kalypso

Linda, how was the salt level in the mayo. Chiles love salt. You described the mayo as flat in spite of the poblanos and other ingredients and I'm wondering if some additional salt (in addition to a morea acidic vinegar) might have also been helpful. Partciularly since potatoes often need a good bit of salt to pop their flavor too.

Chris, the photos are from Dec. 2009 and my annual candy making ritual. I had done the post and then wanted to check something and grabbed the book to verify. That's when I discovered the recipe had been altered from the original in the Dec. 2008 Sauver. I thought about deleting the entire post, but so few people even attempt to make candy that I left it in for that reason. There is a photo of the candy in the book and, really, the only visual difference is that my candy has a darker caramel color than that in the book. My guess - and this is only a guess - is that the recipe was modified to make it more accessible to the home cook using the cookbook. I've been making candy for a long, long time and the only reason I tried this originally was because the method was so different than anything I was used to doing. I read the recipe in Sauver through 3 or 4 times and realized it wasn't really very hard, just different. So I ordered the candied fruit and made it. It was really simple but did take some time because you had to let the candy cool to a certain temperature before going on to the next step. He's eleminiated a stick of butter and the cooling is done by putting the cooked milk mixture into a stand mixer and beating it for 15 mintues. In the original, you let the milk mixture cool, add the butter and then beat for, I want to say, 10 minutes. The beating on the stand mixer will probably accomplish the same thing as the butter and hand beating. The texture is probably less dense and more fudge-like too. When I thought about it, altering this part of the recipe made some sense for American cooks not used to candy making. What I'm not sure about is why he elminiated all the canela. The first year I made it I thought the flavor from the canela was great, last year it was a bit too strong, but that's easily controlable by the amount used. The original recipe called for canela in inches and this is what I wanted to check in the recipe in the book. I had a major computer crash this past April and lost all the recipes I had saved in MasterCook, including the Jamoncillo recipe. I thought saved by the bell when I saw it in "Fiestas", but didn't read it when I first saw it I frequently bring canela back from Mexico, so I almost always have a supply on hand. It may have been deleted because it's not easy to find in other parts of the country? Only a guess

Jamoncillo de Frutas y Nueces - Pg. 324 (Milk Fudge with Fruit & Nuts) This is the next to last recipe in the book. I've made it several times and it is very good. And, if ever there was a recipe name that translates badly from one language to another this has got to be it. The fruits and nuts part is apt, but milk fudge really does not accurate describe the meltingly soft and creamy texture of this candy. And making this candy is nothing like making fudge It also is probably not a flavor profile everyone will love. I've made the (original version of)the recipe the past 2 Christmases with the rest of the Xmas candy. It's been my experience people either love it or they don't, no one's on the fence with this one. It is not difficult. 1. Boil milk, sugar & baking soda until it reaches 238*, removing foam as necessary 2. Beat on a stand mixer for 15 minutes. This recipe originally appeared in the December 2008 issue of Sauver Magazine. At that time it had butter added to it which melted as the candy cooled after cooking, then the fruits and nuts were added. In the version in the book, RB has eliminated the butter and now beats it on stand mixer. The original recipe also called for canela to be boiled with the milk in the first step. 3. Stir in the fruits and nuts. Nuts are a combination of walnuts, pecans and pine nuts, toasted. Fruits are crystalized fruits, do not use those tubs of fruitcake crysalized fruits that show up around the holidays. Kultystans (sp?) in NYC sells a pretty decent crystalized fruit blend that's enough for 2 batches. 4. Pour into a prepared pan The recipe now uses a baking sheet instead of the 8x8 square pan. Yield from the sheet pan is 49, yield from the square baking dish is 64. In the 2 years since the recipe was originally published in Sauver it's undergone some transition and I'm kind of wondering why. The butter and canela were both eliminated and the prepareation method substantially altered. Whatever the reason for the alterations (American palate? candy making intimidation?) this really is a pretty good candy.

