theabroma

Well, that makes some sense because even with specially constructed equipment for grinding nuts finely, the friction factor will come into play and up the risk of having superbly smooth nut butters as a result. So defatting the nuts a bit might just be the ticket. I have always differentiated between almond meal - like a very fine cornmeal, and almond flour, which feels sorta like Wondra. But maybe that's just a personal kink??!! Theabroma

I just made these for the first time last week! My mom had fulfilled a request of mine to bring back an Indianerkrapfen pan from Austria during her last visit. It is a special pan with hemispherical indentations; each cake uses ~ 2-3 Tbs of batter. The little individual 'puffs' or cakes come out perfectly round on one side and that is the side that gets covered w/chocolate glaze. The recipe I used also had a thin layer of apricot glaze on the inside of the chocolate-glazed portion. ← Oh, yum! Ludja, my mailing address is ...... Theabroma

Could not have said it better! Makes you want to just recycle yourself immediately upon returning home (of course I now find myself speaking of home when in Mexico, and visiting when here). What exactly does one wear to dinner in the Cave? And let's see ... by Cave of the Mulattos, does that refer to chile mulato or .... ? OMG, surely not! Theabroma

Re: El Moro: That is decidedly sad, as is the news about the churros. The ones I had in September were crisp and crunchy on the outside, and the little bit of inside was tender, but done. I guess that neighborhood is slowly curdling up. Well, I'll have to get the name again of the chocolateria in La Condesa. Theabroma

OMG, I may have to take the next AA flight special to MxCity just for this experience ... the decor sounds like something someone would hallucinate. Theabroma

This is utterly fascinating, Caroline. Do you want info on just metates, or on molcajetes as well? And what types of uses ... anyting? Medicianal? Ritual? Theabroma Have you heard molcatejes referred to as 'liquadoras aztecas'?

churreria el moro, one of the last chocolate and churro shops left in the DF. It's on Lazaro Cardenas, east side, just a block or so south of its intersection with Calle Uruguay. 24/7 French, Spanish, and Mexican style chocolate, and freshly made churros, cooked in an enormous vat covered with glazed blue tiles and set in the window. There is also a chocolateria in the Condesa, not to far from Flor de Lis, but at the mo' I cannot recall the name. El Moro is an institution, and being just around the corner from Panaderia La Ideal, (on Uruguay, where they have panes dulces shaped like caiman) its all a big nosh and a lot of fun. THeabroma

Not off topic, that's just your source of pina peels! Those platanos sound killer. Roasted over wood or wood charcoal? That's a new one, using pineapple peels like that. Weren't you able to find vinegar in Tlacolula? And since you said on 12/5 'yesterday' I know that you made the Sunday market there. That place is one major trip. Want to hear more on your pineapple vinegar search ... or Mx fruit vinegar, in general. There are so many things en escabeche or with vinegar added, that it's got to be a very important subject. My sad guess is that, especially with the spread of Sorianas and Gigantes, and the incursions made by WalMart, that distilled white and cider vinegars are now being used. I was able to find some marvelous sugar cane vinegar in Tabasco, however. Theabroma

Sneako - have you swung by Flor de Lis in the Condesa for tamales? That is THE tamaleria that's not in a market or a cart on the street in Mexico. I have cookbooks, including the Maiz volume from CONACULTA's Recetario Indigena series that has a recipe for Chiles Rellenos 'Flor de Lis' wherein you roast and peel the ole poblano, and whip yourself up some batter and heat up the oil, and then you stuff that sucker with a tamal from Flor de Lis. I think it's Mexico's answer to the battered and fried Snickers bar, but they started doing it loooong ago. I will gladly go to Au Pied de Cochon next trip down. I'm glad to hear that it's good ... I usually go trotter trawling in bowls of menudo and pozole. Thanks to you, I now have some fresh options! Theabroma PS: You do know El Moro?

Yes, I have. And that's why I said it may be something biochemically with me. In fact, I think that is the biggest unknown of any taste test - we all agree that what we are tasting is what we have named 'vanilla', but the likelihood that we are all tasting the 'same' is not very likely. Whatever the chemical signature(s) is/are of the constellation of compounds we call 'vanilla flavor', I know that they appear 'naturally' in other plants. But whether that exact array of flavor compounds is also what is present in cured orchid seedpods and wood, and whatever else, I don't know. For example, cilantro is native to Asia, not Mesoamerica, yet it is difficult to imagine Mexican food w/out that flavor. Same with oregano. Turns out that there were at least two plants, indigenous to Mesoamerica - culantro (Eringium foetidum and Lippia mexicana) which contain many of the principal flavor/aroma compounds, but not all, of their Asian and European counterparts. But of course, whether we all taste the same thing, or would taste a difference between the Old/New World plants, and any artificial flavors mimicking them, is anyone's guess. THeabroma

