NCT Cooks Challenge 15 Aug 9 - Aug 16 MEXICAN

VeraBlue

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
1. Pasta (unstuffed, filled or otherwise layered)
2. Chicken
3. Duck
4. Fowl (yeah, you can also do one for the previous three)
5. Fish - with scales and fins
6. Shellfish and things that live in shells
7. Something from the ocean/pond/lake/stream/river/puddle
8. Cow
9. Ground Cow
10. Smoked Pig
11 Cream
12. Your favourite spice
13. Your favourite herb
14 Breakfast
15 Stew
16. Italian
17. Middle Eastern
18. Chinese
19. Mexican
20 BBQ/Grill/Smoker
21. Seasonal vegetable of your choice (must be 'in' season)
22. Dessert

Salsas, Moles, Tacos, Empanadas, Churros, Tostones, Burritos, Arroz con Pollo, Fajitas.... Can we possibly top the number of Pig entries???
 
MexicoKaren said:
Oh my goodness - this is going to be fun. We need a "head-scratching" icon...
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UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Here ya go Karen

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The tres leche cake is proving to be troublesome. I'm using Rick Bayless' recipe. I know what I'm doing when it comes to baking, but the steps to this cake are such that it has the opportunity to go wrong at so many different places. It didn't look sturdy enough going into the oven, and I had doubts.
Then, it barely rose at all. Now, I've thrown away almonds, orange zest, half a dozen eggs, browned butter, etc... I wasn't about to throw away home made goat milk caramel, too.

I made another cake layer from a different recipe that came out beautifully. That layer took 10 minutes to get into the oven, Bayless' layer took 40.

So, now, it's soaking up the glaze, to go with tomorrows fajitas. I knew it was coming out poorly...
 
VeraBlue said:
The tres leche cake is proving to be troublesome. I'm using Rick Bayless' recipe. I know what I'm doing when it comes to baking, but the steps to this cake are such that it has the opportunity to go wrong at so many different places. It didn't look sturdy enough going into the oven, and I had doubts.
Then, it barely rose at all. Now, I've thrown away almonds, orange zest, half a dozen eggs, browned butter, etc... I wasn't about to throw away home made goat milk caramel, too.

I made another cake layer from a different recipe that came out beautifully. That layer took 10 minutes to get into the oven, Bayless' layer took 40.

So, now, it's soaking up the glaze, to go with tomorrows fajitas. I knew it was coming out poorly...
Click to expand...

That's the pits :(, but I can't wait to see what you come up with in the end. Something tells me that it'll be really good :clap:.
 
What I have learned about tres leches cake here in Mexico is that it's always presented as a layer cake, whereas most of the recipes I have seen are for a one-layer cake, usually in a 9" X 13" pan. They are ordinary spongecake, and are always frosted with whipped cream and usually decorated. Often, they come in chocolate flavor. And they are always delicious. I haven't seen Rick Bayless' recipe, but it sounds unnecessarily complicated.
 
Technically these aren't this week; my wife went out of town a while back, and when she's gone, I experiment.....
The first two photo are Flautas, the last is Taquitos. If I remember correctly, I liked the Flautas better. Both needed more filling, I thought, but were good.

My wife is going to a conference again next week..... decisions decisions...
 

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The Flautas had leftover Carnitas pork meat in them, and I think the Taquitos had beef.
 
guacamole verde.... basically salsa verde with some avocado mashed in, maybe a dash of sour cream.
It's sad; I don't think I wrote my recipes for these down. Will have to check my post-it note cabinet.
 
I've had limited experience with actually eating tres leche cake. Several years ago when I was working at the Stock Exhchange the staff bought a tres leche cake for one of the other manager's birthday. It was a single layer, soaked to the point of being custard like, and topped with the whipped cream. It was from a local hispanic bakery. I thought it was one of the most delicious cakes I'd ever tasted. I had a slice recently at a tapas restaurant, also, just one layer.

