A new award-winning 'unexpected' dessert has been created by one of the students participating in the "Mar Mais Doce" competition, promoted by the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School.
"Choquinhos da Serra", the dessert that impressed the competition jury, was the result of a challenge set for Cuisine and Pastry students from across the Algarve region, to create a traditional dessert with ingredients from the sea and the Ria Formosa estuary.
The creation is a fusion by student Rafael Santos, using ttlefish, almond paste, carob, custard candy, holophyte plants, desalinated water, and cuttlefish ink.
Promoted by the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School, "Mar Mais Doce" is an event that aims to support research and creation of work on local, regional and international gastronomy, and, in particular, gastronomy linked to seafood and of the Ria, particularly about its history, tradition, ancient and futuristic cooking techniques.
"There is a lot of talk about sustainability, but little is done differently. By using the wealth that the sea and the estuary offer us, we not only innovate Pastry, we also make better use of resources. This challenge was launched to all students at professional schools in the Algarve because a great idea can come from anyone, and that is what we want to inspire in these future professionals", says Mariline Pinguinha, Chef and Coordinator of the Pastry course at EHTA.
The grand final, held on March 18th at the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School, brought together the 5 best desserts, that were evaluated by a jury made up of renowned chefs and pastry chefs.
In addition to making the new recipe, the students had to create a 'storytelling' around their creation and explain where the inspiration came from to reach the final result.
«As a native of the Algarve and paying homage to my roots, I wanted to value our coast and also our interior of the Algarve. I started thinking about the region's typical sweets and memories came to mind of childhood flavours like Doce Fino do Algarve and Queijadinhas de Alfarroba. I decided to combine these two nostalgic flavours with elements of the sea, all in one delicacy. This is how Choquinhos da Serra was born," said Rafael Santos, the big winner.
After the success of the first edition of "Mar Mais Doce", the objective is for this initiative to be repeated in the coming years. The purpose will always be to encourage the creation and habit of applying elements from the sea in desserts so that Pastry can gain new horizons, through this more avant-garde approach.
Source https://postal.pt/
