Last night I had the pleasure of attending a party at the Brazilian Consulate in honor of Leticia Moreinos Schwartz’s new cookbook, The Brazilian Kitchen.  The small room was packed with Schwartz’s family, friends, publisher, and other food-oriented people mulling about the makeshift bar and sipping fresh made Cabana sponsored caipirinhas.  As we downed the dangerously delicious cocktails, plates of finger food created from recipes in Schwartz’s book made the rounds.  From delicate puffs of hot cheese bread (page 16), to the heavy and fried beef croquettes (page 23) and black-eyed pea fritters (page 31), and to the rich caipirinha flavored bonbons (page 166), the samplings of the evening barely brushed the contents of her book.

Schwartz, born and raised Rio de Janeiro, takes her country’s cuisine to heart and well beyond this American’s knowledge of it.  As she gave a speech to the full and slightly tipsy crowd, tears came to her eyes.  “We are known for our carnival, for our caipirinhas, for samba, and our parties,” she said.  “But I want it to be our food that stands out.”  With recipes like the classic moqueca de peixe (Brazilian fish stew, page 64), torta capixaba (baked shellfish frittata, page 82), and crème brulee de abacate (avocado crème brulee, page 138), Schwartz not only keeps her native cuisine alive, but makes it more accessible to cooks in this country.  With over 100 recipes, I can’t wait to have a little samba, cocktail, dinner party of my own.