kalypso

Mole verde or pipían. Wild card choice would be a Manchamanteles

Depending upon where you live in CA, you might want to check out the local Edible publication for your area. Producers like you're sourcing often advertise in it. Or at least they do in my area

Congratulations, can't wait to see your final dish

Chris, that looks like a pretty ambitious - if not tasty - Christmas dinner. But it sounds like it would be a very good one. Please let us know how it works out.

Yep, Rancho La Puerta is, indeed, located in Tecate. The facility is surprisingly large and spread out. It's been around a long time (50+ years, IIRC) so it's kind of just engulfed things as it grew. Between the way the grounds have been planted and tended, the art work and the buildings that blend in so well, it's just a very beautiful and serene spot. Their meals are wonderful. If I could cook and feed myself like that I would happily be a vegetarian or vegan The depth of flavors they extract and develop in nearly all their dishes is quite amazing to me. They accommodate almost all dietary restrictions...gluten free? No problema. Lactose intolerant? No problema. Diabetic? No problema. Protein is usually limited to fish and isn't always served daily. Almost all their products are organic, local and sustainable...and have been for years. RLP was well ahead of the curve with this trend. A good friend of mine used to be the organic farmer manager for RLP Their cooking school is called Cocina Que Canta, which I think is a great name, as the food that comes out of it does sing, with flavor, creativity and freshness. It's a fairly new facility built on the grounds of one of their farms, and is well equipped. Guests taking (the mostly hands-on) cooking classes have the option to hike or van to Cocina Que Canta for their classes. There is a reason RLP has been voted the #1 destination spa in the world. It is an amazing property with amazing services. No question it is pricey, but for anyone who happens to be in the San Diego area (or willing to travel there), they also offer a program called Saturdays at the Ranch for $215 that includes transportation to and from SD, fitness classes, a spa treatment, access to their dining room, a hands-on cooking class and dinner. I've done the Saturday thing and it's a great way to spend the day.

Situated on a hilltop literally only a few yards from the border fence separating Mexico and the U.S., the Asao conference complex is a lovely series of contemporary buildings and beautiful regional landscaping. It all blends together well creating a sense of calm and well being. 4 friends and I stopped in for comida yesterday and had an absolutely terrific meal. Most of us started with Sangria Preparada Of the 4 salads on the menu, we tried 3 of them. The first was a salad of mixed lettuces, a round of goat cheese that had been lightly breaded and sauteed and a small pear half that had been roasted and gratineed. It was dressed with a delightful tamarind vinaigrette The spinach salad was topped with crushed nuts, bits of plantano macho (plaintain)and a few cherry tomato halves. It was served with an agave nectar based vinaigrette and garnished with an amaranth crisp The most interesting salad turned out to be the Caesar. It had been plated with the romaine leaves stacked like a napolean, drizzled with dressing and then buried under a blizzard of parmesan cheese. Wafer thin and super crisp baguette slices acted as the croutons. We tried 2 duck dishes (both confited), one finished in a pipían verde and the other in a salsa de tamarindo. There are several steak entrees, including this one in which a generous hunk of filet is finished in a spicy salsa verde, and then served over zucchini, chayote and onion with a nicely grilled chunk of corn on the cob and a small quesadilla. Traditional Mexican specialties are not ignored on this menu, but they are given a new twist. Smoked marlin is a well used and popular item in northern Baja, so it wasn't too surprising to see it turn up as the stuffing for a delicious chile relleno. The last dish was probably one of the best of the day, seared sashimi grade tuna with sea beans and wasabi ice cream. There were no winners or losers here, ALL the dishes were equally good and all 5 of them were outstanding. Nothing in either the salad or entree courses missed the mark. Feeling that we were all to full for dessert we were going to pass. But I never pass up looking at a dessert menu. The very first item caught my eye, and that of one of my friends' as well...Espuma de Atole con Dulce de Frijol y Buñuelos. After much debate we decided to we needed to order one (and 5 spoons) just to see what it was like. Spectacular, probably the best dessert I've had all year. Impossibily light and airy, just sweet enough, subtle and nuanced hints of corn, mingled with silky smooth sweet pureed beans. Portions are generous, service was efficient, well-oiled and friendly. Our total bill including tax and tip came to $40 each. We were all pretty much in agreement, it was a tremendous value for the quality of what we were served. Restaurante Asao serves from 12 noon to about 9 pm Thursday - Sunday. I strongly recommend going for midday comida as the views from the dining room are beautiful, but also because driving highway 94 back to San Diego after dark isn't the easiest stretch of road, especially after a tequila or three. Asao Esteban Cantu 214 Tecate, BC, Mexico

