Almond paste, carob, egg candy, halophyte plants (salt tolerant), desalinated water and cuttlefish ink. These do not appear to be ingredients of the same recipe, but not only are they, but they also allowed Rafael Santos, a student at the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School (EHTA), to make the “Choquinhos da Serra” dessert, which won the “Mar Mais Doce” competition. ”, the final of which took place on Monday, March 18th, in Faro.
This competition, aimed at Cooking and Pastry students from across the Algarve, challenged aspiring students to Head «creating traditional desserts with ingredients from the sea and the estuary», according to EHTA.
The «unexpected dessert» created by Rafael Santos, from the Kitchen/Pastry Technician course at the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School «impressed the jury of this competition, which saw the participation of more than a dozen competitors from various professional schools in the Algarve ».
«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, but 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, Head and coordinator of the EHTA Pastry course.
Monday's final brought together the 5 best desserts, previously selected «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 its 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 flavors like Doce Fino do Algarve and Queijadinhas de Alfarroba. I decided to combine these two nostalgic flavors with elements of the sea, all in one delicacy. This is how Choquinhos da Serra were born», explained Rafael Santos.
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.
«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», concludes EHTA.
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