3 exquisite recipes to surprise with during this Christmas

(ingredients for about 20 eclairs)

Choux pastry:

• 250 ml of water
• 100 g of butter
• A pinch of salt
• 150 g of sifted wheat flour
• 5 medium eggs

Prawns:

• 500 g of prawns
• 4 tablespoons of lactonese (50 ml of milk, 50 ml of sunflower oil, 50 ml of olive oil, a few drops of lime and salt)
• Chives
• Fish eggs

How to make:

Boil the water in a saucepan with a teaspoon of salt and the butter. Once the butter has melted, remove it from the heat and add the sifted flour all at once. Mix until a homogeneous mass. When it has lost temperature, add five eggs one at a time. Put the dough into a pastry bag. Form the eclairs about 5 cm long on baking paper and bake at 210°C for around 13 minutes. They should be golden and hard. It is always better to bake with a fan if the oven has this function.

To put on top of the eclairs, chop some cooked prawns that we will mix with the juice of 5 or 6 of their heads, chopped chives and a lactonese made in a blender with milk, sunflower oil, olive oil, salt and a few drops of lime juice.

Finish the eclairs with fish eggs, and the result will be this surprising first dish, both for the eyes and the palate.

As a main course, Blanca suggests sea bass Wellington stuffed with mushrooms and artichokes, the most brilliant recipe that succeeds both at Christmas and at any other celebration.

(ingredients for 6 people)

• A sea bass of approximately 2 kg. Clean and with separated loins
• 250 g of varied mushrooms
• 6 Artichokes
• 2 shallots
• A garlic clove
• A chilli
• 150 g sliced ham
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• 100 ml of dry white wine (or fish broth)
• 1 egg
• Lettuce 

How to make:

Chop the mushrooms, garlic, chives and shallots a lot, in very small bits.
Clean and cut the artichokes into slices. Brown them with oil for 5 minutes in a frying pan. Add the chilli, garlic, chives and shallots. Cook for another 6 or 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, brown them for a couple of minutes. Lastly, add the wine or broth, lower the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Let it cold down.

Spread a sheet of square or rectangular puff pastry on baking paper. Put slices of ham on the puff pastry, one sea bass loin skin side down, the cold mushroom and artichoke filling, the other sea bass loin skin side up and more slices of ham. Close it with another puff pastry and decorate with the rest of sheet.

Paint with a beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C with a fan.

Serve it with a side of dressed lettuce sprouts and enjoy with such a spectacular result.

To finish our very complete menu, Blanca proposes a delicious dessert recipe that is relatively easy to prepare, although it is better to do it in advance. 

(ingredients for 6 people)

• 4 polvorones
• 200 ml of almond milk
• 150 ml of heavy cream
• 1 sheet of neutral gelatin (you can add 2 for a firmer consistency)
• 30 g of sugar

How to make:

Hydrate the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes. With one sheet and the adequate rest, the texture is perfect (for pie fillings, it is better to add two sheets). Heat the almond milk, add the Polvorones and integrate. The Polvorones have pieces of almond that look great, so there is no need to grind them. Add the rehydrated and drained gelatin sheets, mix well and let this mixture lose temperature for an hour in the refrigerator, which will not allow it to set, but it will make its temperature to drop.

Whip very cold heavy cream with the sugar until firm. Add the whipped cream little by little to the milk and powder mixture (and not the other way around). Place it in glasses, put crushed Polvorones on top and chill it for a minimum of 3 hours. Better from one day to another.

Blanca Mayandía has Neolith Calacatta Roma on her countertops and Neolith Summer Dala on the floor, providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere to her kitchen, from where she prepares with care and dedication these tasty recipes that she shares with us on this occasion. We hope they help you get inspired if you are hosting during these holidays, and that you enjoy your kitchen as much as we enjoy making these unique spaces to be lived a reality.