Por nada. It's probably been close to 20 years since I've been there. I think this is some of the best bread and pastries in Mexico. Really super.

Yesterday 4 friends and I spent the day in Tecate, which is located on the border about 30 miles due East of Tijuana. It's an easy day trip from San Diego and with only about 320,000 residents it's got a much slower pace than either Tijuana or San Diego. Aside from being known for it's beer, Tecate also has a reputation as a first rate bakery town, and El Mejor Pan de Tecate is one of the big reasons. It's a short (less than 5 mintues) walk from the border; your nose will let you know when you're close. Not only does the aroma lure you in, once inside the choices are numerous and the choices difficult since each one looks better than the one previous to it. We each purchased several pastries and weren't disappointed in any of them. Most items are baked in a wood fired oven, which most likely does add to the depth of flavor some of the items have. The link can probably better show their variety - El Mejor Pan de Tecate Lots of photos of their various items. If you can read Spanish, click over to the Spanish version as the English translation is funky at best. This stuff is addictive and it's a good thing I don't live closer than I already do or I'd be their weekly for a fix. El Mejor Pan de Tecate Av. Juárez 331 Zona Centro Tecate, BC, Mexico

Which CONACULTA book EN? That sounds pretty good. BTW, did I tell you I found amaranth flour when I was in Veracruz? In Xico, to be exact. Bought some, but haven't worked with it yet. It's a very fine, light and airy grind, akin to cake flour.

All right! You can have the fig sandwiches - me I want that cuy. Ladies, why limit yourself, I want it all I haven't seen anything in this blog that I wouldn't want to eat. It's an expensive plane ticket from San Diego too, but man, after this week, it's sure looking like a good investment. Panaderia Canadiense, thanks so much for such a delicious and entertaining blog. I've really enjoyed living vicariouisly through you this past week.

I want one of those...NOW!!! Sweet, salty, chewy, bready...yum, what's not to love

Atole is masa based and can be just about any flavor that the person making it desires. I've made Atole de Zarza (blackberry)which is quite delicious. Guava is also really good. And, of course, when you start adding chocolate in moves into champarado territory. It's an acquired taste for some, though. PC this has been a fascinating blog so far. Really enjoyed the market tour. It was a nice opportunity to compare and contrast it with those that I am very familiar with in Mexico. IIRC, the currency in Ecuador is the American dollar, yes? And as for pink guava...it's a great additive to margaritas. Steep a bottle of silver tequila with 5-8 cleaned chile de arbols, strain. Make your favorite maggie and add the guava juice to taste for a spicy guava margarita. Okay, back to you PC and Ecuador and more of this yummy tour

Yes, yes, yes...the microwave works for piloncillo, same concept as softening up old brown sugar that's hardened, or honey that's crystalized. Before I discovered the microwave method I used to take my biggest, baddest hammer, stick the piloncillo in a zip lock, put a towel over it and start hammering away. That worked pretty effectively and I got an upper body workout at the same time The microwave method is much easier and faster. Unless you over nuke it, it doesn't harm the piloncillo

PC, delighted you're blogging this week and looking forward to Ecuador. How long have your lived there? And can you explain a bit more about some of the spirits in your liquor supply, I recognize some of them but not all.