Yes, Chris, there really is. Tweete RB and asking him for it. He's cited it before but I can't remember where

I've cooked from it pretty successfully. I made the Mole de Xico. Having been to Xico, I purchased several local pastes to bring home and try side-by-side with mine. We liked the recipe from Zarela's book the best as it had the deepest flavor. Mole de Xico is typcially sweeter than most moles due to the fruit content, but not unpleasasntly so. I think the thing that has surprised me most about Zarela's Veracruz is that the recipe don't sound like much when you read them, but the resulting dishes are all really good. I think some of her recipes call for more oil than is necessary and I think some of her prep methods are a bit odd, but you can reduce the amount of oil and you can use prep methods suggest by Kennedy or Bayless and not affect the outcome of the dish. I also own Zarela's cookbook on Oaxaca. I prefer the Veracruz book. That's just a personal preference. She does have a fun story in the Oaxaca book about making chocolate from scratch (i.e. cocoa beans) in the backyard of her New York home.

I've owned Alquimias for quite a number of years and have cooked from it. If you have to own one book of food porn this is it. The photos are among the best food photos I've ever seen. You will want to make every recipe based on just seeing the picture You also need to be a fairly adept cook to follow some of the recipes in the book. Or at least have an idea of how traditional Mexican cooking flows. Some of the cooking directions are not as detailed as what we're used to in American or mainstream cookbooks; perhaps assuming the reader already knows how to cook or knows particular techniques. I've not had any failures out of Alquimias, but some of the flavor profiles have been surprisingly muted. I expected bigger flavors and just didn't get them.

Big thumbs up on the Aida Gabilondo book, it's really good. I think I remember reading somewhere that Aida is Zarlea Martinez's mother

Chris, don't get me wrong I actually like this cake, but I do think there is a serious error in it with regard to cooking times which should have been sorted out in recipe testing before it ever got put into the book. That's not necessarily Rick's fault, but it should have been caught somewhere in the editing process. Perhaps the cooking time is for the individual chocoflans, or perhaps the recipe was tested in a commercial oven at one of his restaurants. The problem with the baking time still remains. You got a half baked cake, I didn't. I got 2 cakes with good flavor but slightly dry and overdone around the outer edges. That said, I think the basic recipe is good enough to use as a template for variations. I'm thinking about trying to do a lemon/lime or mango flan impossible. The flan recipe is a no brainer, and, for the most part, the cake recipe is pretty workable too. I think with a little bit of tinkering, I can adapte the cake element to a non-chocolate base. On the newsstands in Mexico they have these little cooking magazines usually devoted to one topic. When I was in Tlaxcala last year I happened to find one (and purchased it) that was all about flanes impossibles. All those recipes started with a box of cake mix. They made them in all kinds of flavors (Baily's Irish Cream, Prune, coconut) and baked them in all kinds of molds, inlcuding some pretty fancy gelatin molds. Since I don't particularly want to use a cake mix I figured I could use Rick's basic batter recipe and try and create my own version of some of the flan impossible recipes I saw in the Mexican cooking magazine. I think part of my problem is that I've got every RB cookbook and have cooked from all of them with good to very good results. His recipes are usually structurally sound with very few errors. In his other books, if it say's "bake 35 minutes", you can pretty much count on the baking time being 35 minutes. I've made several dishes from Fiesta's so far and I haven't found the same attention to detail in this book that I think was evident in others. I'm disappointed.

Chris, I think you're being too kind. I think this is basically a flawed recipe. Both times I made it I used a 10" springform pan set in a large roasting pan. It went in on the middle rack but was not anywhere near the top of the oven. I did put the tea kettle on to boil when I started the cake. I added the boiling water to the roaster once I got it set on the oven fack with the chocoflan in it. The water reached somewhere between half and two-thirds of the way up the side of the springform pan. My cake was baked all the way through both times. I did not get the half baked result you did. The center of the 2nd cake I did, did sink, which was unfortuante. It's actually a nice recipe, but I think it's flawed with regard to baking time. I used plain old Hershey's cocoa powder with no problems. Dutch processed cocoa powder is alkalized and will not react with baking soda. I also used some new espresso powder the second time I made the cake and the mocha flavor was much better.

Actually, I think Santa Fe is sophisticated enough that they'll survive next week. I was surprised they survived this week as their location and marketing (if you could call it that) were both pretty weak.

