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What is a pastry chef from the prestigious
Le Cordon Bleu
school doing while denying sugar?
"Go for healthy baking. Different studies have shown that sugar acts as an inflammatory agent and is the cause of many diseases," answers
Marta García-Orea,
better known on social networks as
@cocuisinebymarta,
the woman behind
Cocuisine
, the company dedicated to organic and toxic-free food and cooking and the author of the book
'Sweet and Sugarless'
(ed. Grijalbo), a recipe book that spreads by word of mouth and that in just a few months, from the past November, is already preparing its third edition.
The manual includes "80 easy and delicious proposals without
sugar
, without sweeteners and without gluten."
Said like that, to a sweet tooth it seems almost science fiction.
But no, Marta assures that her
recipes
come out, that they are quick and that they are finger-licking good, "even the ones that do not include eggs, one of the most difficult ingredients to replace," but that she changes them for aquafaba (the liquid from jars of
canned
legumes ): "It's very complicated, but it can be done. You assemble it the same as you would with a white and, surprisingly, the change is not noticeable in the flavor."
An expert says it, in every sense, at the stove and at the table, because Marta assures that she is a very, very sweet person;
"I need to eat sweets, because I love it, although I do it in
moderation
. And unless there is an intolerance or
allergy
, I never recommend a strict restriction. My great luck is that I can eat any food; my book is designed above all for those who have some pathology. Cooking without gluten and without
sugar
is very complicated. It is something very new, no one has yet studied how to make spongy doughs that have volume. Removing sugar is a challenge, not only because of the sweetness, but also because it is a substance antihumectant, that is, it makes it more juicy, as well as sweet. The point is to make these
doughs
, using another type of flour and kneading, more similar to those of a normal dessert; but the change is
complicated
, not all the world can do it."
In her case, it has involved years of
professional
work , although for Marta
cooking
has always been a passion.
She doesn't remember when she started doing it, but she does remember that she was always helping her mother and her grandmother in the kitchen.
"I have cooked a lot since I was very little, because I had fun. I made all kinds of dishes, sweet and savory. Then my sister Blanca (
@blancanutri,
clinical nutritionist specialized in digestive and hormonal nutrition) asked me to help her make healthy recipes, She is one of my most important references when it comes to using
healthy
ingredients . And the pandemic arrived, with everyone stuck in our homes, come cook. That's when I started uploading my recipes to
. And suddenly I had hundreds of followers, a lot of people," Marta recalls.
"They asked me a lot of things: what utensils I used, which ones were the best, how I made this recipe..., that's when I decided to take the plunge and open the
brand
."
Until then, Marta, a graduate in Public Relations and Advertising, had been working in a nutricosmetics laboratory for two years, and in a medical center.
But the pandemic, like so many, changed everything.
"I kept uploading recipes, but they asked me a lot about
allergies
, about recipes without gluten, without sugar, without dairy or eggs... And I realized that to make that type of pastry I needed different training."
He opted for the project and, in a big way, he enrolled in
Le Cordon Bleu
, one of the best cooking schools in the world, "to learn and strengthen the foundations of
haute cuisine
," and he dedicated himself to pastry because they were the recipes that they asked for the most, gluten-free, sugar-free sweets and for those who have allergies.
"If you want to make a living from this, you have to find your audience."
The first question is obligatory: why do we have to get off sugar? For health.
Every day there are more indications that taking it can accelerate many diseases and pathologies, at the cardiac and autoimmune level, or even cause them, it has been shown.
The sugar issue is a world.
Then I forget about that slogan that went viral even without networks: 'Your body and your mind need sugar' What our brain needs is glucose, not sugar.
There is a lot of confusion on this topic. And how do we get off sugar?
We are surrounded...It is important to accustom the palate.
At birth we obviously don't eat such sweet things, we have a natural diet, with fruits, vegetables, etc., but as we grow up we try sugar and other ultra-processed foods.
And you become 'addicted';
When you try again to eat desserts without so much sugar, they don't taste like anything.
In this mission, is there any good sweetener?
Lately they don't have a very good reputation either. No, none.
They have all been shown to alter the intestinal microbiota and create a lot of inflammation, gas and other digestive symptoms.
Until recently it was said that erythritol did not change it, but it did.
