First Visit to a Pastelaria

As we were wandering around looking for an elusive cell-phone shop (we swore somebody said it was down this way.... nope!) we came across a Pastelaria. I believe it was called "Pasterlaria Artesan". It was a cafe, as well as a place to buy pastries. My daughter had to use the bathroom, so we had an excuse to go in. ;) My husband chatted with the friendly staff, asking questions about the food.

I love the simple meals one can get for lunch here. I opted for a sandwich of ham, cheese, and tomato, all on a crusty mini baguette. On the recommendation of the staff, we tried a local orange soda, made in these islands; "Laranjada". In Portuguese, "Laranja" is "Orange". It was pleasant and not too sweet. Plus, it contained real orange juice. (Yay!)

Since we were eating at a Pastelaria, we couldn't leave without trying the pastries. Ok, I confess.... we actually ate the pastries first, before our meal! :D

They had chocolate croissants, which I didn't manage to get a good picture of. But I'm sure you've seen those before! Sometimes else they had, which was to die for, was a Dulce de Leche cheesecake, but they just called it Caramel. ;) It was sooo good. The texture was different than cheesecakes you might be used to- it was very light and almost spongy. It was delicious. I wanted to ask for the recipe, but I thought it would be fun to try to make one up later. It was topped with a thin caramel sauce that had almost a burnt flavor, like the topping of flan. I know I probably won't get the texture right, but I can't wait to experiment with a Dulce de Leche cheesecake.

Last were the Pastels de Nata, or Cream Pastries. These are a common pastry all over Portugal, so I was excited to try one. They have a flaky crust, covered by a rich baked custard. Here is a recipe that I'd like to try: Custard Tarts.