Legend has it that anything to which torrezno is added improves exponentially. Likewise, gastronomically, this recipe would have to be qualified a little, but the truth is that Torreznismo has many followers and from time to time a new product tests its limits. If last year the torrezno turrón was one of the Christmas sensations, for this season in Burgo de Osma (Soria) they have decided to up the ante and present the first and only torrezno turrón on the market. We have been able to try them and talk to their creators so they can tell us more about what, without a doubt, is the most original Christmas sweet this year.
The Soriano company Dulces Tícolas el Beato is responsible for these unique Polvorones. In their day they created chocolate with torreznos, then nougat, so we can say that we are among the greatest experts in combining this pork product with sweets. Something that, a priori, may sound strange and not in keeping with the “typical sweets” that appear in the name, but thinking about it, it is not that far from tradition either.
“It is something as traditional as the chicharrones cake, the mantecados or the Polvorones themselves; all of them made with lard, a product from pork, which gives all the products an unmatched softness and a classic flavor,” recalls Carlos País, third generation of chocolatiers and head of this company.
Baptized with the clever name of Polvorrezno, they are presented as an “artisan and traditional polvorón” and based “on grandmother’s recipe, with crunchy torreznos.” But beyond the traditional use of butter in sweets, how is the torrezno or, as they say there, “the Soria protein bar” integrated?
According to what they tell us, the trick is to defat the torrezno before incorporating it into the usual Polvorón recipe. “We slice them, place them on absorbent paper and bake until they are crispy, then we chop them and add them to the Polvorón dough and then bake it all together,” they explain.
That is to say, if someone was imagining a Polvorón with a piece of fried torrezno on top, that’s not the idea. But reviewing the list of ingredients we found that it has 9% torrezno in its preparation, so its presence cannot be said to be testimonial either.
And can you tell when you try them? “It is a sweet powder with the perfect amount of torrezno so that everyone likes it,” its creators promise. Small in size, each Polvorón is enough for a couple of bites or can even be a mouthful, because they are not at all cloying and the fats are very well integrated.
The flavor is, indeed, sweet, with a texture that is not far from the classic Polvorón. They are decorated with a little powdered sugar, but despite this there is no excessive sweetness. In any case, the good thing begins after the first bite, when you begin to notice the crunchy points of the torrezno, which provide a salty touch.
We will save ourselves the tacky talk of umami in some Polvorones with Torrezno, but that salty touch is definitely the key so that the initial sweetness gives way to prominence and it shows that these are not the usual Polvorones.
They are tasty? The truth is that if. Would we notice that they are made from torrezno in a blind tasting? Beyond the salty and crunchy point, it would be difficult to refine so much to detect that specific ingredient. In fact, those of us who defend adding torreznos to everything surely miss a little more forcefulness in the flavor, but the key is precisely something more neutral and soft that many more people can like.
They are presented in boxes of 12 units, with a net weight of 200 grams. They cost less than 7 euros so it is not surprising that they are succeeding as an original gift or to liven up Christmas tables.
This is what they say at least from Dulces Tícolas el Beato, who highlight the great reception it is having in Soria and throughout the country, far surpassing last year’s success with Turrezno, their torrezno nougat that this year they continue to offer in their store. .
