Montadito de Crema de Habitas con Queso Manchego
Montadito de Crema de Habitas con Queso Manchego·(mon-tah-DEE-toh deh KREH-mah deh ah-BEE-tahs kohn KEH-soh mahn-CHEH-goh)
Chapter 1: Foundations & the Bar Snacks
If there is a single bite that captures the frenetic, electric energy of the American tapas boom, it is this one. Inspired by the legendary New York joint Tía Pol, this montadito is a masterclass in restaurant economics and workflow. You take a luxurious, traditional Andalusian flavor profile—earthy baby fava beans, good Spanish olive oil, and garlic—and blend it into a velvety puree on your own time. When your guests arrive, you are exactly forty-five seconds of broiler heat away from a blistering, restaurant-quality bite. The Manchego sweats, the bread crunches, and you do not miss a minute of your own party.
Before you start
Blanch and shock the beans.
Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the fava beans in for exactly 2 minutes, then immediately drain and plunge them into an ice bath to halt the cooking and lock in that electric green chlorophyll.
Perform the double peel.
Use your thumbnail to break the tough, translucent outer skin of each bean and pop the bright green inner cotyledon into a clean bowl. Do not skip this step; the outer skins are tannic and chalky, and removing them is the difference between a rustic home dip and a silky, restaurant-quality crema.
Sweat the aromatics.
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, gently cook the minced shallot and smashed garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil for 4 to 5 minutes until translucent. Do not let them brown, or you will muddy the delicate sweetness of the beans. Discard the garlic clove once it has perfumed the oil.
Blend the crema.
Transfer the peeled beans, the shallot-oil mixture, the water, and the kosher salt to a food processor. Pulse until it forms a thick, slightly textured puree that holds its shape on a spoon. Store in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- frozen baby fava beans12 oz
- Spanish extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- shallot1 small
- garlic1 small clove
- water1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- lemon juice1 tsp
- French baguette1 med
- Queso Manchego3 oz
- flaky sea salt1 pinch
Method
- 01
Temper the puree.
Pull the crema de habitas from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. A cold puree mutes the flavors and will rapidly cool down the hot bread. Stir in a quick squeeze of lemon juice just to wake up the profile.
- 02
Toast the bread.
Preheat your broiler to high. Arrange the bias-cut baguette slices on a sheet tray, brush the tops generously with olive oil, and broil for 1 to 2 minutes until the edges are golden brown but the center retains a slight chew.
- 03
Mount the toast.
Remove the tray from the oven but leave the broiler running. Spread a generous tablespoon of the room-temperature puree onto each slice of bread, then drape one or two shards of the shaved Manchego over the top.
- 04
Flash it under the salamander.
Return the sheet tray to the broiler for exactly 30 to 45 seconds. You are not trying to blister or brown the cheese; you want it to gently sweat, releasing its butterfat, and drape softly over the bright green puree.
- 05
Finish and fire.
Immediately transfer the montaditos to a serving platter. Hit them with a light drizzle of your best finishing oil and a few grains of flaky sea salt, then get them straight to the table.
Notes
Sourcing the cheese.
You need the lanolin-rich tang of a sheep's milk cheese to cut through the starchy fava beans. Queso Manchego (Semicurado or Curado) is the accessible king here, providing the perfect acidic backbone. Cow's milk cheeses simply will not do the job.
The fava bean hack.
Finding fresh baby fava beans is a nightmare of seasonality. Frozen baby fava beans are the restaurant standard. If you absolutely cannot find them, frozen shelled edamame will give you a similar starchy-sweet profile and vibrant color, though you will lose a bit of the earthy Andalusian terroir.