gulfporter

When we first began visiting Mexico in 2006 I did my best to learn "food" words first. Quite proudly one night in San Miguel de Allende I phoned in a pizza order, un grande con salchicha, correctly translating sausage. Well......salchicha on a pizza in Mexico turned out to be hot dogs. Not crisped up or blackened or grilled or even fried....just warmish thick rounds of sliced, cheap hot dogs. FFWD 10+ years and nowadays most MXN pizza menus include topping listing for both salchicha and another for salchicha Italiano. All orders of pizza still come with ketchup packets 😝

I am a natural southpaw but I play all sports right-handed as my Dad and brothers taught me sports as a kid. They never had issues with my writing and eating with my left hand. I was a quiet kid with good grades, until I came home from 3rd grade with my first report card, that had an F in penmanship. I had never told my parents that this teacher would not let me write with my left hand. My parents, neither of whom graduated HS and didn't speak English until age 7, had never challenged a teacher before (I had 2 older brothers). But they went to the school the next day and talked to the principal. I was allowed to write with my left hand after that. This was in the early 1960s.

We always have fresh quince here this time of year. A town just to the north of us is called Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos (Membrillos = Quince).....they just had their annual fiesta which features quince in all forms, shapes and sizes. The woman from whom I bought the ate' (paste) is from there. I bought so much of it I am trying to come up with other uses for it and we don't see chutney for sale here (other than high-priced imports). I am hoping the ate' will add the quince flavor to what would otherwise be an apple chutney. I don't recall seeing dried apples here but can't say that I have looked for them. Here is a recent story on the annual July fiesta in Ixtlahuacan. We have gone to it in the past and like all small town fiestas, it is a wondrous experience. https://theguadalajarareporter.net/index.php/expat-living/expat-living/lake-chapala/community-news/52141-ixtlahuacan-hosts-summer-festivities

Known here as Ate de Membrillo. There was a woman selling her homemade quince paste on the street today. I bought way too much, though it was only 20 pesos worth. We like it as part of a cold plate with prosciutto or smoked salmon, etc. I also insert it into a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a spicy mustard. Now I am thinking of using it as part of a chutney. Had a quince tree at our Bisbee AZ home and made quince chutneys a lot. But this time I would be using quince paste, not the fruit. Maybe simmer some onions, raisins and jalapenos with vinegar and spices (cardamom and ginger for sure), add diced fresh apple toward the end (like when they keep a bit of their shape). Let it cool down then add the diced quince paste. I think the mouth feel of the soft quince paste will be good, though I could just add it to the hot ingredients instead, and let it melt down??? Any opinions on this? Or any ideas on other uses for the paste?

Will be in CDMX for a week next month. Apartment is in Roma Norte near Chapultepec Park. Haven't been to the City for a few years. Have eaten at Pujol, Azul Condesa and Contramar but looking for newer adventures. Has anyone been to the new (to us) MercadoRoma? Also there is/was a full-time culinary school that served meals a few days a week....I cannot find the name after a day of googling. Anyone know this place? It was in the Condesa neighborhood but school was on break last time we tried to eat there. Any other restaurant recommendations would be much appreciated.

I baked madeleines this morning. Tonight.....and this is Big News from my little Mexican village....we are going to the grand opening of a French restaurant (only 2 blocks away). The couple (he's French and she's Mexican) have been open almost a year with a divine bakery and also serving breakfast; while we never go out for breakfast, their bakery is extraordinary. They are doing a prix fix meal (pate' or salad; coq au vin, beef bourguignon or ratatouille; and dessert (I forget the selections). Are you celebrating Bastille Day with a French treat or two?

I just remembered that for my Dad's birthday, his cake was a scratch Red Velvet with a Crisco-based fluffy frosting (that started with a sort of roux).

CNN reporting this now. Apparent suicide. In France filming and found in hotel room by his friend Chef Eric Ripert. RIP.

I sometimes buy Diet Squirt here in MX, but mostly we 'brew' decaf iced tea in the sun and drink it unsweetened. Or agua mineral which is cheap and everywhere. I prefer agua mineral with lunches when I am not having a wine. While wine pairs well with foods and IMO enhances the dining experience, I never drink a flavored beverage (not even iced tea) with meals when not having wine (or beer which I drink with spicy meals, nothing else).

The birthday cakes of my siblings and all my cousins in the 1950s to early 1960s was always a Duncan Hines white layer cake mix with homemade peanut butter frosting. No idea how that evolved considering neither my mother nor aunt were cooks who went outside the norms of the day. Was it the norm for other families of that era??? BTW, when my mother made the Duncan Hines white cake mix at other times during the year, she always used the whole egg. Only separated the egg whites for birthday cakes.

