DISH OF THE WEEK: Tembleque at PRINCESA BAKERY & RESTAURANT

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

As most of you know, I lead food cart tours for a company called Turnstile Tours. But did you also know that the same company leads a handful of other tours around Brooklyn, all partnered with non-profit community organizations?

Since I had a rare Saturday free recently, I joined Cindy (my boss) to take the Immigrant Foodways Tour. This tour leads you around a part of East Williamsburg that is mostly hipster free and introduces you to the Latin American community here through their food, people, and history. You even get a full-on tour of the historic Moore Street Market, talking to vendors and hearing their stories along the way.

And, of course, food is a big part of it. I was amazed at how much food there is on this tour. And it was all prepared with love and tradition. From fried pig parts to hearty sancocho soup to Puerto Rican bread pudding to a salad of cactus and Mexican white cheese, it was a well-balanced and rich afternoon of tasting.

The tour begins at Princesa Bakery & Restaurant, which seems like a hub for the neighborhood. They serve coffee, pastries, and full-on savory dishes. It was here that I finally got a taste of a Cuban pastelito (guava and cheese pastry). The irony to this is that I was recently in Miami and while pastelitos are commonplace, I didn’t have enough time to seek one out. Of course, I come back to New York and I can eat anything I want. See, who needs to travel?

Another dish at Princesa that I was completely taken with was the tembleque. You can understand why the English translation is “trembling” as this coconut pudding jiggles as the spoon penetrates it. It’s a sweet little custard made with coconut milk and spiced with cinnamon and vanilla. Delicioso!

This is an authentic community and I’m proud to say Turnstile Tours introduces outsiders in the most respectable way, becoming part of the community and celebrating their neighborhood.