They are wonderful oblique cut or slivered and sauteed in butter w/a touch of garlic. They also make crazy wonderful mushroom soup. They have a mild, but not insipid, flavor and a meaty texture. They are unlike matsutakes botanically, texturally, in flavor, and certainly aroma. Connie Green of Wine Forest Wild Mushrooms in Napa has a pair of Dobermans who 'guard' the her walk-ins. Rosie, the red female, has to be physically restrained in the presence of King Oysters, or else she will eat them by the case, without shame or restraint. She is interested in matsus only for their use as hockey pucks. My experience in Texas indicates that Kings are always wonderful and a great bargain at Asian markets. Theabroma

But I do believe that there are compounds in a cured seedpod of V. planifolia which are not present in artificial vanilla. It's rather like the Hallellujah ... but without the Chorus, no? The only mouth I can use as a guide is my own. And my point of reference when I'm in the vanilla mode is Mexican, from the area of Norther Veracruz, around Papantla. I am not thinking of Bourbon or Tahitian varieties. This is interesting!!! Theabroma

There are some Viennese/German cakes called moor's heads or Indianerkrapfen, which are little sponge cakes or cupcakes made with a lot of corn or potato starch in the batter so they have a very fine crumb. They are baked, cooled, slit in the middle of the 'stem' or body and the slit is filled with whipped cream. The caps are dipped into a glossy, glossy bittersweet chocolate glaze. The glaze is made w/ melted high content bittersweet couverture, unsalted butter, and a splash of either glucose or corn syrup. Theabroma

To me ... and this may be a personal biochemical twist ... it tastes really, really bad. A DuPont reject on the road to discovering Velpar ..., etc. I wish to be clear: that is how it tastes to me. Maybe not to others. So I avoid it like the plague. That's all. But humor me a bit here, it is a sense I am lacking .... Theabroma

That, I think, is the most intelligent course of all. Hear, hear!!! Theabroma PS: A mamey looks like a small football, about that color on the outside. It's in the same botanical family as the sapotes. The skin is slightly papery, and looks like it has been lightly flocked. The inside is a rich burnt orange, with a texture like that of avocado. It has a pit a bit like an avocado, but more elongated. You can find them around in the US. Here in Texas, they are available at Fiesta Mart. Problem is, you almost always have to cut into them to see if they're ready to eat. The are heavenly, and like Sneakeater says, they are great in milkshakes. In Oaxaca the pits are toasted on a comal, along with spices, cacao seeds, and dried flowers called rositas de cacao. The whole is ground into a paste, mixed with corn masa, and whipped by hand into cold water. It makes a drink called 'tejate' which is older than the pyramids, and totally loaded with mythological powers. T.

A mild solution of tepid water and chlorine bleach will render the capsaicin molecule toothless. Gloves work, but a bleach wash after finishing work on the chiles is a more sure fire way, no pun intended! Chiles are a wicked bunch o' plants to sort out, in part due to local names, regional sub-species, and cultivarsm and because they are, within species, air pollinators, which allows for a lot of mixing and matching. The C. chinense varieties found in the Caribbean Islands are shaped, spiced, and aromatized much like the Jamaican Scotch Bonnet, so named because of its purported resemblance to a tam o'shanter, and those found in Mexico are more similar to the Chinese lantern shaped habanero, with that distinctive apricot and Everclear aroma, and the legendary heat. The are, in terms of flavor and aroma profiles, about the same. The differences between the two from a culinary perspective could only be detected by a very experienced and devoted palate. Gentlemen, as Jason has cautioned you, the children of C. chinense are cautionary tales of why one should wash hands before touching ... anything. Also, if you weal contact lenses, especially soft ones, be extra careful. A hydrophilic lens, having absorbed some hab juice, and floating lazily over the cornea is not a fun thing. And although there ARE places you can rinse with bleach water, the eyeball is NOT one of them. Theabroma

To get rid of it, Cher. To exterminate it. Incinerate it. Wrap it in a napkin, insert a stick of dynamite in the bottleneck, and kaboom! Theabroma

My guess that the so aptly monikered 'gunky green vegetable' was huauzontle, Chenopodium berlandieri, a kissing cousin of epazote. It has a 5-7 inch plumish head, covered with tiny seeds; and petite green leaves, which look like baby epazote. In the markets and the streets the plume is filled with slices of salty, crumbly-soft queso fresco, and trussed up with string, then plunged into a capa, or batter, made of beaten egg yolks folded into soft-peak whipped whites, then fried (this is the classic batter for chiles rellenos). They are served in bowls with a brothy salsa de tomate, usually spiked with chile serrano, and sometimes chile de arbol. It can be dusted with either more crumbled queso fresco, or with queso cotija, which is the Mexican 'equivalent' to Parm ... There is one woman in the Calle de los Sapos flea market in Puebla who makes huauzontle in this manner, and it is worth a side trip just for that. I generally agree. I also don't believe - and here I am likely to be forever rusticated from eG - that to be a cuisine worthy of serious note, attention, study, and reckless devotion, that it has to pair readliy with wine. And to dig my grave deeper, it does seem to me that wine really means 'wine from Western Europe and its offspring - UK, US, Chile, etc. There is, for example, a rather fine wine tradition in Hungary. And though I have never tried it, perhaps something like Egri Bikaver could be more successfully paired with more indigenous Mexican dishes? Certainly I can think of things I'd like to have in my mouth along with Tokay Azsu or Szamorodni. Maybe we just need to cast our carafe to a wider selection of casks and amphorae? Theabroma