It's the analog thermometer that I want to replace....want a digital thermometer for inside the oven. Because the digital need a battery, it would require a heat-proof casing. IMO the technology is there, but for whatever reason (cost, lack of perceived demand) no one is making one.

I just figured the new technology would be instant read and all of it inside the oven....evidently that is non-existent. I don't like the look of the wires coming out of the oven on the ones available. I will bide my time until technology catches up with my pipedream.

Rotus, Thx for links, but am looking for a thermometer that stays in the oven at all times, not point and shoot. I remain surprised that the only ones out there seem to be such old technology, but will continue to look. I chatted a few minutes ago with rep at Thermoworks about DOT....the unit stays outside the oven, only the probe goes inside, would have to buy a grate clip and figure out how to mount it and where to put outside unit, etc.

How do you mount it...will it hook onto rack and face forward? Can you remove the probe? I went to site but no pics of it hanging inside of oven that I could see.

I have and use Thermopen and Thermopop. But what I really need is an instant read digital oven thermometer. Mexican ovens are not known for their heat calibration; most do not even have a thermostat. The oven knob on mine is Celsius and the markings are very close together. Most of my recipes are in Fahrenheit. I have tried a few oven thermometers and all are slow in registering temps and have small dials making them difficult to read without opening the oven door. I have searched for a instant read digital oven thermometer and have not found one....most of my searches take me to meat-type thermometers for oven use (the kind with probes). Anyone ever seen what I am in need of?

DId I miss it....what are you paying FOH?

This is only exciting to an expat who despises shredding whole cabbage. It goes EVERYWHERE when I do it, plus the heads here are the size of small planets. A grocer here who tries to cater to expats is now shredding a cole slaw mix. I picked up some fresh mahi this morning, too. Easy summer meal in the offing.

Looking for cold plates for summer. Thinking cold grilled shrimp with dill seasoning may work with feta??? I may do some experimenting.

Here's a more specific question. I get really good fresh large shrimp here, peeled and deveined by the local pescatoria. I often serve them to guests as 'grilled and chilled' which allows me to make-ahead. I either do a dry rub (Cajunesque but of my own making) or slather with a jarred chimmichurri sauce before hitting the grill. Would any cheese "go" with cold shrimp that is nearly naked?

TIme got away from us today and all my fridge and pantry yielded for lunch was locally smoked salmon (hot smoked with wood) and goat cheese. Accompanied by cornichons, sliced hard-boiled egg, black olive/thyme bread and diced red onion. At first I was reluctant to plate the cheese with the fish, but hunger overcame my hesitancy. We both liked the cold plate very much and since I never served cheese with fish before, I was wondering if there are other pairings you have tried and liked.

I used this one, more or less. Stayed with it for the amounts of mango, tomato, onion and red bell pepper. Subbed a serrano for the jalapeno (we like heat). Skipped the OJ and lime juice and subbed a bit of cider vinegar (to taste)....the mango added a lot of sweetness and vinegar seemed a better acid. Instead of cilantro, I used fresh basil and mint, mostly because I didn't want it to be too similar to a standard red gazpacho. https://www.mygourmetconnection.com/mango-gazpacho-soup/ Edit: Made it early in morning to let flavor meld all day. Took it out of fridge 10 minutes before serving to take a bit of the chill off and loosen a bit.

Full agreement here from someone who has lived in Arizona, Mexico and FLorida for the past 15 years. Time to whip out the food processor and light the outdoor gas grill. Mangos are just coming into season here in Central Mexico. Our local trees are heavily fruited, but a week or two from full ripening when the splats! on the streets and sidewalks require some delicate footwork and an occasional glance upward. BTW the local rule is: any mangos hanging over the sidewalk or street are fair game for anyone. Soon the local eateries will send out their workers armed with long-polls with netted ends. It's quite the show! This is a mango and tomato gazpacho with fresh basil and mint. Topped with chilled grilled shrimp.

Spicy Thai Grilled Pork Tenderloin Salad

I had the pleasure of meeting her when she came to Ajijic on her book tour in 2010. She was very vocal about food sourcing in Mexico, and was very much opposed that the government was allowing chilies grown in China to be imported in massive numbers. It remains an issue http://www.freshplaza.com/article/168544/Mexico-and-China-in-dispute-over-the-chile-de-arbol After the signing was over, most of the participants hustled off to the buffet in another room (private home). I lagged behind (I didn't know anyone else in the group, most were from a local cooking club) and Diana asked me if I wouldn't mind bringing her a plate. I did and we sat together eating and talking about Oaxacan restaurants for about 15 minutes when she had to leave to head to Guadalajara.

Extra funny to me....when we lived on 5 acres in Virginia we called our hosta, "deer caviar."