Xuixo
with
‘crème
patalana’
Between
the
razor
clams,
bacallà,
and
lush
ribbons
of
jamớn,
in
Barcelona
I
came
upon
a
Catalan
pastry:
the
xuixo
(pronounced
shoo-show).
It
is
filled
with
a
crème
Catalana
and
deep-fried.
It
is
extraordinary,
and
utterly
unforgettable.
The
xuixo
origin
story
is
one
of
my
favourite
love
and
food
stories.
It
is
set
in
the
Spanish
flu
pandemic
in
Girona.
The
baker’s
daughter
was
having
a
sneaky
romance
with
an
acrobat
named
El
Tarlà.
During
a
clandestine
bakery
rendezvous
El
Tarlà
hid
behind
some
sacks
of
flour.
The
flour
made
him
sneeze
and
the
jig
was
up.
To
placate
the
father’s
anger,
El
Tarlà
ofered
him
this
recipe,
along
with
a
promise
to
marry
his
daughter.
I
hope
they
all
lived
as
happily
ever
after
as
I
do
with
these
fried
treats
in
my
life.
Start
24–48
hours
before
and
make
the
Croiss-ain’t
dough
as
per
the
recipe.
To
get
ahead,
also
make
the
Cold-start
thick
custard
and
scrape
into
a
bowl
with
a
piece
of
plastic
wrap
pushed
onto
the
surface
to
avoid
a
skin
forming.
Keep
chilled.
The
next
day,
start
the
assembly.
Take
the
custard
and
grate
half
the
orange
rind
and
half
the
lemon
rind
in.
Add
the
cinnamon
and
mix
well.
Set
aside
at
room
temperature.
Taking
the
chill
off
the
custard
will
help
the
xuixo
cook
all
the
way
through
at
fry
time.
You
won’t
need
all
the
custard – keep
the
rest
to
serve
alongside.
Lightly
break
up
the
egg
white
in
a
small
bowl
with
a
fork.
Set
aside,
along
with
a
pastry
brush.
Cut
the
chilled
dough
into
six
equal
pieces – around
80
g
(2¾
oz)
each.
On
a
lightly
dusted
work
surface,
roll
the
first
portion
(keep
the
remainder
chilled)
into
a
rectangle
approximately
23
cm
×
12
cm
(9
in
×
4¾
in).
The
dough
may
get
a
little
smeary – just
use
a
little
extra
flour.
Position
the
rectangle
with
the
short
side
facing
you.
Brush
the
entire
surface
lightly
with
the
egg
white.
Spoon
(or
pipe)
a
heaped
tablespoon
of
the
custard
in
the
lower
third
of
the
dough
piece.
continued
…
Keeps
Best
eaten
warm,
but
I
have
eaten
these
after
an
overnight
chill
and
they
were
still
mind-bendingly
delicious!
Makes
6
xuixos.
Takes
Start
the
dough
24
hour
s
before
fry-day,
and
the
custard
too,
for
ease.
Fry-day
takes
1–2
hours
with
lots
of
hands-off
proving
time.
1
×
batch
Croiss-ain’t/faux-
ssaint
dough
(page 87)
1
×
small
batch
Cold-start
thick
custard
(page 247)
1
orange
1
lemon
1
g
(⅟
₃₂
oz/
½
teaspoon)
freshly
ground
cinnamon
1
egg
white
for
assembly,
left
over
from
the
Cold-start
thick
custard
cooking
oil
spray
approx.
1.5
litres
(51
fl
oz/
6
cups)
rice
bran
oil,
for
frying
(or
other
neutral-flavoured
oil
such
as
canola
or
peanut
oil)
80
g
(2¾
oz)
raw
caster
(superfine)
sugar,
for
dusting