The pantxineta is a typical dessert of the Basque Country. It consists of a bun of puff-pastry filled with thick custard cream; it is topped with almonds and often decorated with icing sugar.
The Dictionary of Basque gastronomy defines the “pantxineta” as a tart of puff-pastry and custard cream created at the beginning of the 20th century in Casa Otaegui, a patisserie from San Sebastian, around 1915. Back then, San Sebastian was a summer vacation resort for the Spanish royalty, aristocrats and bourgeoisie; patisseries and restaurants thrived, usually serving food and dishes heavily influenced by the cuisine of nearby France. Apparently, the pantxineta was devised in an attempt to imitate traditional French frangipane tarts; however, instead of employing the usual almond-based frangipane filling, a baker at Otaegui used a thick custard, and covered the tart with an outer layer of puff-pastry. They initially called the desert a “frantxi-pan”, which in the local basque dialect quickly evolved into “pantxineta”.
Since its inception, the desert has grown in popularity due to its simplicity and tastiness, and it is nowadays considered one of the cornerstone desserts of Basque cuisine. It is usually served warm, either reheated or, whenever possible, straight out of the baking oven. Sometimes it is served along hot chocolate syrup, which is poured on top of the pastry.
While the basic recipe remains consistent, some variations may exist between different pastry shops and regions. In Gipuzkoa the puff-pastry is usually thinner than in Bizkaia, but anyway the result is always crispy and fullfilling.
The Pantxineta can be tasted in many restaurants as a dessert or can be bought in some pastry shops around the Basque Country. The most famous and recommended locations to purchase it are Casa Otaegui in San Sebastian, Zuricalday in Getxo and Martina de Zuricalday in Bilbao.