Digging up my roots: Cuban pastelitos de guayaba

Lately I've been feeling a bit like something in between homesickness and nostalgic. I don't really have a home -- a place I can go to year after year to visit family and feel a sense of belonging even after years of absences -- nor is is nostalgia because I definitely didn't even want to be there when I did live there. I'm speaking mostly about Miami (in America, of course). I only lived there for 2 years of my 25, but each time I go back I find that I miss it a bit more each time I visit. I spent most summers there. As a child Miami meant pastelitos de guayaba, coconut ice cream, sweet biscuits with rainbow sprinkles that tasted a bit much like chemical raising agents, Cuban bread...Miami meant food, sweets and going to our favourite park.

On my last visit in Miami I indulged in many of my childhood favourites, including scarfing down nearly an entire box of pasta de guayaba (guava paste, pictured above) that has a layer of crema de leche as well. Yesterday I suddenly began craving pastelitos de guayaba or guava puff pastries and was determined to have some! Unfortunately I ate them before they could be chased down by the paparazzi to be photographed, but I do have the recipe left behind. Once I took a bite I was instantly transported back to those uncomfortable visits to my aunt's house where she always greeted us with a box of pastries from the bakery. So. Yum.

Pastelitos de Guayaba

1 can of pink guava fruit
1 tsp lemon juice
100 g Castor sugar
100 ml water
5-6 sheets of puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg, for egg washing

Preheat your oven to 190º C. Open your can of guava fruit and remove the seeds and pulp. Save half of the liquid. Using a food processor or immersion hand blender, blend the fruit shells with the lemon juice and half of the can syrup until you've got a smooth paste. Place the paste into a saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat or until the paste has reduced a bit. Allow to cool slightly. Divide each sheet of puff pastry into 3 long strips. Smear a strip of guava paste down the center of one strip leaving space along all edges, moisten the 4 edges and place another strip over the first strip. Lightly press the edges and smooth them out making sure not to squeeze any of the paste out. Repeat the process until you've used up all of your puff pastry strips.

Place your strips on a lightly oiled tray, brush with some beaten egg and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. While the pastries are baking, combing the sugar and water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minuets to create a simple sugar syrup.

When your pastries are golden brown, brush their surfaces with the simple sugar syrup and bake for an additional 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool slightly. Slice each strip into 4 squares and enjoy! As a side note the pastries would definitely benefit from using a commercially prepared guava paste or by reducing your canned guava paste down to a thicker consistency to intensify the flavour.

It's needless to say that during my next trip to Miami I'll be buying everyone Cuban cooking product I can get my hands on, as this time around my suitcases were already too full with my life's belongings.

Cuba's Gift to the World: Mojitos (aside from Salsa Music)

It's Saturday evening, the weekend before my last week of work as a receptionist and I'm drinking the best mojito on the planet--made by me of course. I think that food and music are two key elements of culture and while I like Cuban food and music and I'm of Cuban descent a) I'm vegetarian and cannot eat most Cuban food and b) I didn't grow up listening to Salsa music much so I'm not very good at dancing to it. When you really think about it there's not much that's characterisitically Cuban about me besides the way I look, and perhaps my love for mojitos. I'll share my favourite recipe:

My Cuban Mojito
the juice of one large lime
4 ounces of Bacardi
7 sachets of Splenda sugar substitute
soda water/club soda
6 mint leaves, plus 2 for garnsih
crushed ice

1. Combine the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves in a bowl or measuring cup and mash until the mint fragrant become noticeable. Do not discard the lime rinds.
2. Place a strainer over the glass you intend to have your drink in -I like the tall, slender bar glasses-and strain the lime juice mixture into your glass
3. Add the bacardi and stir
4. Slice one half of the juice lime into strips and add to glass
5. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of crushed ice and fill to brim with soda water
6. Stir and enjoy. A proper mojito in this manner should yield about 8 ounces.

I've never actually been to Cuba, but I did go to a Cuban restaurant/bar/disco when I lived in Madrid in which many Cubans worked. I assume the mojito I had there was an authentic recipe and since I'm not a big fan of the taste of Bacardi, I gave the drink a thumbs down. For my 24th birthday party, which I hosted and cooked for and will never do so again, I served mojitos and everyone loved them. I had some friends over for dinner some week ago and followed a more "traditional" recipe and the results were disappointing. My partner is not a big fan of sweets but he gave a "thumbs up" to this recipe, as did the 15+ guests at my birthday party, most of whom are not big drinkers.

I say the new mojito should be packed with citrus, strong and sweet. In order to mask the unpleasant taste of Bacardi (or vodka or gin) you need a lot of citrus power. The sugar balances it all out and using Splenda is easy on the teeth and la linea or your figure.