Not in San Diego, and definitely not in the neighborhood in which the "fesitval" (more like a street fair) was being held. I knew they were goners when I heard where they were heading; as a local it didn't make sense. Either tweak the menu or find the right venue.

Since I live in San Diego - the starting point of the "race" - I made it a point to watch the show. Bahn Mi are very popular here, and the Hillcrest Farmer's Marktet (a Sunday market) is one of the largest. Sophisticated, upscale market clientel that knows what a bahn mi is. No surprise here that this truck won. Wonder how it will play in Santa Fe, NM, the next stop. The crepe truck ended up in (or close to) Little Italy. The Saturday farmer's market is in Little Italy and has a Breton crepe stand that does great business, so their location, whether by design or stroke of luck, probably played to their strengths. Again, they were in a neighborhood that knew what their product was and likes it. Several trucks were in the Gaslamp which is probably not the best location. It may be tourist central, but it's also wall to wall restaurants of all variety and really doesn't get cranked up until well after dark. As far as I could tell, it looked like the pressed sandwich truck from Austin parked in Pacific Beach. In theory this was not a bad selection as there are TONS of bars and college kids. This was filmed several months ago before the summer beach season began, they probably would have done better had we been in full beach mode. Adn Ocean Beach might have been a better beach to choose as it's got better foot traffic The Adams Ave. street festival? Really? Very local, but not a rice and beans or banana pudding location or crowd. There is only 1 restaurant in SD doing Cajun/NOLA style food, the other one (which was better) closed. Even if the fryer had been working, this isn't a wing town either. Carne Asada burrito or rolled tacos in a heart beat, wings...not so much. Based on their locations, there was one truck that didn't do well despite what should have been the perfect location, and that was the burger truck. They parked on 30th St. in North Park. That is a great location as there are many cafes and bars that feature the craft beers of San Diego and have a lively late night scene. It gets great foot traffic and caters to a hip, young, knowlegeable crowd. They should have been able to pull in a heck of a lot more than they did. Knowing that area pretty well, I was left scratching my head trying to figure out how they could have done so badly in an area that should have been so great. The right truck went home, I wonder how they'll all do next week.

AAQ, thank you for the link. I've not seen MINSA products in our local Mexican markets, but I suspect if I look hard enough I can find it easier than I think How was the food show, and especially Comida Latina. I wanted to go but was actually in Mexico so had to miss it this year. Other than the masa you cited above, any new and/or interesting items?

Yes, that's the book.

I just got home a few hours ago from a quick trip to Morelia, Michoacan where I had the good fortune to eat some really amazing food, both traditional and less traditional. None of it would I find here in San Diego, which is on the border. You're absolutely right, Chris, the flavor profiles are substantially more varied and diverse than what is typically seen in the U.S. I would also suggst adding Zarela Martinez's Veracruz cookbook to your author list. I like it quite a bit and have really good luck cooking from it. Some of her recipes call for what seems like a lot of oil, you can cut it back without affecting the overall quality of the finished dish.

I made the ChocoFlan again yesterday to take to a function after work tonight It still took longer to cook than the recipe indicates. Last time it took 20 minutes long than the recipe cooking time. This time I used the convection oven and it still took about 10 extra minutes. I use my own caramel, not the bottled cajeta called for in the recipe. The center of the cake cratered a bit this time, (that did not happen last time) hence the "pool" effect on the top of the cake. It'll be fine once cut.

I reported on this cake upthread, tho' the problems I had were somewhat different. I did take pictures and they did turn out well. Unforutnatley, they were too big to load and are stuck in my computer as I've got some export problems at the moment. 1) I did cook mine in a 10" springform pan and had minimal leakage. The easiest thing to do is tear off a big sheete of aluminum foil, place the springform pan in the center of it and fold the foil up around the bottom of the pan to seal it. That said, I did not wrap my springform pan but probably will next time. 2) I am not especially fond of cajeta that is 100% goats milk so I made my own caramel using a recipe from a cookbook called Dulce by Jose Luis Flores. That worked well for me. You can get (or make) cajeta that is half goat and half cow milk that is pretty good. The Coronado brand that RB recommends is decent. I didn't especially care for the coffee hit in the cake batter. It was too strong and dominated the chocolate, and I generally love the chocolate/coffee/mocha flavor! 3) It took my chocoflan 20 minutes longer to cook than the recipe said it would. Not sure if it was an issue with my oven or with his instructions. It did result in the cake being perfectly cooked, but the flan was a little overcooked 4) The cake stays fresh for several days We liked this dessert. The flavor was nice, tho' a bit heavy on the coffee. It's actually quite an impressive novelty dessert.

