ConTradición #PR59 (ebook)

8 authors

68 recipes

92 processes

250 photographs

180 pages

Printing: offset

With Tradition

You've probably read the phrase "If we want everything to stay the same, everything needs to change" more than once. That's not the case here. Fatima Gismero (Guadalajara, 1982). Conscientious, yet discreet, she is changing the pastry landscape because she wants to and knows how to preserve her roots. She doesn't see her role as guardian of tradition as a necessity: she took up the mantle unconsciously, out of love for the craft. Thus, she turns the phrase on its head, transforming it into "If we want everything to change, we need everything to stay the same" every time she kneads dough. Hence her “Without tradition there is no evolution.” For her, it’s much more than a slogan or a statement of intent. “It’s the title of my life,” she states emphatically. The concept of 'vocation' soon comes to the forefront. And this woman from Pioz, a native of the Alcarria region and a true son of the Alcarria, knew exactly what hers was even before she understood the meaning of the word. Her immediate environment as a child, with her home above the family bakery where her father and grandfather worked, did the rest.

Trained in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​Fátima learned from Faustino Helguera and Carlos Mampel, as well as at renowned establishments like Disfrutar and Mugaritz. She also worked on the Texturas section of Albert and Ferran Adrià's Solé Graells, where she learned new techniques that she later adapted to pastry making to enhance her creations. The pastry chef decided to return to Pioz when retirement was being discussed at the family bakery. She took over the reins of the business as it celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Gismero says that “some people don’t value tradition and don’t realize that it’s the foundation of everything.” For example, “for a sponge cake, you have to play with the temperatures, carefully monitor the mixture”; something that is intimately related to honesty when using natural ingredients. And so it goes with so many other preparations, many of them featured in the pages of this edition. “Why can’t a Michelin-starred restaurant include a well-made polvorón among its petits fours, or pestiños that can be enjoyed in a single bite?”

In this issue of PastryRevolution, Fatima breaks down in detail a total of 52 recipes traditional . Through more than 200 photographs showcase everything from fried doughnuts to French toast, including shortbread cookies and almond shortbread. Highlights include the little bees made with honey from the Alcarria region; the essential mille-feuille with cream; the typical 'harinaos' (flour-based pastries) made with Syrah grapes from Guadalajara; and cream-filled fritters, among many other recipes. This edition also features... More than 30 creations are accompanied by a photographic detail of their cut . This allows the reader to examine the baking, pastry making, or filling with precision.

'From origin to evolution' —note the similarities with the "Without tradition there is no evolution" that guides it— is how Fátima Gismero named the creation with seven preparations "from most traditional to most innovative" around the almond with which she won the Award for Revelation Pastry Chef , and whose recipe she presented exclusively in the pages of PastryRevolution.

Being aware that, He who seeks change in everything needs everything to stay the same .

Bakery

In a bakery, Georgina Crespo ensures the continuity of Fleca Balmes , the bakery on Barcelona's central Balmes street, was founded by her great-grandfather, Manuel Crespo. At Fleca Balmes, all the breads are made with their own liquid levain, which they refresh daily, using long fermentations and slow baking, as can be seen in the creations Georgina presents in this edition, such as the ' Avi'. 'Lolo', dedicated to his father, or the 'Ciabatta with seeds'.

Ideas are not exhausted, as this demonstrates Olga Jiménez with Milpa . In this bakery in Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood, Olga brought together women of different nationalities who could contribute their knowledge of traditional breadmaking from their respective countries. PastryRevolution features some of their creations. Zhora , Justina , Surjit and Marcela , like the 'Harcha' from Morocco, or the 'Cuñapés', typical of Bolivia.

Nuria Escarpa She is a young entrepreneur who is at the helm of 3 letters PAN One of Madrid's best bakeries, opened in 2021. The challenge was significant, but they have succeeded in creating a meeting place with a high-quality selection of artisan breads and pastries, working with locally sourced ingredients, using long and natural fermentation processes, and respecting the product. The 'Rye Bread with Raisins and Walnuts' or the 'Bread with Toasted Corn' are good examples of this.