The 'ensaïmattone': the sweet invented by a Catalan pastry chef that aims to become as popular as the cronut.

BarcelonaIt was 2013 when the cronut traveled around the world Although it was created in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood by pastry chef Dominique Ansel, that sweet treat that combined the shape of a donut with croissant dough broke new ground, and every bakery wanted to imitate it. In our country, pastry chef Joe Moretones had been pursuing the idea of using panettone dough to make an ensaimada for years. Apparently, based on its shape, it would be an ensaimada, but inside, it would be a panettone, with one key difference: it wouldn't have butter, but lard. He even dreamed about what he would name it: ensaïmattone.

Every Christmas, when I made the panettone dough, I thought it was a shame that, once the season for this sweet treat from Italy was over, it wasn't used for anything else. Two years ago, while working a summer at Herbera Bakery, I tried it out and saw that the idea worked. Surrounded by the tortas zapatillas, typical ensaimadas of the island from Menorca, he realized that the fermentation times required for traditional ensaimada dough and panettone dough were similar because they were both long. So he got to work.

Spring sweet

This spring, on the counter of the Foix pastry shop, a sign written in beautiful handwriting announces the ensaimatonas. While customers buy bread or the eternal symbols of the Foix bakery, the conchas (handmade and covered in chocolate) or the nieblas (a tile-shaped pastry rock filled with rich chocolate), they ask about the invention. "What is theensaïmattone"?" I feel like they're asking right in front of me. The sweet treat sparks curiosity, and the name and shape make you immediately imagine the answer, because the ensaimada's appearance is unmistakable. "There was a Sunday, Mother's Day, when I filled them with strawberry jam, made by me, with me, with me, with me, with me, with mine, made by me. It was a success, it was liked, the novelty was attractive. ensaimatonas They can be classic, that is, without any filling inside (€9.90), or with a burnt cream and cream interior, sobrasada (sobrasada), or angel hair (€14.90). He has even prepared individual sizes, also without filling (€3.90). The puffy shape of the Menorcan ensaimada will find a resemblance. "Yes, that's right, because I'm still testing sizes and shapes," says Joe Moretones. Everything is so recent that the pastry chef still works with molds of varying diameters.ensaïmattone"When eating sliced, it is advisable to heat it for a few minutes in the oven, and then sprinkle it with the sugar that we put on the side, to give it the finishing touch," he says.

Bruises assure that the same panettone should always be eaten like this, previously heated, but in this case without the sugar that is in theensaïmattone He does recommend adding sugar on top. "Even with sobrasada inside or angel hair, I also suggest everyone add the sugar after heating it for two or three minutes in the oven."

The result is a sweet that could make the reverse trip from the cronut, that is, from Catalonia to Manhattan, it's so good and addictive. The large size, which when filled can weigh 850 grams, is too small for one person. The invention is designed to be a success, because it will appeal to a wide audience, especially those who have already enjoyed panettone during its season. And that's why the main question I ask the pastry chef is why? copyright, due to copyright. "I haven't considered it. When I had the idea, I rushed to do it because I thought someone else would do it too, it was so obvious I thought it was, but once I've made it and put it on sale, I'm not worried about someone copying it," says the pastry chef, who emphasizes the difficulty of patenting recipes. In any case, "hybrids, the idea of crossing sweet doughs, we already experienced in 2013 with the cronut; it's not an invention in pastry making," he says, as if he doesn't attach importance to what he's just created, which in fact it does.ensaïmattone She has just been born, has a name that sounds good (the diaeresis is sexy) and her wrist in her mouth makes you reconcile with the world, which can also be beautiful.