We started at Tria, where I chose a bold red from a region I’ve never visited:

AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE "IL VIOLA," TENUTA LE QUERCE, '04 (Basilicata, Italy) Al-ya-nee-co is the star of southern Italy: definite tannin, sweet cherry fruit, violets, tar and leather

My Italian friend got:

NEGROAMARO "SANTI MEDICI," CASTEL DI SALVE, '07 (Apulia, Italy) Bright and fruity Black-raspberry flavors with sweet Spice from native grape of the heel of the boot

BARBERA D’ASTI, ARALDICA, ’05 (Piedmont, Italy) Pride of Piedmont—juicy, immensely quaffable, unabashedly delicious with soft blackberry fruit

The aglianico was too bold for me sans food, but the negroamaro was just right. To accompany the drinks, we ordered bruschetta with gorgonzola and fig. I obviously had nothing to do with the ordering, but have to admit that I really liked it. Could it be that my tastes have changed and that the blues have suddenly become appealing?

Had I any idea that we would continue the evening at Matyson, I'd have surely slipped my camera into my purse. Started off with fried Virginia oysters with corn & bacon chowder, tomato coulis. Gasp. Then on to Serrano Wrapped Alaskan Halibut with cauliflower & potato puree, curried melon vinaigrette. Wow. Cumin Roasted Duck Breast with charred corn & wild mushroom empanada, goat cheese, huitlacoche-citrus coulis. Sublime. I've remained speechless. Don't know now if it's the wine or the food. Who knew that 'corn smut', a fungus, could taste so good? Great American chefs, apparently.

The dinner was perfect. I love trying new foods; especially when they're works of art. The most interesting thing about this short bus ride to 'Italy' tonight was that it actually connected me to more exciting 'American' sensibilities. Funny how that works. Lots of mystery in my life these days. Grazie mille!

2) A reader asked me about the pronunciation of huitlacoche:  It sounds like HWEET-luh-KOH-chay, more or less (emphasis on first and third syllables). Can also be spelled cuitlacoche and mean the same thing.

Then back on the bus, to another winery, dinner, and a small, wood-paneled hotel with fountains twinkling in its tiled courtyard. But dinner is the meat of this story, so to speak. We went to Ensenada to visit the retail outlet of another winery (I have notes on all these wineries, but haven't dug them out in a while, so just know that I can, with help, give proper details on each visit and tasting!) and to have dinner in an old distillery that had been converted into a restaurant.

For dinner, we enjoyed a lovely cut of grilled beef surrounded by vegetables and a potatoes-mashed-with-garlic side dish. (Yes, Ensenada is known for its seafood, but unbeknownst to us, our hosts want us to enjoy their huitlacoche specialty.)

So...we're a bunch of happy, relaxed, slightly sunburned, slightly-tipsy-from-too-much-tasting-not-enough-spitting wine tourists all eating dinner and toasting anything that moves, or anything that stays still long enough for us to focus on it--and we suddenly realize that this meal we're eating is absolutely amazing. The beef is grilled to perfection and the sides are excellent--but WHAT is the sauce that accompanies the beef and spills over onto the vegetables and potato? It's light, but has a definite consistency; something like a homemade vinaigrette, but not oily at all. It's transparent, but has an appealing black-brown tint reminiscient of a good balsamic emulsion. It has a piquant quality, but not overwhelming--it sort of "lights up" the taste of the beef like a marinade or steak sauce should but usually doesn't.

I look around; many are mopping their garlicky potatoes (papas con ajo?) in little leftover puddles of sauce. Some are holding it aloft on fork tines, looking at it in the dim light; others are simply hunched over their plates with looks of dazed good fortune. Normally, this type of description would be an exaggeration, but the sauce really is extraordinary, and no one can "place" the taste. We begin questioning our guide: what is this? How is it made? Is there any more in the kitchen?

Our guide--a very nice man who teaches the chemistry as well as the appreciation of wine--smiles at us. Do we really, really want to know what it is? Do we want to deconstruct the recipe, or do we prefer the mystery?

We demand deconstruction--we have to know!--and thus begins our education in the tradition of huitlacoche: a very traditional ingredient in Meso-American culture. The main ingredient that gives our heavenly sauce its indefinable-but-addictive taste: the humble (and completely repulsive) corn smut.

