A Sweet Ending
During the holidays in País Vasco and throughout Spain, there are so many dessert options available that even if sweets aren’t your thing, you’re bound to have a favorite this time of year. In continuation of “A Time for Savory and Sweet,” this blog covers two more desserts – one with transformative powers, and the other capable of bestowing luck.
Mazapán, or marzipan, is something between a candy and a cookie. Made of ground almond and sugar, it is soft, yet dense against one’s teeth and is very sweet. To some it hints of coconut or pistachio; others taste the almond. Year-round it is molded into bite-size spheres and is covered in pine nuts. It is also shaped into various fruits or little animals. By the end of November, mazapán begins to undergo a month-long transformation. Made into large, compact blocks, it serves as the foundation for many types of turrón. Mixed with an egg white, it becomes the “anguila de mazapán.”
The anguila de mazapán is everywhere packaged in festive boxes for gift-giving, mostly among adults. It is marzipan in the shape of an eel (‘anguila’ in Spanish), and despite its name it is a popular and beautiful dessert. After turning a golden-brown in the oven, the almond-flavored eel is decorated with white frosting and surrounds a constellation of colorful frutas escarchadas (candied fruits). The frosting seems unnecessary on an already sugar-laden dessert, but the candied fruits are a must. The addition of citrus, pineapple, or berries is just the “twist” of flavor that a piece of sugary mazapán will have you craving.
Anguilas de mazapán with candied fruits and almonds.
Though the anguila de mazapán is a sight for the eyes, the roscón de Reyes is the holiday season’s centerpiece. A dessert with special significance, the roscón is to el día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) what eggs are to Easter, what cake is to a birthday. It is a ring-shaped cake, bready in texture and sweet like a sweet roll, shared by family and friends on the Eve and day of los Reyes Magos. Its presence on these two days is a given, which might explain the craze for roscones leading up to the fifth and sixth of January.
The phones in pastelerías (pastry shops) start ringing the first week of December as people order large and small, plain and cream-filled roscones, each one for a different purpose. The small roscones are for the little ones awaiting gifts from los Reyes Magos. The custom is to place a shoe underneath one’s bed; by morning, a small roscón may be inside. The larger roscones are for family events. The plain roscón without any filling is saved for breakfast on the Eve of the los Reyes Magos. The roscón filled with whipped cream is eaten for dessert after lunch on January 6th, el día de los Reyes Magos.
Smaller versions of the traditional roscón de Reyes, which features candied fruits on top.
A large, cream-filled roscón de Reyes. Unlike its traditional counterparts, this roscón is topped with powdered sugar.
While the eating of the roscón de Reyes is a Spanish tradition, the Basques like to add their own touch when making it. Whereas plain water is typically used in the baking process, Basques like to infuse it with esencia de flor de azahar (essence of orange-flower blossom). French Basques go a step further, mixing small pieces of dried fruit into the roscón batter and topping the cake with pebbles of sugar.
"La Galette des Rois," or roscón de Reyes, made in the French Basque Country.
The roscón is the same, yet different everywhere. Despite its nuances from place to place, there is one thing that ties them all together. Hidden within every cake is a small figurine believed to give luck to the person who finds it on their plate (or in their mouth). In the end, however, everyone wins. The roscón brings an end to the holidays and there is little doubt that as much as we anticipate Christmastime and our favorite seasonal sweet, it is soon after their arrival that we look forward to their departure. A year may be long for the next anguila de mazapán or roscón de Reyes or whatever else, but it is worth the wait. And our stomachs will surely be grateful.
If I am not mistaken, Ms. Marino’s photo of La Galette de Rois looks like that made in a quaint pastry shop in San Jean de la Luz, near the Spanish/French border! How lovely (or should I say ’sweet’?) to be introduced to the shared, yet distinct, neighboring cultures in the context of what everyone can appreciate–a delicious piece of dessert!
Your writing is very strong! I like the Roscón de Reyes with cream the best (no sugar). I will look for your next blog. Thank you for finding so much information.