{"id":2076,"date":"2020-12-23T08:09:58","date_gmt":"2020-12-23T07:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/?p=2076"},"modified":"2020-12-23T09:08:54","modified_gmt":"2020-12-23T08:08:54","slug":"christmas-treat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/2020\/12\/23\/christmas-treat\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas treat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Casa

Casa Mira. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

The age-old question:\u00a0Hard\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0or soft\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>?<\/strong> Made from almonds, these are the two classic nougat sweets that are a must-have on any self-respecting Christmas table. In Madrid you can find both of them and lots of other versions in patisseries whose ovens are busy working overtime these days. Happy and sweet holidays!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Casa

Casa Mira. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s no easy task to persuade a century-old bakery like\u00a0Casa Mira<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Carrera de San Jer\u00f3nimo, 30) to open its doors so that we can see how they produce their star product:\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>. They don\u2019t need to worry though, we won’t be revealing any secrets of their recipe, although what we can say is that everything they make in their bakery, is done by hand. It’s not an easy job, quite the opposite. It takes a long time to get the taste and the texture of this traditional sweet just right, but no Christmas Eve celebration would be the same without it.<\/p>\n

\"Casa

Casa Mira. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bearing in mind that two of its main ingredients are honey and almonds – Marcona almonds are the best – it\u2019s not hard to imagine that this dessert, or indeed treat to be enjoyed at any time of day, comes from Arabic countries. We know that it has been eaten in the Peninsula since the 16th century, which is when it appears for the first time in a number of written documents. It is mainly produced in Alicante – hard\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0bears its name -, especially in Jijona, the universal flagship of soft nougat.<\/p>\n

\"Casa

Casa Mira. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

A native of this town in Alicante, master craftsman Luis Mira decided to try his luck in Madrid, so he headed off for the capital with a cart pulled by two donkeys and loaded down with\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>. The story goes that he had to start his journey over again on at least four occasions as the\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0always sold out well before he even reached Albacete, a city located not even half way to the Spanish capital. The fact is that he finally made it to Madrid and it\u2019s thanks to him that we still have today the same Casa Mira that he founded in 1855. The extraordinary quality of the raw material and its careful elaboration made the fame of his turr\u00f3n spread quickly all over the city until he became the official purveyor of turr\u00f3n to the Royal Household. Today, with Carlos Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez at the helm, the sixth generation of the family is intent on continuing the family tradition.<\/p>\n

\"Casa

Casa Mira. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

When you walk through the door of this establishment, it seems that nothing has changed, just look at those walls covered with mahogany and mirrors from another era! Glass counters are a real temptation, as is the wheel that turns the products and has the honour of being one of the oldest in Madrid. Although you can buy the\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0ready packed, what the locals do is buy their\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0in slices. The most popular types are of course the\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0from Alicante and Jijona, but there are also other varieties, such as hazelnut, almond brittle, egg yolk, fruit, marzipan, coconut and chocolate. And what do the experts recommend you pair them with? Well, a generous wine will complement them beautifully or perhaps, for the more orthodox, an\u00a0oloroso<\/em>\u00a0port or sherry.<\/p>\n

\"Antigua

Antigua Pasteler\u00eda del Pozo. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

Founded in 1830, the\u00a0Antigua Pasteler\u00eda del Pozo\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>(Calle Pozo, 8) offers another journey through time. You only have to look at the photo dedicated by Jacinto Benavente, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922, or the chair in which Gregorio Mara\u00f1\u00f3n used to sit, to sense that this is a place with history. Although they specialise in puff pastries and \u201cRoscones de Reyes\u201d (Spain\u2019s famous ring-shaped cake made specially to celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings), you shouldn\u2019t miss their handmade nougat. In addition to the traditional ones, they offer two really successful versions: orange and \u201cturr\u00f3n a la piedra\u201d, stone nougat, which is similar to soft\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0but has a consistency more similar to that of \u201cpolvorones\u201d, a kind of shortbread.<\/p>\n

\"Lhardy.

Lhardy. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

With its all-wood fa\u00e7ade, this establishment is located on the street just behind\u00a0Lhardy<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Carrera de San Jer\u00f3nimo, 8), which is a delicatessen as well as a restaurant. Lhardy opened his establishment in 1839 and as Gald\u00f3s famously said, he came to Madrid \u201ccame to dress bakery goods in their Sunday best”. In those days, the object of desire was his\u00a0petit-choux<\/em>, the\u00a0\u00e9clairs<\/em>, the\u00a0croissants<\/em>… But also, his very own hand-made\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>, which is sold today in bars. It goes without saying that they have\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0from Alicante and Jijona, although perhaps we should be a little more adventurous and try the pistachio praline, the marr\u00f3n glac\u00e9 or the orange \u00e0 la Cointreau.<\/p>\n

\"La

La Oriental. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

Madrid is home to many more patisseries where you can buy handmade and quite different types of\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>.\u00a0La Oriental\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>(Calle Ferraz, 49) has been making Christmas even sweeter\u00a0Madrile\u00f1os<\/em>\u00a0for more than 40 years. The most successful as far as their fans are concerned? The\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0from Jijona and the toasted yolk variety. If you like the latter variety then you should also visit the\u00a0Cala-Millor<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>patisseries (Calle Ferm\u00edn Caballero, 70; Calle Leopoldo Alas Clar\u00edn, 8; Calle Cerro Miguete, 14), where they have been preparing them in their bakery since 1978. Their varied offer includes coconut, orange, praline and truffle, whiskey… And for chocolate addicts, a must-visit\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0temple is\u00a0Moulin Chocolat<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Alcal\u00e1, 77). Whether you prefer it crunchy or more creamy, with more or less intensity, all the\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0they make here contains the best Valrhona chocolate and a number of other ingredients, such as almonds, berries, coffee and raisins, apple and cinnamon or Sicilian orange.<\/p>\n

\"Torrons

Torrons Vicens. \u00a9 \u00c1lvaro L\u00f3pez del Cerro.<\/p><\/div>\n

For this festive period, truffled nougat is one of the specialties at the\u00a0Horno de San Onofre<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>(Calle San Onofre, 3) where, in addition to the classic\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0made with Marcona almonds, we can also find varieties such as cream and walnut, cappuccino, a very sweet and smooth one, another with a touch of syrup, or\u00a0paillet\u00e9<\/em>, with puff pastry inside. For those with a sweet tooth, we have yet another address:\u00a0Torrons Vicens<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>(Paseo del Prado, 10), which happens to be the largest\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0shop in the world! A whole Christmas paradise to triumph at home with Albert Adri\u00e0\u2019s totally surprising offerings. Among them, the\u00a0baklava<\/em>, inspired by the Turkish dessert of the same name, or the Sacher, which reminds us of the legendary Viennese\u00a0torte\u00a0<\/em>thanks to its nitrogen seal, akin to the original dessert, with which each piece is lacquered. Shaped like an ingot, it is made from dark chocolate truffle with an apricot\u00a0p\u00e2te de fruits<\/em>\u00a0and a crunchy sponge cake. Impossible to resist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The age-old question:\u00a0Hard\u00a0turr\u00f3n\u00a0or soft\u00a0turr\u00f3n? Made from almonds, these are the two classic nougat sweets that are a must-have on any self-respecting Christmas table. In Madrid you can find both of them and lots of other versions in patisseries whose ovens are busy working overtime these days. Happy and sweet holidays!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[202,89],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2076"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2091,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076\/revisions\/2091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}