If you've ever seen an ear of corn afflicted with the type of blight known as corn smut, you were probably *completely* horrified by it. When corn acquires this particular blight, the kernels puff up into grotesque, blackish-gray lumps on the corn--sometimes so vigorously that it pushes the husks out of its way to peek out at the world. Ugh! If you (and by you, I mean me) were to discover it unexpectedly on your corn, you'd probably throw the ear down in disgust, thinking it was rotten and ruined and...well, blighted.

You begin to understand the scope of the situation: we've just enjoyed a fabulous meal with a silky, exotic sauce that we practically licked off the plate--and now we know it was made from corn smut. Most of us on this trip have enough experience with home-grown corn to know what this means...and the looks on our faces clue the clueless in that this is disturbing. We digest the news. Literally.

There's nothing else for it. We must accept huitlacoche for what it is (a fungus) and get on with our lives. We raise our (replenished) glasses to our new discovery, take a deep breath, and drink (deeply) to the dark mysteries of cultural gastronomy. !Salut!

(Psst...mozo? Hay un huitlacoche mas en la cocina? Es muy maravillosa!)

In 2003, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the annual Wine Society of America Conference in Anaheim, CA. For a little extra, you could go on a pre-conference field trip--an overnight hop through some of the vineyards and wineries of Baja, Mexico. Sign me up!

We departed Anaheim on a bus to Baja, driving down the coast past San Diego and Tijuana and farther along the Baja peninsula. We had lunch *somewere* on the coast at a neat little spot with amazing views. Our guide (a wine expert) said all the new construction in the area was based on second homes for SoCal residents.

Another view of the spot where we ate.

 

 

Our first tasting stop was Casa de Piedra; a boutique winery specializing in a few fabulous vintages and a very appealing shooting star logo. Then we traveled to Mogor Badan for an outside tasting in the vineyard--all windy, flapping tablecloths and a Chasselas that I never forgot. (It's a wine of Swiss origin, believe it or not, and I still have a bottle and can't bear to drink it because I'll probably never have another. Yes, that's a stupid reason, but...)

On to another family-owned winery whose name I cannot remember, but there was a friendly black dog in the tasting room. Then we fetched up at Adobe Guadelupe, which combines its vineyard and winery with an amazing guest house/bed & breakfast-type accommodation. The place abounds in primitive angel forms, from the light fixtures and the hardware to an enormous metal angel sculpture in the vineyard itself. (I should add my photographic evidence to flickr.com.) I don't remember the wine as much as the setting: enormous baskets of bougainvillea spilling over the walls; shadows of angels and arches falling on tiled floors; the sunsetting sky stretched overhead and burning down to ashy grape and pewter colored-clouds...fabulous!

In Europa und den USA, so lerne ich gerade aus der Wikipedia, wird Huitlacoche nur in der gehobenen Gastronomie als „mexikanischer Trüffel“ angeboten. (Geldschneiderei!)

Als wir im vergangenen Herbst in der Nähe eines Maisfeldes spazieren gingen, sah ich, obwohl Bauernkind, den Pilz zum ersten Mal bewußt in Deutschland. Bin gespannt, wann es hier jemand den Mexikanern nachtut und diese Köstlichkeit auch auf die Teller von NormalverbraucherInnen zaubert. Ich wäre jedenfalls eine gute Kundin.

Was hat der Maisbeulenbrand hier auf dem Blog zu suchen? Ganz einfach:

Ich editiere gerade einen Sammelband zu den Commons. Es geht darum, nicht nur theoretische und politische Debatten nachzuzeichnen, sondern vor allem zu vermitteln, das commons überall sind. Und dass sie überall wiederentdeckt werden können und müssen. Kulinarische Traditionen sind so ein Gemeinschaftsgut, nach dem man nur ein bisschen graben muss.

