Don't Cry for Me Argentina: I Have the Recipe Now!

One of the first blog friends I made, more than seven years ago, was Paula Montenegro of Vintage Kitchen Notes. I learned a lot from her. She cheered me on in the beginning, and we became fast friends.

Paula lives in Buenos Aires and, happily for me, speaks amazing English. Like many people in other countries, her English is better than mine.

One of the many things I have learned from her posts is that if Argentina had a "National Paste" it would be dulce de leche.

I never knew there were so many desserts that use this sweet and wonderful condiment.

If Argentineans had a "National Saying" it might be: "A day without dulce de leche is like a day in any other country."

One of the desserts with dulce de leche that really caught my fancy was Paula’s alfajores.

I had my first of these cookies in San Francisco from a small food cart in the Ferry Market Building. The baker was from Buenos Aires so I knew I was getting the Real McCoy.

It was love at first bite. These were the most delicate and tender cookies I had ever had and they were, of course, filled with dulce de leche. He also had a version filled with raspberry jam.

It wasn't until a few years later, when I saw Paula's post, that I understood why the cookies were so tender. Cornstarch. Lots of it.

These are quite easy to make, and can be made with any size cutter. I liked the bigger size, because I am a little piggy! Filling them with dulce de leche is traditional, as is using any number of fruit jams.

~ David

Alfajores
Paula Montenegro, Vintage Kitchen Notes

150 gram unsalted butter, room temperature
200 grams sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1 tablespoon cognac or other liqueur
a few drops vanilla extract
zest of 1/3 lemon
100 grams all purpose flour
320 grams cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dulce de leche, or fruit jam

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream butter And sugar.

Add egg yolks and whole egg and mix well to incorporate. Add cognac, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix again.

Add flour, cornstarch, and baking powder gradually, mixing very well until no streaks remain. The final dough will be very soft and silky but not sticky. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°F. On a floured surface, roll dough about ¼ inch thick. Using a 2-inch or 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut circles and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Pull together the scraps of dough and re-roll, cutting rounds until all dough is used.

Bake for 15 minutes until the cookies are barely starting to color. Let cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Turn half of the cookies bottom side up on a work surface.

Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a 1/4-inch or 3/8-inch tip, with dulce de leche. Pipe onto the bottoms of half the rounds. Press lightly with remaining rounds, flat side down, forming alfajores. Alternatively, spread a thick layer of jam instead of the dulce de leche.

Makes about 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter.


Labels: , , , ,