Tomorrow, December 29th, join Francisco Glaria Baines and his daughter Fidji for a Facebook Live cooking class where they’ll be demonstrating how to make polvorones, shortbread-like cookies enjoyed during the holidays in Spain. The class, which is free, is interactive and conducted in English.
The name polvorone comes from are from the Spanish word polvo meaning powder, or dust. Similar to Mexican wedding cakes and Russian tea cakes, they are made with flour, sugar, ground nuts, butter, and vanilla and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Fran, as he is known to his friends, is a native Basque, a region of waterways, mountains, beaches, and historic villages and towns in Northern Spain. It’s also a gourmet’s delight with wonderful seafood, cheeses and meats. And the excellence of the Region’s terroir yields the best vegetables, fruits, and grapes, making it a must for those who love wine and hard ciders. The Basque Region, one of the best fine dining destinations in the world, has nearly 40 Michelin starred restaurants. Fran, a professional tour guide, takes visitors on insider tours, exploring the foodways, vineyards, and wineries, the best of big city restaurants and village bistros, the tastes of haddock or shrimp just pulled from the Bay of Biscay and the foods grown on the small family farms nestled in the rolling hillsides.
Fran´s guiding life started 20 years ago as a local guide in the city of Pamplona. In 1999 he created a company that provided tours throughout both Basque country and the Rioja wine region. In 2012 he joined the Rick Steves team in what was a life changing moment for him. He learned from Rick´s philosophy encompassing the way to approach a culture as well as the truth and values of Rick and his company. Living with his family in Pamplona, Spain, Fran now is sharing his knowledge, his love of Spain, and the tours he has curated online so we can experience Spain even during the times when we can’t travel there.
If you miss the live event you can watch later–just click on this link.
If you decide to cook along, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand:
17 ounces flour
6 ounces lard
6 ounces powdered or ground almond
6 ounces powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Date & Time: Tuesday, December 29 at 9:00 am PT; 12:00 pm ET and 6:00 pm Spain
How to connect: https://www.facebook.com/francisco.glariabaines
Follow Fran on Instagram