Im Buch wird ein Beitrag von Autorinnen der Deutschen Akademie für Kulinaristik erscheinen. Hier ein Zitat aus dem Text von Andrea Lenkert-Hörrmann und Ursula Hudson, der zum Sammelband gehört:

Die relativ junge Bewegung der Wiederentdeckung ... von überlieferten Ernährungsgewohnheiten greift ... auf eine räumlich klarer verortete Küche, ihre Zutaten und Gerichte zurück. ... Eine solche Küche basiert selbstredend auf Produkten, die im Einklang mit der jeweiligen Landschaft, dem Boden und den klimatischen Verhältnissen entstehen und so einen unermesslich vielfältigen Reichtum von Nahrungsmitteln hervorzubringen in der Lage sind. Es ist eine saisonale Küche, deren Zutaten keiner Massenproduktion entstammen, sondern dem besonderen Erfahrungswissen von Menschen einer bestimmten Umgebung.

Nach Ansicht der Autorinnen trägt die Wiederentdeckung und kreative Weiterentwicklung dessen, was wir früher aßen dazu bei;

lokale und globale Gemeinschaftsgüter gleichermaßen zu erhalten: Den Artenreichtum, die Qualität der natürlichen Ressourcen (insbesondere der Böden) sowie das Traditionswissen zur Pflege dieser Diversität oder zur Nutzung angepasster Technologien. Während Dreiviertel der industriell gefertigten Nahrung aus lediglich acht Feldfrüchten stammt, befördert die Besinnung auf kulinarische Traditionen weltweit den Erhalt unzähliger Arten und Sorten.

...Denn was nicht gegessen wird, wird nicht angebaut, was nicht angebaut wird, kennt man nicht, was man nicht kennt verschwindet. (Hervorhebung S.H.)

Wiederentdeckung kulinarischer Traditionen ist freilich keine unüberlegte Referenz an mehlschwitzende und ernährungsphysiologisch unsinnige Kochtraditionen, die auch ich noch aus meiner Kindheit kenne. Doch da gibt es so Dinge, die waren nicht unsinnig und sind trotzdem weg!

Kumpes zum Beispiel. Kennen Sie Kumpes? Hmmm, ich bin ja Rhönkind, da stand dieser auf besondere Weise eingelegte milchgesäuerte Weißkohl immer im Steingutfass im Keller. Ich liebte den Geruch und heute ... vor allem die Erinnerung daran. Es gibt nur einen einzigen Ökoladen in unserer Nähe (Kaltensundheim), der Kumpes seit einigen Jahren wieder als saisonales Produkt verkauft. Im Netz habe ich sogar ein Rezept gefunden.

Ich hör jetzt lieber auf und koch mir was Schönes!

PS: und die Huitlacoche Crepes? Hoffe die Kinder verschmähen sie nicht.

Foto: on flickr by david

Che sapore potrebbe avere 'sto fungo??? Prima di ordinarne delle tonnellate per soddisfare le Vs. papille gustative, date un'occhiata agli ingredienti ed ai principi nutritivi riportati sull'etichetta.

Ingredienti: Cuitacloche, cebolla, aceite vegetal comestible, epazote y sal yodatada.

Alcuni valori nutritivi: grassi totali 16% RDA, sodio 6% RDA,....

Foto: benchilada

Here are the winners from the event, held Feb. 2 to benefit WUKY-91.3 FM: Sullivan University, duck prosciutto BLT, most creative dish, and scallops with lobster oil, overall hands-down favorite; Tinker’s Cake Shop, champagne truffles, best use of spirits in a recipe; Rincon, huitlacoche, best use of an exotic ingredient; Good Foods Market & Cafe, polenta canapés, best use of a Kentucky Proud product; and Jonathan at Gratz Park, wine and orange sorbet, best tabletop presentation.

In case you’re curious about huitlacoche, it’s a fungus that grows on maize and is highly prized in Mexican cuisine. Huitlacoche is cut from the ear along with the kernels and is sautéed in oil with onions, epazote and chile, and served in quesadillas, tacos and soup, according to www.huitlacoche.org.

Metropol adds Sunday brunch
Metropol, 307 West Short Street, is serving brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. Menu selections include crab cake Benedict and crepes with fruit. Call (859) 381-9493.

