Deserts From Uruguay: Postre Chaja
What is it?
Postre Chaja: one the most typical desserts in Uruguay. It was invented
by the owner of a tearoom in a north Department, Paysandú.
That tearoom made up this lovely sweet desert and invited a friend
to try it. The friend said it was a light and soft thing like a foam,
just as the Chajá bird was! And from then on, it is called
the Postre Chaja….the Chaja Desert!
Many times other people have tried to copy it, but nobody knows the
exact recipe for the Meringue which is slightly different to all others
one can make. Since 81 years ago, when it was invented, the recipe
has always remained in the family, and the same family is still, third
generation now, making this desert! In its origin, it was made with
strawberries, but as they couldn’t be found fresh in Uruguay
in certain months of the year, they decided to use peaches instead.
The most popular Postre Chajas you can buy are individual ones, each
little desert is made apart. But then you can also make a family dessert
or buy a family one if you choose.
Recipe
We have the recipe for a family chaja dessert, and you can always
make a smaller one in proportion.
Ingredients:
1 can of peaches in syrup
½ liter whipped cream
1 pound dry meringues
I round angel cake….
Recipe of the cake:
Mix 1 cup cake flour with
¼ cup of sugar
Whip until stiff:
8 eggs white, add ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar,
Add 1 cup of sugar, folding it softly
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla
Add to this mixture the flour, folding it slowly and gently
Put the mixture in an unbuttered baking dish. Take it to 340º
oven for 40 minutes. Let it cool face down, taking care the cake doesn’t
touch anything, and when cool put it into a dish.
Preparation of the Postre Chajá:
Cut the angel cake in two parts, put the lower part in a dish, open
a can of peaches in syrup. With the syrup give moisture to the cake.
Fill it with whipped cream and mix it with the peaches cut in small
pieces. Put the top part of the cake, add to it some of the syrup
too. Cover it with more whipped, top it with meringues, cracked into
small pieces adding some more little pieces of peaches on top also.
The main part of it is that this desert needs abundance of whipped
cream and of meringues as Icing!
Let it rest in the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving it.
You’ll love it!
