kalypso

Was the guanabana fresh?

Next time you're down, I'll show you our ham steaks they are indeed from the leg, but they're definitely smoked (such as it is) and gristle is not usually a problem, either that or my teeth are more powerful than I thought.

Looks like a plain old ham steak to me but I really, really like the idea of deglazing with the escabeche juice. I've recently had ensalada de nopalitos with (Valled de Ojos Negro) burrata twice. Creamy, crunchy, a little acidic, a little grassy and herbecous, I could eat that salad every day

Oh my goodness, I have to agree with Dakki, that Simply Recipes recipe is certainly lacking. Cochinita Pibil is more than just achiote paste and orange juice. I use a recipe that I welded together from a Diana Kennedy recipe and a Rick Bayless recipe that seems to work out pretty well. It's fairly similar to the one Dakki linked to except I don't use as much allspice, nor the tequila (which I think I'll try next time) and no cinnamon. But other than that, it's very similar.

It can be an acquired taste. It didn't wow me the first time I tried it either, but like it a lot now. How did you make it/what recipe did you use?

Linda Vista is open. Mostly Asian and Hispanic veggies.

FP, what great photos. You certainly made all that produce look pretty delectable Passionfruit vines grow well in San Diego. There is a variety that flower and fruits and a variety that flowers but produces no fruit. We've got the latter type and it's really prolific. After seeing how well it grows, I kind of wish we had planted one that produced fruit. Passionfruit ice cream is amazingly good.

We are all certainly blessed to live in CA aren't we? Everyone's photos are just spectacular FP, the City Heights farmers market is truly unique in the programs it offers. As you probably know, City Heights has a thriving community of recent immigrants to San Diego. The urban gardens started as a way for them to grow familiar and traditional foods for the family as they transition to life in the U.S. and San Diego specifically. The program has been successful enough so that their surplus can be sold at the farmers market when it exists. Additionally, the market runs special educational programs for kids and parents designed to teach them how to purchase and prepare fresh foods rather than relying too heavily on highly processed and fast food. They also have, on occasion, run health clinics since much of their population base is at high risk for some diseases. One of my friends has worked with the market organizers off and on with their garden projects, it's a prett interesting market in an underserved neighborhood.

Looks pretty darn good RG. Not sure if that preparation of mole negro was on the menu or not last week. Perhaps a return trip is in order

This thread has been dormant for a while so I thought I'd post my recent experience and see if it might revive a bit. I spent 3 days being charmed by almost everything in the Condesa. I arrived in the late afternoon and after unpacking and a short nap, I needed food. I was staying at the Villa Condesa (really great little B & B) and asked the owner to make a recommendation within walking distance. Without hesitation she said I "must go" to Azul Condesa. So I did. Azul Condesa was already on my short list of restaurants to try, I just didn't expect to be there less than 6 hours after landing in D.F. The food was good to very good. Azul Condesa often offers a special menu that focuses on a particular area (such as Veracruz) or ingredient (such as mango). The night I was there they were spotlighting the Yucatan. Both the regular and special menus offered an array of interesting choices but I ended up ordering the Sopa de Lima and Poc Chuc from the Yucateco menu. The soup was delicious and the aromatic juice from the lima added an interesting acidic edge. Poc Chuc is thin pork marinated in sour orange juice, vinegar, achiote, salt and pepper and was probably developed to help preserve meat before refrigeration. The pork in the Azul Condea Poc Chuc was a thin pork chop which I desperately hoped would not be tough, and it wasn't. The meat was tender enough, not dry and overcooked, with a nice flavor from the marinate. Unfortunately, the accompaniments on the plate didn't quite live up to the pork. The black beans were actually quite good, but the avocado was under-ripe, the pickled onions overly salty and what the heck that large quarter of an unpeeled orange doing on the plate. While the dish worked and was good, it could have been better executed. I rounded out my meal with a chocolate and coffee pyramid shaped cake with a pretty sauve raspberry sauce and a well made cappuccino. Add the Don Julio reposado and my entire meal, including tax and tip was an even $500 pesos, or about $45. Azul Condesa is smartly appointed with clean lines and interesting art and fixtures and sports a very contemporary feel. It's located at Nuevo Leon 68, and in spite of the small misstep on the Poc Chuc accompaniments, my meal was delicious and a very fair price for what I got. The next day I walked forever around the Condesa, where I think a prerequisite for residency must surely be a dog. They were everywhere and they were well trained. As opposed to the previous evening, I knew that I would eat my main meal at Merotoro. It is owned by the same folks that brought Contramar to the D.F. dining scene and the executive chef is Jair Tellez who owns Laja in Baja's Valle de Guadalupe. Having eaten at Laja, and eaten very, very well, I had high expectations going into Merotoro, and all I can say is WOW. Merotoro is, again, a very modern contemporary space showing lots of distressed wood, glass and metal...along with a very modern, chic and upscale clientele. It was as much fun to watch the people coming into the restaurant as it was to eat the food. I started with a beautiful risotto made with crab and roasted peppers. The rice was perfectly done, there were flecks of crab throughout and the roasted peppers had melted into the sauce. I was hooked after my first bite; I also ate it as slowly as possible so that I could savor it for as long as I could make it last . I followed the risotto with roasted grouper, not a fish we see frequently on the West Coast where I'm from. I don't think I've ever had the skin of a fish so well roasted, so crisp, so perfectly seasoned. No rubbery or flabby skin here, it was as crisp as a potato chip, with no hint of overcooking. The fish underneath the skin was tender, moist and utterly succulent. Crispy skin, tender fish, a divine combination. The grouper was served on a bed of pureed cauliflower, a green I didn't recognize but which worked well with the fish and cauliflower and what the menu called papas azul, or blue potatoes. Though I thought the dish could have done without the potatoes, I had no trouble polishing off the entire plate. I skipped dessert in favor of the wedding cake (from Jaso) that I'd be having later that night. Be forewarned, Merotoro is not a cheap ticket. The risottos, fish and a limonada, plus tax and tip set me back about $425 pesos, or about $38 for lunch. But like Azul Condesa, I thought it was a fair price for what I got. Service at both restaurants was good, though it was a bit warmer and more friendly at Merotoro than it had been at Azul Condeasa