Authors and tapas on tap
It’s Tapas Tuesday this week at Holly Hill Inn in Midway. Entertainment will be provided by four writers who will read from their works: Adriena Dame and Gayle Hanratty of Louisville, Joe Peacock of Floyds Knobs, Ind., and Chris Helvey of Frankfort.

Reservations are not required for this event, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Each tapas plate ranges from $5 to $10. Holly Hill Inn is at 426 North Winter Street. Call (859) 846-4732 or visit www.hollyhillinn.com.

Mmmm, tastes like spring
Campbell’s in Paris, 519 Main Street, is having a “wishing for spring” buffet Saturday. Entrees include skillet-fried chicken and broiled whitefish with Mediterrean seasonings. The cost is $12.95. Call (859) 987-5164 or visit www.campbellsinparis.com.

Go fish at Abuelo’s
Abuelo’s, 3395 Nicholasville Road at Fayette Mall, is offering a lineup of seafood selections through March 21. General manager Jeff Scouler said the specials offer an “option for guests looking for an alternative to traditional Mexican fare.”

Items include seared ahi tuna served with honey lime dressing and spicy mustard; fillets of tilapia sautéed with fresh shrimp, scallops, and tomatoes; wood-grilled salmon fillet topped with a cilantro garlic butter sauce; crab imperial stuffed in a fresh roasted poblano, and shrimp fajitas. Call (859) 971-0922 or visit www.abuelos.com.

Look but don’t eat
A new exhibit at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville showcases edible art.

Made to Deceive: The Art of Trompe l’Oeil features five pieces made from culinary materials, created by students and faculty from the baking and pastry arts program at Sullivan University. The pieces will be on display from Saturday through May 24. The opening reception will be 5 to 7:30 p .m. Friday and will feature hors d’oeuvres and sweets prepared by Sullivan University and Juleps Catering.

The pieces created by the Sullivan students and faculty will complement the works of two artists, Julie Allen and Karin Vance Chickadel, who will showcase pieces that resemble cakes but that are made out of fabric and stitched works.

Two workshops combining culinary art and visual art will be held in conjunction with the event. A workshop on making bread sculptures will be March 29; one on how to decorate a heart-shaped cake for Mother’s Day will be May 10.
The museum is at 715 West Main Street. Call (502) 589-0102 or visit www.kentuckyarts.org.

The food is famous within the city for offering some of the best items around. First and foremost is the guacamole. You can not get better guacamole. I personally know the guys that prepare each dish of guacamole fresh for the guests and they are committed to their craft. It's served in a molcajete, or stone bowl made from volcano lava, and delivered with freshly prepared, hand made flour tortillas, as well as chips and two unique salsas that are difficult to give adjectives to yet still taste incredible. If you are a guacamole lover this needs to be at the forefront of your dining list. The restaurant also specializes in Tequilas. They really have just about every tequila there is and the bartenders have an amazing knowledge on each one.  Ask them and you'll come away astonished in discovering a new world of tequila I'm sure you thought never existed.

One of my favorite dishes there is the Quesadilla de Hongos con Huitlacoche (Mushroom Quesadillas with Huitlacoche) which is a grilled flour tortilla filled with a mixture of wild mushrooms, huitlacoche and Chihuahua cheese. Huitlacoche is really a black fungus that grows off corn but is used as a gourmet ingredient in a lot of Mexican foods. It has a smokey flavor and rich taste, which I believe makes this appetizer one of the best dishes at Rosa.

I'm also a huge fan of Mole (pronounced Moh-LAY). I know a lot of people don't really get down with this sauce but I long for it. I'll wake up after a nap just wanting a good mole drenched dish. The Mole at Rosa is divine. It literally takes 3 to 4 days to prepare, consisting of 3o some ingredients giving it a richness all together out of this world. The Mole de Xico consists of two soft corn tortillas filled with shredded chipotle beef, topped with Veracruz mole which is made with raisins, plantains, hazelnuts, pine nuts and mulato, ancho and pasilla chiles. Got to get it! That, coupled with one of Rosa's famed margaritas, is a night worthy of thanks to God.

I really love this place and I always enjoy it most when I go with good friends. This is one of those restaurants that you want to spend the night at. It's not meant to be a place where you come, eat and leave, but a place that begs for your attention and gives back fun. I've posted a link to the website in my Washington D.C. column, so be sure to click that and make a reservation this week. I know you'll leave a comment after your visit telling me how right I was.