Although it is one of the best, replacing sugar with a sweetener, no;
It's not worth it. Well, he'll tell me how we do it if he loses a sweet... With patience, you won't get rid of sugar overnight.
First you have to reduce the quantity.
For example, in coffee: if you use three teaspoons, add two and a half for a week.
Next time, put only two.
In the third week, one and a half... And so on, from week to week, until the end.
If you struggle to remove the last half teaspoon, you can replace it with a little bit of erythitrol.
If you are making the transition, a sweetener is a good option, because it helps remove the bitterness, but only for a time.
Giving up sugar will cost us more or less the famous 21 days necessary to create a habit.
It is a long process, but it works. And taking it to the field of baking, how do I sweeten without sugar or sweetener? The healthy thing is to use fruits, that's what I do.
If you are still not very used to it, dates are a good option, because they are very sweet.
Also banana, pear, tangerine, peach... whatever you tolerate and like;
You just have to grind it and add it.
Although you should not use those that have a lot of water, so that the dough is not wet. And is it possible to adapt any recipe? Yes, if the proportions are correct, we always achieve a delicious dessert.
Healthy baking has its techniques, you have to know how to treat the dough so that it is as natural as possible, for example with santana gum, which makes it look more similar.
Give me an expert trick to achieve it. The trick is in practice, in trying, because each thing is different.
It is also important to know the other sugar substitutes: spices;
tubers, which are sweeter when cooked, 75% chocolate, carob...
To avoid gluten or dairy you can use cold coconut oil;
spreadable extra virgin olive oil, as if it were butter, or vegetable drinks. Why can't you eat sweets on an empty stomach?
He says that it is always better to eat them as dessert, although it seems that they make you more fattening. Because of the glucose.
The stomach should not be empty, if you eat them on an empty stomach the glucose peak rises very quickly and then you get a crash, just as quickly, and you need more again.
For dessert, sweets are the same or less fattening, because not being hungry you eat a smaller amount. Which of your recipes would you recommend starting with for someone who wants to get started in the world of sugar-free cooking? With all of them.
If I have to choose, donuts, it is a very simple dough, just mash, mix the ingredients and bake.
It takes 15 minutes, it is dipped in melted chocolate and that's it.
It is one of the easiest and has the best results.
They like them a lot, especially children. Which one do you ask for the most, even those who boast of having a sweet tooth? Apple pie.
I learned to cook it at Le Cordon Bleu, I made several changes to it, I removed the gluten and it always succeeds, because it is super sweet.
On the birthdays of family and friends there is never a shortage. And you, who define yourself as very sweet, which one do you love? For me, from the book, the usual cookies [but without gluten, sugar, dairy or nuts].
I love everything that has puff pastry, a croissant, a Neapolitan... I also really like tiramisu and traditional desserts, such as rice pudding. Would you confess which recipe resists you? Yes, of course, puff pastries without gluten.
I don't have them very well controlled yet, I'm working on them, studying them and doing tests.
For me it is the most complicated.
Which one do you love? For me, from the book, the usual cookies [but without gluten, sugar, dairy or nuts].
I love everything that has puff pastry, a croissant, a Neapolitan... I also really like tiramisu and traditional desserts, such as rice pudding. Would you confess which recipe resists you? Yes, of course, puff pastries without gluten.
I don't have them very well controlled yet, I'm working on them, studying them and doing tests.
For me it is the most complicated.
Which one do you love? For me, from the book, the usual cookies [but without gluten, sugar, dairy or nuts].
I love everything that has puff pastry, a croissant, a Neapolitan... I also really like tiramisu and traditional desserts, such as rice pudding. Would you confess which recipe resists you? Yes, of course, puff pastries without gluten.
I don't have them very well controlled yet, I'm working on them, studying them and doing tests.
For me it is the most complicated.
At this point, I can't say goodbye without asking you how long you've been without sugar.
"Little. I have a very
sweet tooth
, from time to time I have
sweets
, and I enjoy them. Of course, I do it in great moderation. I have learned to listen to my body and I know when I have to stop. Since I am no longer used to
sugar
, before I could eat a whole bar of chocolate, and now it seems very
cloying
to me and I can't even handle half. That's the important thing about
re-educating
your palate, it's not hard for you to get rid of sugar because you don't like it anymore, it seems too sweet to you."
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