More from Casa Balbino in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain.

Casa Balbino
Sanlucar de Barrameda
(Provincia de Cadiz, España) 

Let’s step into the kitchen of Casa Balbino, Sanlucar de Barrameda’s crowning jewel of seafood restaurants!

Love of Food Casa Balbino Sanlucar Spain (via iamkiamdotcom)

Via Jezebel.com:

Police in Wales are searching for a woman who destroyed a bakery and assaulted employees after she was told they’d run out of “sweet tooth fairy cakes,” her favorite cupcakes. Sally Dodd, the owner of Sugarswirlz, says the woman went into a rage in front of her two young sons, grabbing her by the hair, then smashing glass display units and throwing baked goods at customers.

Damn, lady! Those must have been some bomb-ass cupcakes! I worry, however, about the example she’s setting for her kids.

Says Dodd:

‘You expect a certain amount of risk running a bar or a pub but not in a cupcake shop.’

Coffees of Spain

From The Coastline: Love of Food - “Tomamos un Cafe/Let’s take a Coffee Break”

Apologies for the lateness.

Higher-quality copies of the photos coming shortly.

So I said I don’t normally bake, right? Well, yes, that’s true.  But I do like to make these tasty treats.  They’re super simple and delicious all the same. I sorta made them up, and don’t have a name for them.  Any suggestions? Click on “Ask Me Anything” (up there ^) to let me know.

(Unnamed Apple Dessert Thingamabob)

Ingredients:
1 sheet, puff pastry dough
1 can, apple pie filling
Cinnamon sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon and cloves
Melted butter

Directions
-Preheat oven to 300F
-Defrost the puff pastry dough, unfold and cut the sheet into about 9-12 squares
-Brush with melted butter
-In a bowl, mix the apple pie filling with 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon and cloves.
-Add a spoonfull of apple pie filling in the middle of each square
-Fold the corners towards the center.
-Sprinkle with Cinnamon sugar
-Place in oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

How to get fancy:
-You can add a sort of cinnamon/sugar/vanilla topping. Or mix in various other spices with the apple pie filling.  Go crazy!

What is this? Oh, nothing, just one of the MOST AMAZING DESSERTS EVER!

It’s called “Tocino del Cielo,” or literally, “Heaven’s Bacon.”  Think of a creme brulee and flan, and caramel, and put it all together, and you get Tocino del Cielo.

In the Philippines, we make a very similar dessert called Leche Flan.  I’m sure we got the recipe from our Spanish overlords of the time.

A negative side of this dessert, however, is that it is so damn rich that it’s difficult to finish a whole serving.  But that doesn’t keep me from trying!

Remember when I wrote that article in The Coastline about How to Host a Dinner Party?

Well, here’s one done perfectly: a dinner at my friend Linda’s. The food was simple but absolutely heavenly.  I still dream to this day about the succulent Chicken Marbella she cooked up.

I’ll have to ask her for the recipe sometime. In the meanwhile, enjoy these photos.

Here’s an interesting read about a former model (he was in Madonna’s “Express Yourself” video, aparrently) who is now a yogi and ayurvedic food expert.

I have been interested in the subject for quite a while, since I’ve started taking yoga classes 2 years ago.  I’ve been told that I’m equal parts fire and earth.

But let’s backtrack a bit.  What is Ayurveda? Let’s consult my friend, Wikipedia:

Ayurveda deals elaborately with measures of healthful living during the entire span of life and its various phases. Ayurveda stresses a balance of three elemental energies or humors: vata (air & space – “wind”), pittar (fire & water – “bile”) and kapha (water & earth – “phlegm”). According to ayurveda, these three regulatory principles— doshas (literally that which deteriorates - Devanāgarī: त्रिदोष)—are important for health, because when they are in a more balanced state, the body will function to its fullest

So who is this dude in the NYTimes article, and what makes him an expert? Well, he’s really not, but he wrote a book about his own diet regimen and philosophy of food, as influenced by the centuries-old Ayurvedic sciences.

That path led him to India, where he studied yoga and ayurveda, an approach to health in which foods are seen as having different essential properties. A source of nourishment might be deemed “hot” or “cool,” regardless of its actual temperature. (Onions are “hot.” Rice is “cool.”) When he’s cooking or ordering a meal, Mr. Alborzian tries to reach the right balance between those properties.

Of course, this is not an prescription for people to go and delve themselves into.  Choose your food, your fate, and enjoy it. Personally, that’s my philosophy of food.  I’m just putting the information out there in case anyone is curious.

But if this interests you, here are a few more links to check out.
What is your Ayurvedic Type?
Eating for your Ayurvedic Body Type

La Historia del Cafe (The History of Coffee)

Check out this video (only in Spanish, no subtitles) which explains the long and fabled history of one of the world’s favorite addictions.

Sneak Peek: This week’s issue of “Love of Food” on The Coastline

Available this Thursday, February 10!

From the Coastline’s Cutting Room Floor: More travel/food photos!

French Pastries. Angers, France.
How can you resist tasting these delectable works of art? You can trust the French  to make perfect pastries, so don’t be afraid to indulge. You’re on vacation, after all!

Salad Bowl and Gazpacho. Bilbao, Spain. 
After enjoying the busy Basque capital’s nightlife, this bowl of fresh veggies provided much needed nutrients the morning after.

Chicken Shwarma. Paris, France.
Kebab shops in Europe are a dime a dozen, so it’s okay to be discriminate.  Find a good, reputable joint frequented by locals, and you can eat well without breaking the bank. 

Crepes.  Paris, France.
This may be all the French you will need to know: “Une crepe avec Nutella, sil-vous, plait!” I was in Paris for a weeklong art class last winter and made a vow to eat a crepe with Nutella every single day.  Mission accomplished!

Calamares Fritos. Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain.
Forget Motrin! This is the perfect hangover cure.  I could not stop chomping on these perfectly-fried strips of calamari, doused with lemon juice (@ San Sebastian’s main plaza). 

From The Coastline: Love of Food - Special Travel Edition

NOTES!
- The photo accompanying the description for Pastries in Angers was actually taken in Venice. This was a publishing mess-up, and they have apologized.
- A co-worker of mine, who happens to be French, states she “was offended” that the coffee in the Paris photo was in a glass (instead of ceramic), as that is “a Spanish thing, not French.”  Good to know!

Pastries in Venice!