Aesthetic

The name Aztec Fusion comes from me and Ali's favorite restaurant in Guadalajara: Sacromonte. An amazing menu of challenging dishes using Aztec ingredients like huitlacoche and cajeta- that restaurant alone is worth the trip to GDL. I wanted to jam with some of Sacramonte's dishes (Rose Petal Quesadillas in Strawberry Sauce) and take advantage of as many fun rarities and staples as I could find a block away, on Mission Street. I was thinking about Mexico while making polenta earlier in the week, and decided to pair polenta against masa. As a result, the menu is pretty corn-heavy. I think our perversion of Latin America's ubiquitous dessert Pastel de Tres Leches is as good as any of the amazing cakes that Mission Street has to offer.

Menu

• Soup: Corn Soup, Cinnamon Oil
• Salad: Mixed Greens, Guayaba, Blue Cheese, Chipotle
• Amuse: Huitlacoche Goat Cheese Polenta Cake
• Veg Main: Orange Blossom Quesadillas, Strawberry Gastrique, Grilled Nopal
• Meat Main: Agave Smoked Paprika Glazed Salmon (Portobello), Almond Cajeta Mole, Cinnamon Fondue, Cumin Candied Kumquats
• Cheese: Panela, Crystallized Picamango
• Dessert: Pastel de Tres Cafes

Corn Soup

garlic + onion + corn + corn stock + polenta + milk + sriracha
cucumber seeds + mint + cinnamon oil

Smoked Paparika Agave Caramel Syrup
agave nectar + tequila + smoked paprika

Carmelize garlic, onion. Cook down corn. Make corn stock out of corn cobs. Add polenta made with milk. Thin out with water, boil, simmer. Blend, season, add sri racha. Plate Cucumber seeds, sprig of mint in bowl. Ladle soup on top. Garnish with cinnamon oil, agave tequila smoked paprika caramel syrup.

Old Composition: Smoked Paprika Agave Caramel Syrup

I have been playing with this composition since Dorkbot- I really like how the sweetness of the agave nectar balances the smoky and spicy flavor of the picante La Chinata smoked paprika. The smokiness of the paprika hooks up the tequila, and the tequila brings out the agave flavor of the agave nectar. This caramel first made its appearance as a crispy tuile at Dorkbot. In this dish it adds its smoky and spicy support to corn- a nice Mexican flavor pairing. The basic recipe is: boil some tequila and add some agave syrup until it gets thick. Bring this to the boil and disperse some smoked paprika once it's reached the desired consistency. You can also cut it with sugar and water to downplay the agave flavor and add some caramel structure to it (for making a crispy tuile, for example).

Old Technique: Infused Cinnamon Oil

Since my parents' holiday gift of a Vitamax Super 5000 blender entered my kitchen, we have been taking advantage of its 210mph blade speed to infuse many oils for the past few weeks. The Cinnamon gets cooked and infused, the oil practically boils- after 30 minutes, a very flavorful oil. Make sure to use a neutral oil (not olive) for the best flavor.

Old Technique: Corn Stock

A trick I learned at Jardiniere: after carving the kernels off the corn cobs, simmer the corn cobs for 30-45 minutes and you save that nice corn flavor. I used the corn stock in the polenta course, as well as to enhance the polenta I use for thickening in this corn soup.

Old Composition: Cucumber Seeds, Mint

A few of the soups at Sacromonte have a nice sprig of mint (and cheese usually) at the bottom of the bowl. Since seeing the use of cucumber and tomato seeds in the El Bulli books and in a cocktail at Aziza, I dont throw them away anymore after prepping cucumbers. I started using cucumber seeds and mint together a few weeks ago for the Chilled Cucumber Mint Yogurt Gazpacho. The Fat Duck also hides a surprisingly pleasant brunoise of cucumbers underneath the mustard ice cream for their cabbage gazpacho amuse.

New Composition: Corn, Polenta, Cinnamon

This is a great combination, not sure where it came from, just playing with polenta and being steeped in cinnamon for a while.