Perhaps because you have to add water and - presto - masa? It's pretty easy to use. This is a great opportunity to play with your food and not get in trouble It'll take you a little practice to get a feel for the dough and working with it, but just have fun with it and see what works for you. Maseca is cheap enough (at least here in the States it it) that if you have some failures you can just start over. Go for it

You're on

Yes, there is some overlap but each one has a different style and their recipes will generally yield similar yet distinctively different results. I find RB recipes to be somewhat sweeter in taste than DKs. Structurally, their recipes are both pretty solid and work consistently. The only exception being RBs current new book Fiestas at Ricks in which I don't think the same attentino has been paid to recipe testing as in his earlier cookbooks. Either one will give you good results. I think Rick's recipes are a bit easier to do and a little less complicated, tho' I prefer the flavor profiles I get from Diana's recipes

Couple of other thoughts on why the variance in corn husk quantities 1) Corn husks in Mexico are not exactly the same as those in the U.S. Mexican corn husks are trimmed at the stem creating a nice natural bowl, or belly button effect, and are fairly large and wide. U.S. corn husks are trimmed at the base of the cob and have no natural bowl and they tend to be smaller and narrower. It sometimes takes 2 U.S. corn husks to do the same thing that you can do using only 1 husk in Mexico. Sometimes you need to overlap the base (end-to-end) of 2 U.S. corn husks to create a husk that's big enough to fill. 2) Are the extra husks in the recipe(s) needed to line the steamer before you put the tamales in and then cover the top layer once you've filled the steamer? I tend to use a generous number of husks on the bottom of my steam to create as fairly well sealed floor for my tamales to sit on. I also tend to use a generous number of husks on top and around the sides so that the steam will be deflected back into the steamer rather than escaping at will.

"Essentials" includes the cookbooks as noted by Sally-chan upthread. However, DKs The Art of Mexican Cooking is probably the best bet. It was her second book and is very, very good. Diana Kennedy's recipe structure is very solid (i.e. the recipes work) and I've not had very many failures from any of her books. The Cuisines of Mexico was recently reissued. If possible I would suggest checking them out at a bookstore or library first before buying to see if they've what you're actually looking for. Most Rick Bayless cookbooks are also pretty good. For a beginning with Mexican cuisine, Salsas That Cook is a good choice. What I like about this cookbook is that the first chapter is 8 essential salsa recipes all scaled for different yields and with suitable chile substitutions. The remainder of the cookbook is 50 recipes using the 8 essential salsas. What this does is introduce you to the techniques and flavors via the salsas, and then gives you doable recipes using the salsa. Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz did a Mexican cookbook and a South American cookbook, both of which are good. Other good Mexican cookbooks would be Zarela Martinez's Veracruz, Susan Trilling's Seasons of my Heart, tho' both of those tend to be more regional. Norman Van Aken did a New World cookbook based on the cuisines of the Carribbean and South America. I recently picked up a cookbook called Dulceby Rodriguez's pastry chef. Flavor profiles are great, but the recipes could use a little work. I've got tons of Mexican and Latin American cookbooks at home, I'll look on my shelf tonight after work.

