Review: Pain de Sucre

It doesn’t take much to convince me to dive into something sweet. No one has to twist my arm to order (more) dessert after dinner, and there’s always room for another bag of Haribo in my bag after a trip through Duty Free. Since I can remember, my palate has been fine-tuned to favor a decadent chocolate mousse or a brownie sundae piled high with whipped cream. When I moved to Buenos Aires however, I had no idea what I was in for. Dulce de leche on top of dulce de leche, crema pastelera out the wazoo, kilo after kilo of creamy helado in every flavor imaginable. The saccharine overload was almost enough to turn me into a savory-only girl.

Food Porn Friday

Today is a very special day, everyone. Not only is it the first day of Spring (take that, northern hemisphere!), but it is also the birthday of my beloved Josey. José puts up with my dragging him all over town in pursuit of satisfying all of my culinary cravings and probably has the sweetest tooth of all the Argentines I know (and if you know Argentines, you don’t underestimate their need for sugar). So today’s post will be in honor of the birthday boy with his most favorite local dessert, torta rogel. Layers of dulce de leche topped with nice heavenly merengue: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you …

Food Porn Friday

Better late than never, right? It’s not that I forgot about you, but I have been swamped under boring things like conference calls and highlighters. This excess of corporate behavior has me craving a time when life was simpler … when my Mom still made my birthday cakes and when this was officially the coolest dessert known to man. Since I’m kind of a sicko I enjoyed watching my friends freak out at the sight of the plastic plant and terra cotta pot on the dining room table – thinking we were actually going to serve them dirt. HA! Nerds. Since dirt cake (crushed up oreos, vanilla pudding, gummy worms) isn’t very photogenic, bear with me. Just imagine the taste of childhood, and you’ll understand. Happy weekend!

BA Underground Market – Sneak Peek

On June 9th, the Argentina Independent local newspaper will be hosting the first ever Underground Market here in Buenos Aires. Adapted from the original that began in San Francisco, it is a space for both locals and expats who have been blessed with gastronomic talent (but perhaps lack a storefront or large-scale operation) to introduce their goodies to the world and sell their delicious bites. There will be something for everyone: homemade desserts for those with a serious sweet tooth, pickles that would be a perfect addition to any picada, hot sauces, jams, homemade breads, South African beef jerky, and perhaps the best goat cheese of all time.

Last week I was lucky enough to head over to meet some of the vendors, taste-test their products, and take a few snaps. I was in heaven! To be honest I was floored by the quality and variety of what was available – not to mention a bit envious of everyone’s culinary skills. It was an awesome preview of what’s to come on June 9th at La Fábrica in Almagro. Keep reading for some sneak peek snapshots of what to expect at the BA Underground Market … you’d be a fool to miss it!

Food Porn Friday

I’ve been eating so much this week, and moving very little, that I feel the only adequate way to head into Friday would be with a serious bang. I’ve had this dessert on my mind for days and think I will be recreating it soon. Behold the banana split. No, not the ice-cream flavor so ubiquitous here. The real deal, the inspiration behind the imitation. In my mind, America. (it was invented in 1904. Thank you Wikipedia)

Photo Credit: R.E. via Flickr