Unless you treat yourself to a heavenly soujourn in Papantla, Veracruz, Mx where vanilla is indigenous, visit the Vanilla Gods: Nielsen-Massey. I would recommend either beans, powder, or the paste (check ingredients, it may contain sorbitol, but I don't believe it contains any alcohol. Please, please give the artificial stuff a Viking burial in the back yard! Theabroma

You can purchase nut flours - most commonly almond and hazelnut - from professional sources and from the King Arthur Catalog. I noticed the other day that Central Market, a 'gourmet' foodstore chain in Texas has it in the bulk section. It is used in cake making in France, and more commonly in the sections of Eastern Europe which carry on the Austro-Hungarian pastry making traditions. It is used in whole or partial replacement of flour or starch in sponge cakes. In many French sponge recipes you will see a certain quantity of 'tant pour tant' listed as an ingredient. That is an equal part by weight of flour-finely ground almonds and/or hazelnuts and superfine sugar. You can grind your own nut flours, but you must be quite careful as the heat resuting from the friction of the motor and rotating blade of the food processor or grinder can cause the release of the nut oils, and you will wind up with nut butter... not a bad thing in itself, but not good for cakemaking. One way to get around that is to chill the nuts and sugar before processing, process equal parts in two or three batches, then sift though a fine sifter, regrinding the coarse remains. I always wind up making more than I need to get the proper measure, and it is not as finely ground as the almond or hazelnut flours I buy. There is an Indian made food/spice processor available on line, called the Sumeet. It will grind both wet and dry spice pastes. Although I have not used it for grinding nuts into flour, I am told that one can do so quite readily. I do a variety of pastries and tortes using nut flours, especially at Passover. They are basically separated eggs: the yolks are beaten to the intense ribbon stage with a bit of sugar and vanilla or other flavor, and the whites whipped into a mid=peak meringue with a bit of sugar. Fold the two together, and fold in the nut flour, or nut flour mixed with cocoa powder for chocolate layers. Pan and bake. The result is an excellent sponge. As a rule, these are not syruped like a Genoise, but I do not see why you couldn't. Almond meal is a slightly coarser grind than almond flour, enough so that the difference shows up in the texture of the final product. I use almond FLOUR to make French style macarons, for example. Theabroma

Caroline, will the map be published, or otherwise available? I am so curious to see the distribution around the country. When last in Tecali in September, though I didn't see a metate, I did pick up a marble molcajete - carved into a frog. I remember seeing some incredible pieces in the market in Tlacolula, but since that trip was in a plane, I just put them out of my mind. Theabroma

If you get to El Cardenal, I'd love to hear what you think ... it is more old style city private club atmosphere, but in a similar vein to Los Morales. And if you're toting about a third-trimester purse, Tezka. I envy you, Theabroma

These reviews are refreshing, thoughtful, and highly personal and for me they are wonderful. Hacienda los Morales is a grande dame, but one whose tiara sparkles and who still enchants with her coquetry. It is not trendy, it is not wierd. It is true alta cocina Mexicana, at its best, and it is consistent. It is not a place to see and be seen, and it is not for the ADD palate: it is not a place for sport diners. The shredded venison w/naranja agria and achiote is called dzik, and it is a very traditional Yucatecan dish ... made with the indigenous tiny deer of the region (now an endangered species, so good ole white tail is usually substituted. I remember it being one of the good things I had at Izote. It was the chewy, vulcanized tamales and the foie gras with a topping of shredded ancho chile in a sweet sour sauce that really put me into orbit: the topping was like one of Tina Turner's old Pvt Dancer wigs, sweetened, and cooked to a fare-thee-well. Fonda Don Chon is just fabulous. Period. And escamoles sauteed and served with a special guacamole are one of my all time favorites. It's just that I've never been sufficiently tequilazo-ed when they've had jumiles or beetles to finally succumb. And I feel much better to having had such an 'allergic' reaction to Izote; I also loved your comments about El Naranjo in Oaxaca. Iliana de la Vega, the chef, has taken a lot of heat for developing/evolving/creating from traditional flavors and mole mixes. She knows the traditional styles so very well; her journeys into new places are carefully based on that knowledge and balanced with curiosoty and whimsy. I admire her work enormously. If you ever get a chance to study with her, do so. She is, quite simply, amazing. Thanks and hope to hear much, much more, Theabroma

Aaaaach! Meine kleine nusstorte! It's from Demel's you should get these things!!!!! Really am sorry to hear it ... it's those kinds of disappointments that are the worst of all. Right up there with the truth about Santa Claus. Theabroma

I am glad to hear that someone's experience at Izote passed muster. I found it to be just okay, which translated into a great disappointment; my traveling companion was in complete agreement. There are other places in the DF, but perhaps they are more in the old style, and did not make the Fodor's list: Hacienda Los Morales, El Tajin, El Cardinal, and Tezka.