All the recipes I looked up had single layers, some in round pans, some in 9x13 pans. Naturally, I initially chose the cake that had the most work involved....:glare:
 
I started making tres leches cakes years ago - I found the recipe by chance and thought it sounded good, and sure enough, it was! The two-layer cakes I have tasted here usually have a fruit filling in between the layers. Here is a recipe for one with two layers, but the picture shows only one(?). http://www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com/tres-leches-cake.html

This recipe has a picture that looks like what we buy here as tres leches cake:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1611627

I think, like anything else, there is considerable latitude in making "authentic" pastel tres leches. Mexicans are pretty casual cooks and make do with what they have at hand. The end product may differ from one attempt to another, but it is always good, mainly because the emphasis is on good, fresh ingredients. Most of the Mexican families I know do not have ovens in their houses, and go to the pasteleria/bakery when they want a cake.
 
4 birds with one challenge!!

margaritas
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Guacamole
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Steak Fajitas with mexican rice, and black beans with roasted poblanos and corn
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Tres leche cake
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Oh Vera - you are so authentic, with your molcajete! It all looks delicious! Did you enjoy the tres leches cake? I bought tomates verde yesterday, and fresh cilantro, to make chicken enchiladas verde tonight. I just need to send Jerry to the tienda for fresh tortillas this afternoon. Our town is full of little corner "tiendas", and each one has a plastic cooler just inside the front door. The tortilleria delivers fresh tortillas twice daily, just swapping out a filled cooler for an empty one. Tortillas are 8 pesos a kilo (about 60 cents.) Always fresh and hot.
 
MexicoKaren said:
I started making tres leches cakes years ago - I found the recipe by chance and thought it sounded good, and sure enough, it was! The two-layer cakes I have tasted here usually have a fruit filling in between the layers. Here is a recipe for one with two layers, but the picture shows only one(?). http://www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com/tres-leches-cake.html

This recipe has a picture that looks like what we buy here as tres leches cake:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1611627

I think, like anything else, there is considerable latitude in making "authentic" pastel tres leches. Mexicans are pretty casual cooks and make do with what they have at hand. The end product may differ from one attempt to another, but it is always good, mainly because the emphasis is on good, fresh ingredients. Most of the Mexican families I know do not have ovens in their houses, and go to the pasteleria/bakery when they want a cake.
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Cool links Karen. I'm a big fan of Sunset mag. Do you have a TNT recipe for flan cake? I've seen many recipes & pics on the www, but never attempted one myself. Recently, in a search, I found this chocolate flan cake, but not too fond of mixes from a box:

http://www.cookiemadness.net/2006/09/chocolate-flan-cake/
 
MexicoKaren said:
Oh Vera - you are so authentic, with your molcajete! It all looks delicious! Did you enjoy the tres leches cake? I bought tomates verde yesterday, and fresh cilantro, to make chicken enchiladas verde tonight. I just need to send Jerry to the tienda for fresh tortillas this afternoon. Our town is full of little corner "tiendas", and each one has a plastic cooler just inside the front door. The tortilleria delivers fresh tortillas twice daily, just swapping out a filled cooler for an empty one. Tortillas are 8 pesos a kilo (about 60 cents.) Always fresh and hot.
Click to expand...

I'd love to buy tortillas your way, Karen!! The cake...!!! We had a slice each, and instantly wanted more. It's been calling both of us all day. My daughter gave me the molcajete for christmas. She carried that thing from the lower east side of NYC, on two subways and a NJ transit bus, then walked with it... and I'm pretty sure it weighs close to 30 pounds.!!
 
Mexican Dinner: Beef, bean and cheese enchilada, Mexican rice and salsa.

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Here's our enchiladas verde con pollo - chicken enchiladas with home made salsa verde. Had some arroz Mexicana and salsa fresca along with it. Notice that the enchiladas are not baked. Mexican cooks don't bake their enchiladas - they dip them in the sauce, fill them, roll them up and spoon more sauce over the top, and serve them immediately. I think baked enchiladas must be a Tex-Mex variation. I put cotija cheese on top, and also added some shredded Oaxaca cheese to the filling. Later, we'll be having some mango ice cream for dessert. :biggrin:
 

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