David Gil and Ingrid Serra: “Any pastry creation can be transferred to a chocolate bar, as we demonstrate in XOK”

What is a turrón? And a tablet or chocolate bar? Analyzing tradition and starting from it, David Gil and Ingrid Serra go beyond the concept of classic turrón to go much further, entering the world of chocolate, ganaches, giandujas, and pralines and marzipans. This is how XOK was born, the first and only book dedicated to classic and modern turrón. 

Nobody better than themselves to explain the details of this book, published by Books For Chefs. Gil and Serra confess why an artisan pastry chef should buy XOK, which turrones they are most proud of, and what the difference is between a ganache-filled turrón and a tablet or chocolate bar, among many other things.

Discover XOK

How did XOK come about?

David Gil: It was born from a project, a pop-up, around turrón as an innovative, different, and fresh product (not produced months in advance). This became an annual collection during several campaigns in which everything was thought out:  the product, the packaging, the mold, the style, and more. A project that reflected very well what our R&D company is and that is now part of this book.

Why should everything that appears in this book be considered as turrón?

Ingrid Serra: Because what we propose is precisely the evolution of the concept of traditional turrón, how these classic turrones have evolved organically towards more creative proposals, with different fillings and different techniques.

What is the difference between a ganache-filled turrón and a tablet or chocolate bar?

DG: A turrón, a chocolate bar and even a bonbon share fillings and techniques. The difference can be in the format, the size and the way of consuming it. A turrón is usually shared, while a chocolate bar and especially a bonbon are for individual consumption.

Are turrones good year-round? 

IS: We think so. Just as a bonbon or a chocolate bar is consumed all year round, this type of turrón, with recipes adapted to environmental conditions, is also.

DG: Precisely, all the techniques that we explain in the book are perfectly applicable to chocolate bars and to confectionery in general.

“All the techniques we explain in the book are perfectly applicable to chocolate bars and candy shops in general”

Is all pastry included in this type of turrón?

DG: All the innovation that pastry has given us throughout history is included. Any pastry creation can be transferred to a chocolate bar, as we demonstrate in the book. Something as classic as a chantilly can be reformulated to form part of a turrón. This is what is interesting about the book and what makes it modern.

What is the best thing people have said about your turrones?

IS: Creativity. And that many of them are 3D turrones, that is, they have been designed in 360 degrees.

Which turrones are you most proud of?

DG: It could be the candle, the galet, the stocking, what we were saying before about 3D design.

Why should a chocolate and pastry artisan buy this book?

IS: Well, because it can help them to open their horizons. In addition to the ganaches and giandujas, which we explain in detail, in the book you can see that we come from restaurant pastry making, and that we use many techniques from this type of desserts applied to turrón.

“XOK is a book for learning, but also for being creative and making turrón a product for the whole year”

And what about those who are starting out in the trade?

DG: It is a book that does not exist on the market, so you can extract many techniques to apply in pastry and chocolate making, and because there is a whole traditional pastry recipe book adapted to these preparations. It is a book for learning, but also for being creative and making turrón a product for the whole year.