El Taroncheral

Pear tart, Mama ía blog

Pear Tart, Fruit Trees, and Bougainvilleas

Pear tart, Mama ía blogA pear tree grows in the woods next to my house, and I made a pear tart (actually two!) with its fruit. This pear tree is just one of the wonderful discoveries in my garden this summer and fall. Another one, that I’ve mentioned before, was the “resurrection” of the fig tree I planted last year. And it came out in force. It’s now almost taller than me! The weather is still summer-like, we are having a beautiful, beautiful autumn, but I start to worry about how I will protect it for the winter. I think replanting it in a pot and bringing it indoors is out of the question, the tree is too big. What should I do? Do you have any suggestions? If you do, please tell me! I’d love to see the tree alive and well next spring, and I’m afraid much of it will depend on the kind of winter, less or more harsh, that we have. If there’s a special way of wrapping the tree that will protect it better, I’d love to know.

Pear tart, Mama ía blogPorche del Taron, Mama ía blog (more…)

Lemon ice cream, Mama ía

Lemon Ice Cream, The Most Refreshing Taste of Summer

Lemon Ice Cream, Mama íaIf there’s a dessert that prominently features in our menu during our summers in Spain, it is my sister Susana’s lemon ice cream. She makes an amazing one, everyone’s favorite, and for the most part, with lemons from the property. I’ve talked about El Taroncheral before (click here), the place that probably holds (more…)

Plum and almonds cake, Mama ía blog

Plums and Almonds Cake, an evocative combination

Plum and almonds cake, Mama ía blog

There once was a field planted with orange trees, rows upon rows of orange trees, that soaked up the sun most every day of the year. One large round basin kept a watchful eye, collecting both well and rain water, and letting it go, flooding the fields where the orange trees lived. The trees grew blossoms that perfumed the air, that turned into oranges that hung from the trees, clusters of them, weighing the branches, until harvest, around Christmas time.

Plum and almonds cake, Mama ía blog (more…)