Yikes!! Don't try the lasagna idea, they'd probably just disintegrate and you'd end up with something rather unpleasant. How do you feel about ceviche? If you can get a jalapeño, a couple of limes, a little onion, a little red tomato, some cilantro and your local fish, you can turn out a respectable ceviche. Break the tostados into smaller pieces, pile some ceviche on it and eat. Over on the Making Mexican thread on the last page there are a number of posts about Carne con Col, which is a ground beef and cabbage dish. It's easy and the only Mexican specific ingredients you'd need would be jalapeño and cilantro. The recipe was originally in one of the Diana Kennedy cookbooks. In her recipe header she indicated she came across the recipe in a market in Chiapas where it was used as a topping for tostadas. I've got friends who have made this with every kind of ground meat including beef, bison, lamb, turkey and even venison. It works, tho' I've tweaked the recipe just a bit to add more chile and more tomato. You could easily make this recipe and top the tostados with it. The suggestion for chilaquiles is good. You can make a pretty good sauce for it with just red tomatoes, onion, garlic and the jalapeño. You wouldn't need Mexican cheese for this, you could use whatever good melting cheese you can find in your area. Then there are the ubiquitous nachos. Break up your tostado shells into manageable sized pieces, top with cheese sauce followed by pico de gallo (tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro and salt). If you're feeling generous, marinate some skirt steak in orange juice, garlic and salt for about 30 minutes, grill and add to the nachos for carne asada nachos. Tostados are also an accompaniment to posole and you don't particularly need a lot of specialty ingredients to turn out a decent pot of posole. Throw the tostados in a food processor (with the seasonings of your choice if you want) and process until crushed to a size similar to panko. You can do this with a rolling pin and zip lock bag as well, it just takes longer. Use as a coating for fried fish or fried chicken.

True, the Mexican downtown is not particularly good. But whatever you do - even if you are a vegetarian - do not eat at Pokez. It's vegetarian Mexican and really, really not very good. But everyone goes because it's vegetarian and because they mistake bad attitude for being cool. Also stay out of Seaport Village, not much in there worth trying. However, the sushi bar in the Fish Market and the Top of the Market (upstairs at the Fish Market) are both pretty decent. If you're looking to do upscale, go next door to Molly's in the Marriot, it's not your basic hotel food. Very good. Check out McCormick's & Schmicks in the Omni for their Happy Hour specials. They used to do a $3 cheeseburger (regular size, not a slider) during happy hour. Downtown Johnny Brown's isn't much too look at and their hamburgers are okay but go here for one of the better selections of craft beers in the downtown area. Hop on the orange line trollet, which is right across the street from the convention center, and take it 2 stops towards downtown to American Plaza. Get off there and transfer to the northbound Blue Line trolley. There is a Grab & Go Subs right there in America Plaza and believe it or not, they're really pretty good. But back to the blue line trolley...Take the blue line 2 stops north to the Country Center/Little Italy stop and walk up (East) to India St. This is the heart of Little Italy where most of the food is only so-so, but there are a few gems to be found. Pete's Meats does great sandwiches, little hole in the wall, been around for years. Google or GPS the address. If you go north a couple of blocks on India you'll come to Mona Lisa, great sandwiches and check out Assanti too, they sometimes have good to-go type of stuff. Instead of turning on India when you get off the trolley, go up a couple of blocks to State and turn left. You're looking for the intersection of State and Cedar where Pappalecco's is. You go for the gelato but can also get decent sandwiches and salads there as well. Owned by 2 brothers from Pisa. Also in Little Italy is The Burger Lounge, a local chain using grassfed beef. I don't particularly care for their burger and I think their fries and onion rings are overpriced for what you get, but their turkey burger is pretty decent. One of the better burgers in Little Italy can be found on Kettner at The Waterfront, a dive bar that's gotten some respectability. If you're willing to increase your radius, stay on the blue line trolley a couple more stop until you get to the Washington St. stop. Get off and walk up (east) Washington St and past the Chevron gas station. The first place you come to will be the Lucha Libre taco shop started by 3 brothers from Tijuana. Food is okay to good, specialties would be the quesataco or TJ dog. The interior is an homage to Mexican wrestling (lucha libre) and one of their specialty booths is the inside of a pink Cadillac. Or, pass Lucha Libre and walk up to the next stoplight. This is where India St. ends. Cross Washington. The first place you come to is Gelato Vero (good) followed by Saffron, which is a take out chicken place (excellent). Above Saffron is one of the best deals in town at the Wine Vault & Bistro. $30 for a 5 course meal, add $20 more for the wine pairings. Dinner only, excellent. Continue down the street and you'll see a line out the door at El Indio (excellent 40 years ago, not so much now). Pass El Indio and 2 doors down is Blue Water Grill, excellent fish tacos, fish sandwiches and salad plates. The trolley is usually 7 minutes (or less) to Washington St. from America Plaza, including stops. If you've got an hour to spare (probably not) you could do the round trip from the convention center to the the restos on and just off of Washington St. Also, avoid AT ALL COSTS Richard Walkers Pancake House. Noisy, expensive marginal food. Always has a line out the door. Don't be fooled. If you can get to The Linkery or El Take It Easy go by all means. Not everything on their menu always works all the time and it can be a bit uneven, but as an ode to all sustainable, all local, responsible eating, it works in spades.