If you're looking for casual try El Pescador. Most people opt for sandwiches Eddie V's just opened recently and has gotten some pretty positive word of mouth.

They are 2 different styles of books. Paulina's book is a Larousse book. It's split into different "flavors" such as chocolate, caramel, fruits, coffee, and so on. Each recipe has a difficulty designation. If one's baking skills are weak, this may not be the best bet. There are some easily doable recipes such as the chocolate mousse, cookies and fondue, but there are some really fancy desserts in the book. Apparently Paulina competed on the Mexican National pastry team in 2001 at the world competition in France. One of their creations is in the book. It's pretty spectacular. My baking skills are pretty good - better than my Spanish skills - and I can only aspire t make the Pastel de la Copa Mundial...sacher torte base, orange mousse cream, chocolate mousse from a sabayon base, topped with a "sheen" of ganache that has been stablize with geletin. Most of the dishes are fairly contemporary. Someone with baking and dessert skills could probably do pretty well with this book. My Sweet Mexico is more for the home baker and sticks to traditional Mexican sweets from breads, to nuts, to cookies, puddings, etc. Only the last chapter is devoted to contemporary Mexican desserts. My only caution with MSM is that some of the recipes could have stood a little better editing but if you know 1) how to bake and/or 2) what the Mexican recipe item really is, as long as you read the recipe through 2 or 3 times before starting you'll do just fine.

I really like her idea of doing mini tres leches with different flavorings in them. I think that would be a great idea of a party or buffet. I have Paulina's pastry cookbook that's pretty decent. I once saw her demonstrate a tart filled with a rich almond pastry cream and then topped with jamaica poached pears on El Canal Gourmet. The recipe is in her book and it's pretty tasty

Current food scene in Baja Norte is pretty phenomenal right now. Incredible stuff going on.

Beans... I did the Rancho Gordo method... soften onions and garlic in the fat, then add water and beans. Yummy, totally works for me

So where did you use the duck fat? Beans? Tortillas? Other?

EN, more lovely posts And thank you for giving Paco at Aqui es Texcoco a shout out by posting the You Tube video. He really does a great job wtih the lamb barbacoa and it's one of the only places in SD to get fresh huitlacoche preparations. Kouign Aman - Mexican wines in SD are as hard to come by as they are for EN in NorCal. The wine store in downtown SD usually has a small selection, but mostly from Baja. Holiday Liquors in Escondido sometimes has Mexican wines, but once again, mostly from Baja. L.A. Cetto is getting easier to find, I can get their Petite Syrah in the SDSU area for about $10 a bottle, and it's a nice everyday wine. Hope this helps. Okay, EN, I promised I wouldn't hijack your blog, so over to you...

Thanks and yes it will be a Mex centric dinner Is this where the frog legs come in? Funny that you would ask that... Frog Legs are either the most or 2nd most traditional & iconic protein used in tonight's main dish. Kalypso... since you know you can figure it out please don't give up the dish My lips are totally sealed. This is your blog not mine and I am not going to hijack it. (Although I will tell you that the Oaxaca Old Fashioned mentioned up thread is very good and worth trying. But that's it, this is your week to do your thing) But, you are hitting all high notes here. Loved the Coyoacan street vendor, well actually I love most street vendors, but this guy was really fun to watch. And Salpicon, so glad you mentioned that, such a practical way to use up leftovers. And the corn...love it...corn, chile, lime, cotija, what's not to love

Happy Anniversary and continued happiness I'm really looking forward to seeing what you treat Sra EN to today. I'm sure it will both interesting and delicious.

EN, what a delightful surprise!! I've been away from eG for a few days and I come back to find you're el blogger de la semana Love what you've done so far and looking forward to the rest (or at least until Thursday when I leave for Veracruz)

I missed your post the first time around, but it caught my eye today. I'm familiar with most of the items you've listed, but what are oritos and white pineapples. A Wiki search didn't turn up much on the oritos, in fact, it turned up nada and it's something I'm totally not familiar with. Thx