New Ingredient: Polenta

Coursely ground corn, without hull.

Guayaba Blue Cheese Salad

guayaba + blue cheese + chipotle + agave + lemon + mixed greens + pomegranate seeds

Chop guayaba, blue cheese. Make vinaigrette with blended chipotle, agave nectar, lemon. Toss greens with vinaigrette. Plate greens, then guayaba, cheese, pomegranate seeds.

Old Technique: Pomegranate Explosions

We have used this a lot lately, a cheap way to add color and surprise moments to a salad- also a great fundamental element of Persian food.

New Composition: Blue Cheese, Chipotle, Guayaba

This is a salad combination at Sacromonte. This particular blue cheese we used pairs well with pears, so we paired it wtih guyaba (yellow strawberry guava).

New Ingredient: Guayaba

Yellow Strawberry Guava, a tropical fruit.

New Ingredient: Chipotle in Adobo

Smoked jalapeno chilis in a vinegar sauce.

Huitlacoche Goat Cheese Polenta Cake

polenta + corn stock + milk + goat cheese + mint + basil + huitlacoche
cucumber + avocado + tomato + habanero + pumpkin seeds

Bring corn stock, milk, water to boil and prepare polenta. Stir 45 minutes, then pour onto sheet tray with parchment to cool, spreading evenly with offset spatula. Cut polenta sheet in half, nestle one half in buttered casserole dish. Mix goat cheese, mint, basil, s+p. Drain huitlacoche. Spread goat cheese evenly over bottom polenta, then huitlacoche. Top with second polenta sheet half and cook for 25 minutes or until brown on top. Cut with ring molds while hot, then garnish with dice of cucumber, avocado, tomato. Sprinkle very small dice of habanero and some pumpkin seeds over the plate.

Old Composition: Goat Cheese, Herbs, Polenta

Working from a recipe for Culinaria, earlier in the week I had made layered goat cheese and polenta cakes. This turned out very well, but needed salt and herbs.

New Composition: Goat Cheese, Huitlacoche, Cucumber, Avocado, Tomato, Pepitos, Habanero

These components are from a salad at Sacromonte- the salad there also contains ash, which is a truly bizarre combo with the Huitlacoche. We use the goat cheese and huitlacoche as the stuffing/layer inside the polenta, and garnish with a dice of the crisp vegetables to offset the creamy, hot, truffle-smelling center. Topping this composition with crispy pumpkin seeds and a brunoise of habanero adds texture and some blatant heat.

New Ingredient: Huitlacoche (Cuitlacoche, Mexican Truffle, Corn Smut)

This black gooey fungus that grows on maize corn is a delicacy in Mexico, a harvest blight in America.

Orange Blossom Quesadillas

orange blossom + queso fresco + crema mexicana + lemon + masa + nopal

Strawberry Gastrique
strawberry + shallot + banyuls vinegar + star anise + butter

Mix orange blossom, queso fresco, crema mexicana, lemon, s+p for quesadilla filling. Prepare masa dough, rolling into 1 inch balls. Roll out with rolling pin or tortilla press- use two discs to make a dumpling for the quesadilla, stipling the edges with a fork or fingers. Remove spines from nopal, then toss in olive oil, s+p and grill untill light green with grill marks. Blend strawberries into puree. Saute chopped shallot with star anise, deglaze with vinegar. Add strawberry puree and reduce. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, s+p. Fry quesadillas. Plate grilled nopal, some gastrique, two fried quesadillas, then some more gastrique.

Old Technique: Strawberry Gastrique

The shallot and star anise reduction serve as a nice savory and spicy base for this fruit-heavy sauce. The acid bite is kept up with some lemon.

New Composition: Cheese, Strawberry, a Flower

Sacromonte's transcendental rose petal quesadillas with strawberry sauce is a fried, cheesy, fruity, fragrant comfort dish- I can never eat more than one. We attempted to replicate this fried quesadilla pocket with masa, queso fresco, crema mexicana and some orange flower water. You could definitely taste the fragrance, which provided a nice counterpoint to our strawberry gastrique.

New Technique: Grilled Nopal as Platter

Another trick from Sacromonte.

