Vigilante, also called queso y dulce, is the simplest Argentine dessert: a slice of fresh, mild cheese (like Port Salut or a local cuartirolo) paired with a slice of dulce de membrillo, a dense, sweet, sliceable quince paste. Or sometimes dulce de batata, sweet potato paste. The contrast of the salty, milky cheese and the intensely sweet, floral quince paste is the whole dish. It is served after every asado, at room temperature, with no preparation beyond slicing. The name vigilante, meaning watchman, is a Buenos Aires joke of uncertain origin, perhaps because it is the simplest thing a cook can serve while watching the party.
A slice of mild, slightly salty fresh cheese against a dense, sweet, floral slab of quince paste, the two eaten together in one bite. The contrast, salt and sweet, milky and fruity, is the whole pleasure.
There is no technique, only selection. The cheese must be fresh and mild (Port Salut, cuartirolo, or a local fresco), not aged or strong, so it does not compete with the quince paste. The dulce de membrillo must be firm enough to slice (it is sold in blocks), and the slice should match the cheese in size. Eaten together in one bite, the salt of the cheese and the sugar of the quince create a balance that neither achieves alone. Some serve it with batata paste (sweet potato) or cayote (cactus-fig) paste instead. Served at room temperature after a meal.
Variations
Dulce de batata (sweet potato) replaces the quince. Some add walnuts.
On the Palate
Where Vigilante sits in the Argentinian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
4 steps · 5 min
- 13 min
Cut 200g fresh mild cheese into 4 slices.
Watch outThe whole dish rides on the cheese: use one fresh and mild, never aged or sharp, or it overpowers the delicate quince paste.
- 23 min
Cut 200g dulce de membrillo into 4 matching slices.
- 32 min
Place one slice of cheese and one of dulce on each plate.
- 42 min
Serve at room temperature, eaten together in one bite.