Wow, very cool stuff so far. I've been eyeing that Ad Hoc fried chicken recipe for some time. I'll be interested to see your posting on it.

FP, you've done a spectacular job of highlight San Diego this week. I don't envy the blogger that has to follow you this week

FP, The Bali Hai was a totally unexpected stop on yoru blog, but what fun. A friend and I have been talking about going there for a long time but don't quite ever seem to get there. But she LOVES duck so your duck photo may push us over the edge. It's always had some of the best views in town and their Mai Tai is pretty legendary. When my sister and I were little we used to pester our parents to drive us by the Bali Hai so we could see the Tiki out front, we thought he was so cool Were you in town when the tiki out in front of Trader Mort's got stolen? Oh my god, the neighborhood went beserk. Not a well received prank. I love your kitchen remodel, it so fits that California mid-century modern feel. Very much looking forward to seeing the rest of it.

Your daughter is adorable Your menu looked fabulous. I'm really enjoying seeing what you're doing with the blog this week

FP, you have the same KA mixer I do. I love it, for me it handles better and does more than the artisan mixer with the tilt head. I have the pasta attachment for it that I'm pretty happy with. I also like the grinder attachment (the quality of my hamburgers has improved markedly ) but I've been less than enthralled with the stuffing attachment. It does take a little it of practice and it's been my experience, your milage may vary, that if the meat mixture you're trying to push through has the least bit of texture or is a little loose, it becomes a difficult process. Did you use the salted casings from IMFs? I actually like those quite a bit, they're very easy to work with and you're right, no odor. Your sausages, by the way, look great. I'm sure they'll taste even better.

Don't be too hard on yourself, it still looks good enough to eat

FrogPrincess, what a delight to read your blog. Your first day was certainly jam packed, I can hardly wait to see where else you take us

I made the Tomatillo & Lime Jam Darienne mentioned above, yummy, tho' I thought it tasted more of lime than tomatillo. It was very good. I made the empanada dough recipe from the Empanadas de Jitomate in My Sweet Mexic and used the jam as the filling. I did not egg/cream wash them before baking, I did glaze them with a powdered sugar and lime glaze after they had cooled. Fantastic, I'd make them again in a heartbeat.

Damn you C.Sapidus...I thought my coucous and mahi-mahi was going to be a pretty good dinner. I can see I chose WRONG!!

Okay, got you. Good luck on a new book

Oops. Looked up the cookbook on Amazon.com. I will not be asking my daughter for this wonderful book. $$$$$ That leaves me only about 79 other Mexican cookbooks to choose from... Darienne, the used softback copy of the book is only $23 USD. If you want it, but a used copy of it, and buy the paperback version. The original book has been out of print which is why it's expensive. I don't really think there is a benefit to splurging for an unused version of the hardback book. I've purchased several things from Amazon using their "used" vendors and all my transactions have worked out just fine. Some of the items offered by the used vendors are actually new or almost new. I own this book and wouldn't pay the $120+ Amazon is asking for the new hardback copies. I would, however, pay $23 for a used paperback copy in good to very good condition.

CS, believe it or not, that is one of my favorite books and contains one of my "go-to", super, super simple appetizers, Queso Panela con Orégano. The sheer size of the book makes it a little ackward to use in the kitchen, but it's got a lot of little gems in it. Happy cooking

Darienne, I think those reviews are on Chowhound where I post under the screen name DiningDiva. I believe I posted them in Home Cooking. Here's one of the links I think there is another thread, but I can't find it.

I havne't had the same experience with the binding, but I agree with you on the instructions, some of them are not clear. I think I've noted that in a number of reviews I've done on the book, maybe not on this site, but on others, and I think it is an issue. I think that is more an indication of a poor editor who didn't understand the product than a problem with the recipes. I think the book is better for someone who has some baking experience or understands how baking recipes usually work. The first time I make a recipe, I make it strictly as written so I can figure out what the authors intent was (or was supposed to be). So I made Fany's Pan de Muerto as written. I thought it was odd that it didn't call for the water in which the yeast was activated to be warm. The bread was delicious, in fact, I thought it was one of the better versions I've tried, but it was pretty clear early on I wasn't going to get the proofing out of the batch that I should have, which I attributed to not proofing the yeast in warm water. Then I moved on to the Huaciboles and sure enough, there were the directions for proofing the yeast in warm water and I got good rise out of them. To me a competent baking editor should have caught that and asked Fany to clarify.

Those look great, I wish I had a couple of them right now with my morning coffee Did you use the empanada dough from the Empanada de Jitomate recipe in Fany's book? I'm really enamored of that dough, it's so pliable, so forgiving, so delicious.