by Luz Conte
Bless our grandmothers for spoiling us with desserts.
The ones that they learned how to cook from their mothers, and their mothers from their mothers; passed on from generation to generation; desserts that were prepared with care, with dedication, and above all— with love for their family.
Here are just a few of our favorite ones.
Pasta Frola: This is an Argentine staple that is a distant cousin of American pie. You can count on it always being present at any five o’clock tea or as dessert after a good gaucho-style steak. It is typically made with quince jam, but it can be substituted with any other fruit jam.
Tres leches cake: Tres leches translates into “three milks” in Spanish. It is the quintessential dessert in Mexico. It is rich with a custard-like texture that melts in the mouth.
Quindim: This dessert is as Brazilian as Bossa Nova; it is delicious and made mainly from sugar, egg yolks, and coconut flakes. Think: coconut flan.
Arroz con leche: Rice pudding is a typical creamy dessert that is made by cooking rice slowly in milk with sugar. It can be served warm or cold. It is typically flavored with cinnamon for additional flavor. It is said that it originated in Spain and then traveled to Latin America by way of conquistadores. It’s simple, yet delicious and yes, it definitely has a lot of soul.
Milhojas cake: Lots of dulce de leche, whipped cream, layers of delicious and delicate millefeuille (the French word for the classic pastry that consists of many layers of razor-thin puff pastry) are what makes this Latin desert one of the greatest of all time. You’ll easily find it in Chile as more of a cake. In Argentina, the cake is called Postre Rogel and it’s covered in Italian meringue.
