Not so many years ago, Suchard nougat could be seen as a Christmas alien. Naming "turrón" (nougat) on this bar provoked laughter among grandmothers, in the same way that, now, buying a ham nougat generates guffaws among family members. Precisely because December is a time of excess, it is the time of year when the most irrational flavors emerge. Chefs and master pastry chefs propose, in this sense, almost Bullinian deconstructions that seek the limits of a panettone, a polvorón, or a turrón.
We start with a strong dish: COC's panettone croquettes, made with artisan pandoro, chocolate, and candied orange. This is not the first curious recipe devised by Imma Pardos and Iñaki Escuer, who have created Jijona nougat croquettes (!) and sweet potato churros. They were also pioneers with their ceps and foie croquettes that are now seen in many places, but years ago were considered a gastronomic madness. Which leads us to wonder: Will tasting panettone croquettes be the most normal thing in the world, ten years from now?
The fever with this Italian sweet, much more recent than we think, is also expressed in new products such as the distillate that Panettoni Pavolucci has just launched. The creative genius behind the concept, Carlos Bonnin from La Destilateca, has managed to extract the essence of one of the most difficult recipes to elaborate, and question, incidentally, the limits between liquid and solid. The research is also highlighted in products such as the new coconut Catànies, a flavor that Oriol Llopart has taken more than two decades and 500 trials to achieve.
The thermometer of eccentricities in the world of Christmas sweets is always advanced by the Agramunt Nougat and Stone Chocolate Fair. This year, Torrons Vicens presented some very divergent flavors, among them, the Chupa Chups nougat. Made with almond praline, cream and strawberry and covered with white and ruby chocolate, it is a mix that, on paper, seems more commercial than sweet. They have also released another Enrique Tomás Ham nougat with a base of toasted almond praline and ham with almonds and chocolate coating. Perhaps they are not as strange as Dani García's foie and lemon nougat or Amstel's nougat beer, but they are close.
Another curious, limited-edition Christmas sweet is Jon Cake's fake tête de moine. Conceived jointly with I+Desserts and with product from Quesos de Suiza, at first glance it looks like the well-known dairy product from the Alpine country ---it even cuts into a flower shape with a girolle--- but, in the mouth, it is an authentic turrón. Through the XOK Chocolates project, I+Desserts also makes versions of this sweet with polvorón, wafer or king's coal, which play at transforming and turning formats upside down. When will there be a panettone turrón? We look forward to it.
A mention also for Lluc Crusellas, one of the best chocolatiers in the world and winner of the World Chocolate Masters 2022. With his new company Eukarya, which has a pop-up at the Yurbban Trafalgar hotel, he has just launched a speculoos turrón, a typical Christmas cookie that is very popular in the Netherlands. Both in taste and sight, his new company very well represents the wow effect, that is, the ability a brand has to generate an experience.
In an artificially intelligent world, however, we would have expected more proposals conceived by language tools. Manolo Bakes does play a bit, using AI to design its Christmas boxes and cups, which show Santa and Mrs. Claus eating a Manolo Crocanti. Also artificial, in its own way, is the selection made by Tamara Falcó for Chocolates Pancracio, which translates into a limited edition box. It is clear that each brand tries to find its way to the wow, whether with famous personalities, trompe l'oeil or shocking flavors. Time will tell what is here to stay and what will quickly fall into oblivion.