There has been very little cooking and kitchen joy
around these parts since the tail end of July and for a better part of August.
You try to move as little as possible when the heat index reaches three digits
and you live without air conditioning.
We were eating strictly for sustenance. I do admit
sometimes dinner was a bowl of ice cream—but we had fresh fruit to add to it.
It was on those occasions that we ate for joy (although mostly it was for the
joy of being near something that had been frozen just seconds before).
Honestly, I was avoiding even reading about cooking!
Today is the second day in a row when our fans are
silent and still. So, in our giddiness, we consider all things food -- especially comfort foods -- and one of
the first things that came to mind was an after school snack, a perfect treat,
that my grandmother used to make.
When I was a girl, we used to have a guava tree in the
back of the house. Many an afternoon, I sat under it, playing and eating the
fruit. I learned to climb the tree and take its perfectly ripe fruit, while
allowing the new ones to work their magic on the vine.
To this day, guava is one of those aromas that make me
smile because it transports me to happy moments of childhood in one whiff.
Casquitos or
cascos is the word for the shells of
the fruit. Cascos de guayaba is a
relatively simple dessert. To my knowledge, it's a Caribbean dish -- with Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican versions.
We picked ripe but firm guavas. Mami would use a small
paring knife, and peeled the skin off the fruit and cut them in half. Then,
with a small spoon, I’d scoop out the flesh and seeds.
Mami would blanch the shells, and while they cooked, she’d
make a simple syrup. After everything cooled, it went into the fridge and we’d
have some with a piece of queso blanco.
The guava attains a velvety texture with just a little bite;
the salty cheese compliments the thickened, sweet syrup. Sometimes we’d take
the snack with crackers and the extra crunch added a new dimension to it. A
small cup of Puerto Rican coffee, a shot of pure adrenaline, just made it all
the better, though she did not allow me to have one of these until I was a
teenager.
I suppose if you have access to fresh guavas, you could
make your own; but these days there is a great variety of canned guava shells
in syrup. If you are lucky, there are also jarred varieties -- organic
versions and those with no preservatives.
You can have it with queso crema, cottage, cream or even a lovely goat
cheese; over yogurt or ice cream; or as a topping for coffee or spongecake. You may serve
with a sprig of mint or with a little cinnamon, or even a dash of lemon juice and zest.
FYI: the flesh and seeds that we collected, were pureed for a guava paste (a delicacy for another day).