New Technique: Fried Masa Quesadillas

This was straightforward enough, but we really should have used a tortilla press- would have been much easier. We found a standard recipe online and MASECA instant masa.

New Ingredient: Masa (Instant Masa, MASECA)

Corn cooked in slake lime, ground fine- an ancient method of preparing corn which eases digestion. Used for tamales.

New Ingredient: Nopal Cactus

Green cactus leaf, sometimes sold chopped up or with barbs removed.

New Ingredient: Crema Mexicana

Mexican creme fraiche, but less sour or salty. Very buttery!

New Ingredient: Queso Fresco

Fresh Mexican cheese, crumbly yet melts smoothly.

Smoked Paprika Agave Caramel Glazed Salmon

salmon or portobello + cumin + agave nectar + tequila + smoked paprika

Almond Cajeta Mole, Cinnamon Butter, Roast Red Pepper, Cumin Candied Kumquats

garlic + onion + star anise + almond + cacao + cajeta + cinnamon + butter + cumin + caramel + kumquats

Rub salmon or portobello with s+p, toasted ground cumin. For glazing syrup, simmer tequila, agave nectar and smoked paprika until incorporated and tasty (sweet, smoky, agave flavor). . For mole, blend raw almonds and cacao nibs with enough water to make them all float in the blender- resulting mix should be thick and syrupy. Saute garlic, onions, star anise in olive oil. Deglaze with vinegar, add almond cacao and cajeta. Simmer for 15 minutes, then blend. Slice kumquats into rounds and simmer with water, sugar, and toasted cumin to candy consistency- strain and keep warm, separate. Incorporate butter and cinnamon oil in a warm pan. Sear salmon or portobello, then add glaze to pan. Finish glazing and cooking in the oven. Add remaining agave glaze to mole sauce. Plate mole first, drizzle the cinnamon butter, then the salmon or portobello. Garnish with kumquats and roast red pepper petals.

Old Technique: Candied Kumquats

This has been a seafood garnish I've liked to use for a few months now, when I can find the kumquats. Spiking the caramel with toasted cumin was a great combination of citrus and savory/musty. This also paired well with the cumin-rubbed salmon.

New Technique: Cacao Mole

Since our new blender works with cacao so well, this is the first time we've been able to make a frehs nut mole base using cacao and almonds. This allows for a different range of infusion opportunities.

New Composition: Almond, Cacao, Cajeta, Cinnamon, Agave, Smoked Paprika

These flavors worked so well together- the candyish cajeta lending the cacao the sweetness it needs to offset its bitterness, the cinnamon oil giving a mexican hot chocolate twist to the whole dish. The smoked paprika lends a nice spicy/smoky counterpoint to the chocolate mess- the agavea nectar playing the same part it did in the soup.

New Ingredient: Cajeta

Goat milk caramel. We found this all the time on the side of the road, often bruleed in little wooden cigar-shaped boxes.

Panela Cheese with Crystallized Picamango

panela + mango + lime + salt + chili pepper + sugar

New Composition: Cheese and Picamango

Continuing our trend to use dried fruits with a cheese course, this spicy mango provided a sort of "spicy pre-dessert", continuing the meal's theme. The panela's creaminess acted as a switch, turning on and off the mango's spiciness.

New Ingredient: Panela

Fresh, mild peasant cheese.

New Ingredient: Crystallized Picamango

Mango cured in chili-lime salt, dried, coated in sugar.

Pastel de Tres Cafes

cake + cream + evaporated milk + condense milk + kahlua + espresso
espresso chocolate + whipped cream + bananas

Make a cake. Incorporate cream, milks, kahlua, espresso. Pour half of mixture over cake, then top with whipped cream. Pour remaining half over whipped cream. Garnish with banana slices, espresso chocolate buttons.

New Composition: Tres Cafes

This classic Latin American cake bleeds sweet milky goodness everywhere- switching this up with some coffee, and garnishing with chocolate and bananas was perhaps a bad idea considering how late it was by the time we got to dessert. Some opted to get this massive caffeine fix as a take-home package for the next morning. Very delicious, and I am not a fan of coffee.

New Ingredient: Espresso

Finely ground coffee, brewed under pressure with very little contact time.