For you Comic-Con dining pleasure Walking Distance: Cafe Chloe (charming quasi French place. Get's noisy, but food is consistently good, 9th & Market) Cowboy Star (upscale steak house and very good, try the bison steak) Basic Urban Bar (good pizza) Neighborhood Noble Experiment Quality Social Cafe 222 (2nd and Island, good breakfast, try the pumpkin waffle) JSix Restaurant (the resto in the Solamar hotel. Almost all local and sustainable. Chef is doing very creative stuff) Ciros' (cheap pizza) Bread on Market (between 8th & 9th I think, very, very good sandwiches) Valentine's (decent taco shop) Candelas (upscale Mexican) El Vitral (upscale Mexican, great tequila selection, uneven food) Short Cab/Bus: The Linkery (The only fully local and sustainable resto in SD. They will at 18% gratuity to bill. 30th St. corridor in North Park) Hamilton's Tavern (craft beers and good food, 30th St. corridor in North Park) Toronado (craft beers and good food, 30th St. corridor in North Park) El Take It Easy (new cantina from the owner of The Linkery. Local and sustainable only. 30th St. corridor in North Park) Urban Solace (Great vibe and good food. 30th St. corridor in North Park) Cucina Urbana (one of the best new restaurants in SD, nothing over $20, 5th and Laurel) Bankers Hill Bar & Restaurant (only open a month, nothing over $20) Starlite (Innovative cocktails, uneven food. India St, trends young, i.e. under 40) Blue Water Grill (Great fish tacos and sandwiches, India St.) Ritual Tavern (Craft beer, good food, 30th St. corridor in North Park) Jayne's Gastropub (upscale pub, 30th St. at Adams Farmhouse Cafe (French country, Adams Ave, couple blks east of Park Blvd) Super Cocina (hands down best Mexican in SD, home-style only, 37th & University) Tacos el Paisa (al pastor at it's best, BarrioLogan) Mariscos German (tacos gobenadores, or smoked marlyn (marlin) tacos, taco truck at 35th & University or restaruant at 27th & Ocean View, both areas a bit on the seedy side) Pizzeria Bruno (true Neopolitan pizza, probably best pizza in SD) Blind Lady Alehouse (pizza and craft beers, both very, very good) Cafe Dore (Vietnamese, Bahn Mi) For these you'll need a car, but the drive is worth it: Aqui es Texcoco (Mexican Barbacoa, Chula Vista) Mariscos El Pescador (best fish taco in SD, taco truck in a ToysRUs pakring long, Chula Vista) Kaito (best sushi in SD, Encinitas George's California Modern/George's Ocean Terrace (La Jolla) El Pescador (fish sandwiches, La Jolla) Sab-e-Lee (Thai, Linda Vista) Kitchen 1540 Cavaillon (French, Santa Luz/Carmel Valley area) Also check out the Tin Fork reviews in the SD Reader Tin Fork does a lot of reviews of downtown hole in the walls. Click on the link then once on the Reader site click on the Restaurant link. You can search by Tin Fork (real name Ed Bedford) or simiply search downtown/Gaslamp. The Gaslamp is San Diego's version of Fisherman's wharf. The locals love to hate it and will often malign it. It is very commercial and geared primarily to tourists.