012 Festive Ecuadorian Pastries with Melissa Sampero

Several weeks ago, after I posted a photo of my mother and I cooking together, Melissa messaged me to share how much she misses her mom.

Melissa lives in Seattle and her mother lives in Ecuador. As a result, they can't be together for many holidays. While the holidays are the hardest for homesickness,

Melissa channels her heartache into cooking her favorite Ecuadorian sweets for others. Around Christmas and New Year's, she likes to make a lot of festive Ecuadorian celebration pastries. Naturally, I asked her to share one with you and me.

Happily, Melissa obliged by sending over her recipe for Pristinos, a simple Ecuadorian pastry shaped like a crown and deep fried. After I tried the recipe once, we settled in for our interview which felt just like talking to an old friend. Enjoy!

Highlights

Christmas and New Year's in Ecuador
Moving from the US to Ecuador at 9 years old
Carefree days chewing on sugarcane in Ecuador
Processing sugar - an education for me!
Living with less
Making pristinos in the brick oven studio
Frying tips
Bartending competitions!
The significance of a smile

Listen to Melissa

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Melissa's Storied Recipe

Ecuadorian Pristiños for Christmas & New Years

These famous fried dough pastries, dusted with powdered sugar or dipped in a sugar cane syrup, are light, airy, and perfectly sweet. With each bite, you'll experience a heavenly combination of crispness on the outside and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture on the inside. Don't miss the opportunity to savor the enchanting taste of Pristinos and transport yourself to a world of sweet bliss.