Did you say Tarta or Torta???

As I mentioned in my last post, I am a huge fan of tarts and pastries. A few months after living here in Montevideo, I was enlightened on the difference between a torta and a tarta. I still consistently confuse the two, but on a good day I can remember that a torta is sweet and a tarta is savory. (Unless you are talking about a torta frita, which is neither savory or sweet)

I have to say that tartas have been one of my favourite food finds. There is something very satisfying a homemade tarta and a side salad for lunch. Like anything else, the quality, portion size, and ratio of pastry to filling will vary from location. But basically, it is a thin crust on top and bottom filled with either veggies, cheeses, meats or a selection thereof. I have the convenience and pleasure of a small cafetería within in the Pilates studio where I have been training. In the tiny kitchenette, the chef makes a half a dozen varieties from scratch (starting with her own pastry dough) every week. My favourite tarta is the zuchinni and mushroom. The crust is a mix of white and wheat flour and the filling holding the cooked veggies together is a light creamy sauce. Pictured above are two different varieties. On the left is caprese - mozzarella, tomato and basil. On the right another favorite - a layer of squash, a soft white cheese, and corn. She also makes primavera - tomato, hard boiled egg, jam, and cheese, pasquilini- spinach, egg, and red bell pepper, and the classic - jam and cheese. My time is limited here, so I intend to continue to enjoy my favourite lunch find. I've put in my request for a lesson in the making of a tarta before I leave!

Where to find them:
Most confiterías or panaderías, and the deli section of the grocery store
Quality and variety will vary at each location.
Portions tend to be big, ask for a media porción if you want a light lunch or if you want to try a couple varieties.
(Warning: sometimes the combinations get very creative. I would shy away from jam and cheese with frosting on top or tuna with pineapple!!)
Price $20-35 pesos/porción

Pan de Ciruela

At times, Uruguayan food plays with that balance of sweet and savory. When taken to extremes the result is almost unpalatable. For example, friends told us about the specialty "tarta de atún" that was served as a first course at the family Christmas dinner. It consisted of a sweet pie crust, a filling of canned tuna, and another sweet layer on top. I have seen this sort of creation in a grocery store downtown. What I thought was apple pie had a layer of sliced jam and cheese in the middle. There was also the ham and cheese tart with sliced canned pineapple and maraschino cherries.

However..there are those times when the sweet and savory combo is conducted very well and (in my opinion) Pan de Ciruela is a great example. It is a loaf bread made of butter, milk, sugar, eggs, flour, and prunes. After it is baked, it is cooled and sliced and made into little ham and cheese sandwiches and served with coffee or tea. The loaf above is from my own oven, and the sandwiches are the "vegetarian version" ( I ran out of ham in the house!)

At first I thought it would be such an odd combination. I tried to picture cutting up my mom's banana bread and layering turkey and provolone inside. But these delightful little sandwiches I enjoy time and time again at my local tetería, and they were kind enough to give me the recipe.

Where to find them:
Most teterías or confiterías

Qué aproveche!

Alfajores

To my dining companion's dismay, I had not tried a bakery-made alfajor in Uruguay until today; nearly five months after arriving in Uruguay. One time in desperation of a sugary fix, I purchased a packaged alfajor, only to be greatly disappointed in taste, freshness, and quality. One bite and it was in the trash. And actually, I did indulge in a chocolatey version while in Buenos Aires, which melted in my mouth like a soft truffle. But today at tea time I was determined to have freshly baked and superior quality dulce de leche treat.

I have yet to elaborate on dulce de leche, and how much the Uruguayans love it, but as a preview, the alfajor is the perfect representative of the national sweet.

An alfajor, pictured above, in its most simple form is a type of masa or masita, which are small cookies that normally have a filling. The alfajor in particular has two soft round cookies held together by a generous dollop of dulce de leche, and then doused in powdered sugar.

I thought I had had my fill of dulce de leche, but I bit in and I was hooked. With powdered sugar covered fingers holding on to half of my delicate cookie, the freshness of the masa and sweetness of the filling lingered on my tongue. One more bite and the little treat was gobbled up...leaving me wanting more.

So where does this delectable dulce come from? The spelling of the word gives a clue, and history confirms that it comes from the Middle East. Alfajor is derived from the Arabic word, al-hasu, which means "stuffed." Making it's way to Uruguay in mid 1800's, the alfajor has continued its popularity here and on other side of the river. In fact, it is said that in a population of 36 million Argentine inhabitants, 6 million alfajores are consumed daily!!

There are, of course, variations on the theme. Some alfajores in the confeterías will be covered in nieve or snow of coconut flakes. They vary in size as well, ranging from bite size to the size of a small donut. As mentioned, packaged alfajores are a different story. Most are covered in either white or dark chocolate, and have two layers of dulce de leche between three layers of cake. Oreo has marketed a type of alfajor, which is a cake like version of 20th century America´s most consumed cookie.

Ok, so who wants me to bring some home for them?







Now if any savvy readers could just shed a little light on a alfajor mystery of mine....
What is "agua helada"??

'Till next time....que aproveche!

Recommended location for the sugar fix:
Oro de Rhin,
-Punta Carretas Shopping Mall and
-Centro, Convención 1403 esq. Colonia

Argentine's famous Alfajor
http://www.havanna.com.ar/index.html

Popular Uruguayan packaged Alfajores
http://www.alfajoresportezuelo.com.uy/