Epiphany Menu Alcalá de Henares

King's Menu: ideas to surprise your guests

Foie is one of the most select and appreciated products by gourmets; an ideal delicacy to elevate a gastronomic offering for a special dinner like Twelfth Night. At Casino Alcalá, we create various dishes with this product without ever losing its personality. Furthermore, foie and sweet Pedro Ximénez wine, or its reduction, combine perfectly.

To prepare the starter we are suggesting, follow these steps:

Foie gras with apricot compote and Pedro Ximénez reduction

Ingredients

To prepare the starter we are proposing, you will need:

• For the foie: high-quality raw duck foie gras, salt to taste, toasted bread slices.
• For the apricot compote: half a kilo of apricots, half a litre of water, 200 grams of sugar.
• For the reduction: 150ml of Pedro Ximénez and one and a half tablespoons of sugar.

Recipe preparation

1. In a saucepan over a medium heat, we add the sweet wine and sugar so that the latter slowly dissolves in the wine for at least 20 minutes. It is necessary to stir it occasionally to prevent the reduction from sticking. Once the reduction is achieved, pour it into a bottle for later use.
2. Once the reduction has been carried out, We cut the foie gras into slices. A trick to prevent foie gras from crumbling with each cut is to dip a sharp knife in hot water and then dry it.
3. Already sliced, season with salt to taste and We cook each slice on both sides for 30 seconds each.. After cooking, they must be left to rest on a plate with kitchen paper for 1 minute.
4. For the Apricot compote, ..., peel and stone the apricots. Then cut into equally sized pieces and cook for 15 minutes (the exact time will depend on the ripeness of the apricots).
5. The sugar is added little by little until the desired sweetness is reached (one must not forget that the fruit already contains its own level of sugar). Once we have the compote, the We went through the blender.
6. Finally, We cut the slices of bread and toast them.
7. When plating, first place the toast, then the foie gras on top, followed by a spoonful of apricot compote, and finally, serve the Pedro Ximénez reduction. Ready to enjoy!

Chocolate and King cake

The Night of the Three Wise Men is packed with traditions, such as enjoying the Three Kings' parade on January 5th, in which Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar parade in their incredible floats accompanied by their retinues. The three Wise Men, with the help of their pages, hand out sweets and magic before visiting each home to leave presents.

And if we adults enjoy this magical experience, for children it is their favourite night of the year. While they impatiently await bedtime (and for the next morning to arrive quickly), they love to enjoy the most traditional dessert to mark the end of the festivities: the King cake.

Without a doubt, a dessert that will delight diners, both young and old. And if there's one accompaniment for the roscón, it's hot chocolate. We'll give you a couple of tips for enjoying an authentic homemade thick hot chocolate:

• If you are going to use a chocolate bar, we recommend that it be 70% cocoa%. If you use a very pure chocolate, it is important to adjust with a little sugar to taste.
• If you like thicker chocolate, you need to cook it for longer, reducing the liquid. You can add a tablespoon of flour or cornflour to the chocolate while it’s cooking.
• You can also choose to flavour it with a cinnamon stick or a touch of vanilla pod. And the final trick: Serve it piping hot!

Happy Epiphany!