Basque Country, I SOOOO love this region of the world that it was only fitting that the first recipe we present here be from there. It is very easy to make, very easy to miss, but when you make it right, it truly does taste like the food they make over there (trust a native !).
In ''Le Pays Basque', they have this very strong fermented yogurt called Mamia. Don't look for it in North America, you will spend weeks to find nothing. It has a very potent and salty taste that is combined with sweet jam or jelly, usually black cherry jelly or Espelette pepper jelly (our choice for this version).
Well after several trials, I found a way to make a mixture that tastes close enough to Mamia and renders a pretty real taste of Pays Basque in your home.
- 150g of ewe cheese. (recommended brands Ossau Iraty or Etorki as an alternate)
- 1/2 liter of 15% cooking cream (or 35% for an even thicker result)
- 1 small pot of Espelette pepper jelly (to be found in your local import grocery)
- 4 t spoons of ground dried Espelette pepper
- Whipped cream (better if you make it yourself but store brand works)
If you want to save, don't buy the recommended brands of cheese and ask your cheese store for alternatives of ewe cheese, but make sure it is as strong as possible to the taste. You can replace Espelette pepper jelly with any red pepper jelly, but you will lose that delicate and spicy aftertaste unique to Espelette peppers. It's not too bad if you're not serving for a true Basque person, but a connoisseur will be able to tell the difference. You can always add thinly ground black or Espelette pepper to the jelly to give it a kick. The dried Espelette pepper can be replaced by a mix of paprika and black pepper, but honestly it's not as good, so just indulge and if you must invest in just one exotic ingredient, that's the one to go with !In ''Le Pays Basque', they have this very strong fermented yogurt called Mamia. Don't look for it in North America, you will spend weeks to find nothing. It has a very potent and salty taste that is combined with sweet jam or jelly, usually black cherry jelly or Espelette pepper jelly (our choice for this version).
Well after several trials, I found a way to make a mixture that tastes close enough to Mamia and renders a pretty real taste of Pays Basque in your home.
For an apetizer for 4 people, here's what you need:
- 150g of ewe cheese. (recommended brands Ossau Iraty or Etorki as an alternate)
- 1/2 liter of 15% cooking cream (or 35% for an even thicker result)
- 1 small pot of Espelette pepper jelly (to be found in your local import grocery)
- 4 t spoons of ground dried Espelette pepper
- Whipped cream (better if you make it yourself but store brand works)
How you do it:
The making of this dish is so easy and the result is both delicious and visually attractive.
1. Take 4 martini glasses and put about 1 and 1/2 t spoon of Espelette pepper jelly. If you chose the cheap ass way, put your red pepper jelly and add either Espelette pepper powder or a mix of Paprika and black pepper.
2. Pour all the cooking cream into a saucepan and add all the cheese (preferably diced as it will melt faster than a whole block) and put the heat on medium.
3. Let the cheese melt completely in the cream while stirring from time to time, until it is completely melted and it forms a uniformed mix.
4. Pour the mix in the martini glasses over the jam. Some will mix and some will stay at the bottom, don't panic it's normal.
5. Reserve in the fridge for a good 3 hours, that's where it will take the desired consistance.
6. Right before serving, do a nice whip cream design on the top and decorate with a bit of Espelette pepper powder
- The first time I did it, I didn't put enough cheese (because I ate a good portion of it before ), it ended up tasting like yogurt and jam. So in my opinion it is better to put more cheese than too little.The making of this dish is so easy and the result is both delicious and visually attractive.
1. Take 4 martini glasses and put about 1 and 1/2 t spoon of Espelette pepper jelly. If you chose the cheap ass way, put your red pepper jelly and add either Espelette pepper powder or a mix of Paprika and black pepper.
2. Pour all the cooking cream into a saucepan and add all the cheese (preferably diced as it will melt faster than a whole block) and put the heat on medium.
3. Let the cheese melt completely in the cream while stirring from time to time, until it is completely melted and it forms a uniformed mix.
4. Pour the mix in the martini glasses over the jam. Some will mix and some will stay at the bottom, don't panic it's normal.
5. Reserve in the fridge for a good 3 hours, that's where it will take the desired consistance.
6. Right before serving, do a nice whip cream design on the top and decorate with a bit of Espelette pepper powder
Bloopers and pitfalls:
- Really I repeat it, there are ways to make this recipe budget friendly, but the only way to make it really Basque is to have at least the Espelette pepper powder.
No comments:
Post a Comment