The passion of Bilbao-based pastry chef Alma Obregón for baking began in her childhood, enjoying Carolinas with her parents in her native Bilbao. Now, she returns to the screen with the new season of 'Dulces con Alma' on Canal Cocina, where she combines creative and contemporary pastry with traditional preparations, not forgetting the iconic butter buns of Bilbao. She has also published 'Galletas con Alma', a recipe book filled with childhood flavors fused with the new trend of 'crumbl cookies'.
Does she believe her musical discipline as a violinist and pianist has influenced her precision and rhythm in cooking? "I think, above all, what studying violin and piano has taught me is to do many things at once. In the world of cooking and pastry, that's good if you want to be constantly developing new recipes and doing novel things. Studying music organizes your head in a specific way that helps you in everything, and certainly in pastry too," she states.
Her passion for sweets began during her doctorate in Frankfurt. She vividly recalls her initial obsession with cupcakes, which even stuck to the mold due to her beginner status. "Well, they got stuck, but they weren't that bad," she recalled with a laugh.
On her blog, she documents the search for the "perfect cupcake." "It's fundamental. On my blog, my social media, and in my courses, I always tell everyone starting out that nobody is born knowing everything, especially in pastry. Success in it is about being persistent, trying a thousand and one more times when you make mistakes. For me, macarons were a nightmare; nowadays, they are among my favorite desserts. It's important not to demand too much of ourselves, to be patient because the results will come," she emphasizes.
In the new installment of 'Dulces con Alma' on Canal Cocina, she teaches tricks for all audiences, from using stale pastries to preparing flavored sugars. "Yes, especially pastry, but also in general. I am a mother of three little ones, and cooking – especially pastry – is something that unites people a lot. It's entertaining, fulfilling, and allows you to create beautiful things for others to enjoy," she explains.
She also has four chickens, a cat, a dog, and a turtle. "Now I have many more. Poor Pinky [her cat] passed away. But it's true that they don't enter the kitchen; I try to keep them separate because otherwise, it's impossible. But one beautiful thing is that all the desserts I make at home are with the eggs my chickens give me. For me, that's magical," she says.
This season, they were able to include "almost everything." "From a super simple rice cake that turns out delicious and is suitable for people who can't have gluten, to alfajores and cheesecakes. Also pastries, which I love, and I think they aren't often shown on television because they are a longer preparation; so we included a lot of fermented doughs. Lemon cookies, coconut cake... there's something for everyone, which is ultimately the most important thing."
Among the techniques learned, she highlights Xavier Barriga's advice on "mise en place": "A fundamental change for me when I started studying at Le Cordon Bleu was mise en place: valuing the importance of having everything ready before starting a recipe. This is something I stress a lot to my students. With that, pastry becomes a piece of cake. When we start improvising is when errors happen. If we have everything prepared in pastry and follow the instructions step by step, success is guaranteed."
On her social media, she shows her sweets with naturalness. "It's true that I've noticed a bit of a change. I'm a person who leads a very healthy life: I used to run, now I climb, cycle, ski... I don't stop. I try to show that duality on social media. Obviously, I don't eat sweets every day and all the time, but I like to show that we can make them for a special occasion. If we crave them at any moment, it's perfectly fine to have them. [...] The important thing is to be open to what other people do with respect. Sometimes, on social media, we tend to judge a lot, and people are often more intransigent, but the beauty is in tolerating all options. I exercise and I also like to make sweets. It's okay, the world won't end."
In analog format, she is also present with her book 'Galletas con Alma'. "In fact, I prepared the butter buns from Bilbao for this season of Canal Cocina, and I still need to make the Carolinas for a future one. In this cookie book, I've included 'tejas' and recipes associated with the north, although it's a bit more general. I've drawn from those childhood recipes, those flavors that have always accompanied us. Throughout my life, being from Euskadi has marked me. I really enjoy eating and I really enjoy northern cuisine. A childhood memory is having a Carolina with my parents whenever we went down to Bilbao; it has been my dream, my passion, my total love. I grew up in a family that loves sweets, and being from Euskadi, we've always had many typical local ones. My biggest fan is my father; he always tries everything I make, and one of the things that most excited him was when I started making Carolinas. When he tried them for the first time, it was a very emotional moment for both of us."
