Menjar Blanc (Catalan Almond Cream Dessert)
Joan Capilla, chef and owner of Algadir restaurant, has chosen to work with three dishes that hold a strong place in the culinary identity of Tortosa. The first is salt cod in suquet, a dish that evokes both the local market tradition and the festive context of Holy Week. The second is rice with cabbage and beans, a hearty one-pot dish that is emblematic not only of Tortosa but also of much of the Ebro Delta region. Finally, he revisits Menjar Blanc, a preparation that transports us to a distant culinary past and which today is enjoyed primarily as a dessert.
This dish presents a reinterpretation of Menjar Blanc from the Ebro Delta, one of the region’s most traditional desserts. While preserving its characteristic flavours, the recipe incorporates more contemporary nuances, notably lemon and ginger, bringing freshness and complexity to the classic preparation without compromising its identity.
VIDEO RECIPE
METHOD
The preparation begins with fresh milk, which is divided into two portions. Approximately 80% is used for the infusion, while the remaining 20% is reserved for mixing with the rice flour and sugar. This separation helps ensure a smoother texture and allows the flavours of the infusion to develop fully before being incorporated into the final preparation.
The main portion of the milk is heated and infused with cinnamon and lemon peel, allowing the flavours and aromas to develop slowly and fully. At the same time, the remaining milk is used to dissolve the rice flour and sugar, creating a smooth and homogeneous mixture that will form the base of the dessert.
Once the infused milk is ready, it is strained and incorporated into the mixture of rice flour and sugar. The preparation is then returned to the heat and cooked until it thickens and develops the characteristic texture of Menjar Blanc. Once this point is reached, it is removed from the heat and left to cool, allowing it to set before being used in the final assembly of the dish.
In this reinterpretation, the aim is to extract and reimagine the key elements of the traditional dessert. The characteristic flavours of cinnamon and lemon are therefore explored through a variety of textures and forms. On the one hand, a spiced crumble is prepared in which ginger plays the leading role, providing a subtle warmth and a gently spicy note that recalls the cinnamon traditionally sprinkled over the dessert. Small dots of lemon are also incorporated, intensifying the freshness of the dish and balancing the sweetness of the cream.
The dish is completed with a lemon and ginger ice cream, which provides a contrast in temperature while reinforcing the citrus profile of the dessert. A cinnamon crisp is also added, introducing a different texture and offering a direct reference to the traditional recipe, bringing together the familiar flavours of Menjar Blanc in a contemporary and refined presentation.
At the time of plating, Menjar Blanc is arranged as the base of the dish. The remaining elements are then carefully distributed over the top: the spiced crumble, the lemon dots, the lemon and ginger ice cream, and the cinnamon crisp. Together, these components create a contemporary interpretation that preserves the essence of the traditional dessert while enriching it with new textures, temperatures and flavour contrasts.
The result is a contemporary reinterpretation of Menjar Blanc from the Ebro Delta, preserving its traditional flavours while presenting them from a fresh perspective. Through a careful interplay of textures, temperatures and aromatic nuances, the dish honours the essence of the original dessert while expressing it in a more refined and modern form.
