside his compatriots Mr. Whipple and the Kool-Aid man.) The Juan Valdez Café is a Starbucksesque coffee shop, so all they had were pastries. I was momentarily disappointed until I spied my victim: a pastry BALL. Nay, a whole rack of puffy, airy, cakey balls. Not like little donut holes. These were big and spongy. They looked very odd, sitting there all serious like a real food item.
I ordered it, along with a fresh orange juice, then scurried back upstairs to see what I had just gotten myself into. Before I left the store, I asked the barista what was in it, expecting to hear chocolate, or apple, or some other sweet filling. The answer: "cheese and corn". My mind interpreted that to mean a nacho cheese type filling with some corn kernels mixed in. Eeeek!
The verdict: it was an utterly tame cornbread ball with a slight hint of cheese and a bit too much butter. Nothing exotic, nothing I’d have to choke down. Not that I was disappointed. Well, my intellect was a bit, but my stomach was happy with the result. I was pretty hungry after all.
AND ONE LAST PASTRY TALE
Here’s a little something that you really don’t need to know: In Spain, the ever-popular McDonalds apple pies are still of the artery-clogging FRIED variety! Remember when they used to be fried in the States, like 10 years ago.
Trust me…there is no need to be nostalgic for the good ol days of fried McDonalds apple pies. The baked versions sold at U.S. McDonalds are tremendously better, unless you like your apple pie to taste a bit fishy.
LA MALLORQUINA
The king of pastries—in my opinion, and according to the ever-present mobs in the store, apparently the opinion of the rest of Madrid—is La Mallorquina, located just off Puerta del Sol. A visit to La Mallorquina is an event in itself, with its white-jacketed wait staff, rack after rack of stunning treats, and the palpable energy of fifty or sixty happy, sugar-drunk patrons.
My love for La Mallorquina began when I tried the "Chocolate Napolitana". Yowsa. I have been spoiled for pastries for the rest of my life. I was just three bites into it before I started formulating rules for myself. “Okay, I can only have a Napolitana if I walk at least two hours a day. Oh, and only if I’ve had a small dinner. And then I can’t have another one for two, no three days…” I know when I have met my match. Luckily, the other pastries have not been as devilishly good. This afternoon I had a "Palmera", a honey-soaked, buttery, flakey treat. It was good, even great, but doesn’t eclipse my Napolitana. Nor does the donut-like "Rosquilla". Next in line is the "Madrilena", pictured below at left. I’m not so worried about that one. Doesn’t look too good, eh?
I have to try it though because I have a compulsion to try all odd looking/sounding foods when I travel. (Wait till I tell you about sampling some of Madrid’s more exotic tapas, like pigs ear.) But if the Madrilena is anything other than a blissful experience, I will stop ‘wasting’ my time and focus entirely on Napolitanas.CHURROS AND CHOCOLATE
Probably the most popular dessert in Spain is churros con chocolate. When I sampled it the other evening at the local Maestro Churrero (recommended to me by my taxi driver from the airport), every single other patron was also indulging in churros con chocolate.
Unlike the Mexican variety, Spanish churros don’t have cinnamon on them. Eaten alone, they are actually quite bland. To sweeten them up, Spaniards dip these little fried donut sticks in a warm chocolate liquid that would fall somewhere between chocolate milk and chocolate pudding on a consistency-of-chocolate-liquids scale.
I didn’t care for it. I found it a bit boring. Sorry Maestro Churrero…no more Euros from me. Thanks for the memory though. THE ODD BALL
This morning I was running late, so I didn’t have time for my usual yogurt-and-orange breakfast. By break time (11am), I was famished, so I decided to patronize the local Juan Valdez Café downstairs (yep…same Juan Valdez that graced our TV screens in the 70s, alongside his compatriots Mr. Whipple and the Kool-Aid man.) The Juan Valdez Café is a Starbucksesque coffee shop, so all they had were pastries. I was momentarily disappointed until I spied my victim: a pastry BALL. Nay, a whole rack of puffy, airy, cakey balls. Not like little donut holes. These were big and spongy. They looked very odd, sitting there all serious like a real food item.
I ordered it, along with a fresh orange juice, then scurried back upstairs to see what I had just gotten myself into. Before I left the store, I asked the barista what was in it, expecting to hear chocolate, or apple, or some other sweet filling. The answer: "cheese and corn". My mind interpreted that to mean a nacho cheese type filling with some corn kernels mixed in. Eeeek!The verdict: it was an utterly tame cornbread ball with a slight hint of cheese and a bit too much butter. Nothing exotic, nothing I’d have to choke down. Not that I was disappointed. Well, my intellect was a bit, but my stomach was happy with the result. I was pretty hungry after all.
AND ONE LAST PASTRY TALEHere’s a little something that you really don’t need to know: In Spain, the ever-popular McDonalds apple pies are still of the artery-clogging FRIED variety! Remember when they used to be fried in the States, like 10 years ago.
Trust me…there is no need to be nostalgic for the good ol days of fried McDonalds apple pies. The baked versions sold at U.S. McDonalds are tremendously better, unless you like your apple pie to taste a bit fishy.