Mission Cookie : Bilbao

Well, it's that time again.

Time to put on my superlady cape and go save Bilbao.

From what? From their lack of brown sugar, from the complete absence of crunchy-chewy chocolate chip cookies, from the sheer fact that they have never tasted a shortcake in their life.

That's right, it's time for another American Baking class. Just like the ones I gave in Beasain and San Sebastián, I will be teaching these Basques a thing or two about really, really fattening and delicious desserts (some may say, my area of expertise).

How do you convince a Basque to take this class? Here's what garnered a sold-out crowd over at the Glutton Club website:

• How to transform saturated fats and pure sugar into delicious desserts.
• How to do it like an American (trying the dough in every step of the process). For quality control, not lack of self control. #ak.
• Learning the use of the term sugar high, very American, which means you have eaten a lot of sweets and are feeling the effects.
• Learn what is the source of the obesity epidimic in the United States.
• How to make the best cookies in the world.
• How to drive yourself crazy with recipes that aren't measured normally, but in  cups, tablespoons, teaspoons…

Tempting, no? Stay tuned in for future classes....

pintxo astearteak (tapa tuesdays)

el txakoli::: opari eskatuta (leek stuffed with calamari served over glazed onions and a squid ink sauce)

Enekuri-Sto Domingo, 19:::Bilbao

pintxo astearteak (tapa tuesdays)

metro moyua:::bombón de merluza y hongos (hake and wild mushroom bonbon, served with toast in a squid-ink sauce)

C/Gran Via, 40::Bilbao

a day in the life : pintxo judging

 

7:30am::: wake up. rush to bus station to catch the eight o'clock to Bilbao.

10am::: meet in the lobby of Gran Hotel Bilbao with the heads of the Concurso de Pintxos de Bilbao, the premier pinxto competition in Bilbao. Bars from across the city compete for the txapela, or beret, which is given to the winners. 

11am::: take my seat at Mesa A, with four fellow judges. One is a cook turned dietician, another the head of a culinary school nearby, another a wine expert/blogger, and another an unofficial expert on the local pintxos. And me.  We are presented with five bottles of wine: txakoli, white, rosado, and two reds, to pour at our choosing with each of the 8 pintxos we had to judge that day. 

12pm::: One third of the way through the judging. We are presented with each pintxo, not knowing from which restaurant it came and only given the title and a brief description. Then a sample version of each pintxo is whisked away to the photographer. Conversation around the table is lively...we are, after all, each very passionate about all things food. But upon the arrival of a dish, the only sound is silverware hitting plate.

12:15pm::: One of my favorite pintxos comes out. It's fresh boquerones, or anchovies, wrapped around an orange slice and a tomato confit, doused in olive oil with a bit of frisee. Fresh and unpretentious, but you can tell care was put into each step.

1:30pm::: After scoring the dishes on presentation, quality and balance of ingredients, and overall satisfaction, we tally our scores to find the top two pintxos. These two will enter the final. At our table, there are two clear winners, both of which I was absolutely in love with.  After judging, we get up and look at the other pintxos that the three other tables had to judge. Some of them are simple, some classic, some modern, and some whimsical, like the one below, a take on Basque deportes rurales.

 

3pm::: After coffee with an expat banker friend stationed in Bilbao, I head back to querida Donostia. For personal reasons, I couldn't make it to the award ceremony that night, but the first place winner was a pintxo from the famed bar Gure Toki in the old part of Bilbao.

 Sopa de Idiazabal con huevo, queso y hongos  Idiazabal cheese soup with egg and wild mushrooms.

You can try it at Gure Toki, located on Plaza Nueva, 12 in the old part of Bilbao. Check out pictures of the other winners and contestants at the Pintxo Competition site.

Thanks to everybody who made this possible! I'm honored to have been asked to participate, and I will not soon forget that amazing octupus with crunchy apple and papada ibérica....

pintxo astearteak (tapa tuesdays)

bitoque de albia:::ravioli de morcilla y hongos con jugo de rabo (ravioli stuffed with blood sausage and mushrooms in an oxtail jus)

Calle Rodríguez Arias, 32::Bilbao