(This venue is closed.) On a postprandial hunt for sweets, my dining buddies bought an assortment of cocadas at this Mexican shop. The best of the batch had a caramelized appeal, much like the ones sold by a pushcart vendor at an Ecuadorian festival last summer. This evening's sweet wasn't as gooey, however; most if not all of Zocalo de Atlixco's cocadas were commercially wrapped, and imported from Puebla.
I also bought this jamoncillo (74 g., $2), likewise from Puebla, and wearing the La Esmeralda brand. The name refers to at least two distinct confections. One, generally spelled out as jamoncillo de leche, is often translated as Mexican fudge; the other, shown here, was identified on its label as a dulce de semilla de calabaza — a pumpkin-seed sweet. (To be sure, calabaza frequently serves as a catch-all for pumpkins and squashes in many shapes and sizes.) Though sugar leads the short list of ingredients, this jamoncillo wasn't overly sweet — a nice change of pace from the cocadas.
Zocalo de Atlixco Deli Grocery
5623 Fifth Ave. (at 57th St.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-439-0575
