gulfporter

Oh those furry pickers.....ouch! But in AZ and here in MX they are removed, at least at stores we shopped at. My Bisbee AZ house had a row of pink prickly pears along a patio wall where I hung party lights and those furry pickers got me every time I changed a bulb. In dry months, the javelinas would come down from the hills and feast on the cacti but the plants always grew back. Out of a dozen plants, we only lost 1 when temps plunged to 2 degrees F one wicked winter. They are hardy....and a food source for both 2 and 4 legged creatures 🌵

Chipotle cheese ravioli covered with a shallot, sweet red pepper, huitlacoche lime-butter sauce finished with toasted pine nuts and cilantro. Feliz Navidad!!

@Thanks for the Crepes Are you certain the cactus pads had thorns and not just the nubs that remain after the thorns are removed? Here and in southeast AZ they were always sold denuded. I like nopales but often they are overcooked here and they get the same slime texture as overcooked okra. My go-to place for chicken al carbon (over real wood charcoal) is the chain Pollo Feliz and they make a very nice nopales salad which is never slimey. I think Pollo Feliz has expanded into the US but not sure which states. That market sounds great!

Long called "corn fungus" or "corn smut" in the US. High profile chefs are now calling it "corn truffle." What's in a name....everything when it comes to marketing 🤑

Is my math correct....about 90 cents US a can? Great price!

If you have ever had bunuelos you will understand my swoon. I went to our weekly open air street market and on the walk home scored these in the drug store parking lot. Light as gossamer despite the heavy load of cinnamon sugar. 30 pesos a bag. Only seen here at Christmas time, then pffffft they're gone.

Still not sure what we are making for Xmas or Xmas Eve. It's just the two of us, so it's not a panic situation. This morning I went to a local carniceria and placed an order for two duck breasts and two lamb shanks. I had never ordered lamb shanks here before and I wrote down the translation. El jefe understood what I wanted but was surprised that I wanted them. He kept asking me if I was sure and whether what I really wanted was pierna (leg), and sin huesos (boneless). He does business with CDN and US expats and I guess this is the more standard special order for lamb. He was dubious whether he could get either item by Saturday (he like most businesses will be closed Xmas Eve). His duck breasts are very large (way bigger than what I buy in US) and one is enough to share, seared with a few interesting sides. The other breast was slated to be made into prosciutto by my DH but it takes 7 days to cure so that's now a NYE target for sure (yeah, I am late in ordering for Xmas....I have finally adopted the manana mindset, for good or bad).

Fresh huitlacoche....will use in filling of chicken quesadillas and as a sauce on chipotle/cream cheese raviolis. It was 20 pesos which is 1 USD right now. I don't often see it here in our area, it is far more popular in other parts of Mexico.

Thx for the advice. A new pan is on its way via Amazon.com.mx

I have made cranberry squares for over 20 years; last year I doubled it for the first time. I baked it 50% longer (from 1 hr to 90 minutes). By then the outer crust was getting too dark. I did what I can best describe as an inconclusive toothpick test. After it cooled, I discovered the center was severely underbaked. This 'cake' has no leavening, eggs, a ton of melted butter with plenty of nuts and fresh cranberries. It calls for an 9 inch square pan. It has always been fully baked at the 1 hour mark. I haven't even toothpick tested it for the last 15 years....it has always been fine. If I try to double it again this year, I am thinking of using my thermapen rather than the toothpick test. Google indicates a cake should have an internal temperature between 185 and 200. Should I aim for the lower or higher end for this sort of bake? Or should I just go buy another 9 inch square pan and forget about doubling it in one oblong pan (9 x 13 is what I used last year).

Getting ready for some holiday baking. Here is the "carton" of Mexican eggs I bought at the local tienda. They sell by the kilo here, not dozen. This bag is just a tad over 1K.

The hunt is on. Noche Buena as its translated name indicates (Christmas Eve) is only available at the holidays. Due to illness, we missed out on it last year. Haven't seen any yet, but it sells out extremely fast so we have to be prepared to act fast. Is it available in the US? I never looked for it there. Wondering if others have comments on it?? Maybe it is so desirable here due to the limited marketing and its dark taste compared to most MXN beers??

This is a series that began earlier this year but we just happened upon it. Watched the 1st show of season about pizza and enjoyed it. Fast moving with lots of debate about WHAT a pizza is. From Brooklyn to Naples to Tokyo to.......Domino's. Host is Chef David Chang of Momofuku fame.

Local blueberries....kids walk around selling from cardboard boxes (our version of a farmers market). Never seen them this big before. We couldn't find any US coins for a proper size comparison so used a Bic pen cap.

On our first trip to New Mexico in the early 1980s we found ourselves outside Los Alamos (great museum BTW), in a hurry and hungry and saw a Pizza Hut. Any port in a storm. Well, they offered Hatch chilies as a topping....our first taste of them. Blown away is putting it mildly. When I made pizza in Arizona I always topped with roasted Hatch chilies (or other green chilies) as there were chili roasters set up outside a few grocery stores in Douglas and Sierra Vista nearly year round.

We don't see mustard used with pizza here....many things in MX are local. Yes to pickled jalapenos....I have asked for raw jalapenos but never found a place that had them. Same with hamburguesas.....always pickled. On hamburguesas, yes mustard used by the locals and LOTS of it.

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.