Recipes – Page 535 – Recipe Collectors

Coffee Olé

Café Olé

Linger after dinner with a hot and mellow cup of coffee spiked with aged tequila, coffee liqueur, and a dollop of whipped cream. The bartender who made this café olé (a favorite in Mexico City), said that the deep mellow flavor of aged tequila (añejo) makes a more balanced drink than other types of tequila, however, my husband and I think reposado (rested) is good, too.

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Ingredients

Makes 2 servings

▢ Sweetened Whipped Cream
▢ 1 ⅓ cups strong freshly brewed coffee
▢ 2 ounces tequila añejo aged or reposado
▢ 2 ounces coffee-flavored liqueur such as Kahlua
▢ Ground cinnamon Mexican canela or Ceylon variety preferred (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the whipped cream.
Then, pour the hot coffee into coffee mugs.
Stir in the tequila and liqueur.
Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, if desired.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve hot.

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Course; Hot drinks

Cuisine; Mexican

Mexican Cappuccino, Guanajuato Style

Cappuccino Guanajuato

Guanajuato is a historic colonial city in the central region of Mexico known as the Bajio. You enter this captivating city through long, twisting tunnels. Our hotel, Posada Santa Fe, was located on the Jardín Union, the most popular garden plaza in the city. Steep hills and narrow, winding streets are connected with stone steps or cobblestone walkways in all directions. We stopped for coffee near the Jardín Union and discovered this interesting twist to cappuccino. Coffee lovers will want to try this. To serve this the authentic way, use a 6- to 7-ounce heat-resistant glass coffee cup. To present the coffee to full effect, don't stir the ingredients: the layers will stay separated until stirred.

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Ingredients

Makes 2 servings

▢ 3 tablespoons Brown Sugar Syrup
▢ 4 tablespoons Sweetened Whipped Cream
▢ 2 ⁄3 cup strong espresso-brewed coffee
▢ 1 cup hot milk or steamed with an espresso machine, if available

Instructions

Unsweetened cocoa powder or ground cinnamon (Mexican canela or Ceylon variety preferred)
Prepare the sugar syrup and the whipped cream.
Then, carefully pour the syrup, coffee, and milk, equally, in order, into two 6-ounce coffee cups.
Top with a dollop of cream.
Sprinkle with cocoa or cinnamon.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve hot.

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Course; Hot drinks

Cuisine; Mexican

Coffee with Milk

Café Con Leche

The restaurant and coffee house, La Parroquia, in Veracruz, is famous as the place to go for breakfast, and especially for café con leche. The waiters whisk around the restaurant carrying two large beverage kettles, one with coffee, and the other with hot milk, and when you tap on your glass indicating the need for a refill, they deftly pour from both at the same time into your cup.When making this at home, freshly made strong coffee is important for the flavor because it is diluted with an equal amount of hot milk.

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Ingredients

Makes 2 servings

▢ 1 cup hot brewed espresso or strong coffee
▢ 1 cup milk
▢ Sugar optional

Instructions

Brew the coffee shortly before serving.
Heat the milk in a small pan over low heat until steaming, or alternatively, heat the milk in a microwave, if desired.
For a more dramatic effect for a guest, pour half of the coffee and half of the milk simultaneously into each of two coffee cups.
Or, pour the coffee and milk, one at a time into each cup.
Stir to mix.
Add sugar, if desired.

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Course; Hot drinks

Cuisine; Mexican

Mexican Coffee from Marge Poore

Café de Olla

Traditional Mexican coffee is brewed with cinnamon, cloves, and hard cones of brown sugar called piloncillo. Coffee lovers enjoy this sweet brew at home, and in restaurants and coffee houses all over Mexico. Drink it for breakfast, during marienda (Mexico's coffee, tea, and sweets break), or at the end of a Mexican meal. Piloncillo can be purchased here in Latin-American markets and the Mexican section of many supermarkets.

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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

▢ 4 cups water
▢ 4 small 1-ounce cones of piloncillo, or ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
▢ 2 cinnamon sticks Mexican canela or Ceylon variety preferred
▢ 3 whole cloves
▢ ¾ cup coarsely ground dark roast coffee

Instructions

Put the water in a medium saucepan and add the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
Bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar is melted, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the coffee, and remove the pan from the heat.
Cover, and let steep 8 minutes.
Strain the coffee through a coffee filter or a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof coffee server.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve at once.

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Course; Hot drinks

Cuisine; Mexican

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Crema Batida Dulce

Use lightly sweetened cream to garnish cake slices, fruits, or other desserts, or to spread over the sides and the top of cakes. Cream can be whipped, covered, and refrigerated about 1 to 2 hours before using, to prevent separation.

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Equipment

Large bowl

Ingredients

Makes 1½ cups

▢ 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
▢ 1½ teaspoons sugar
▢ ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large bowl with an electric beater or mixer, whip the cream with the sugar to soft or stiff peaks, as preferred.
Take care not to beat too much, or the cream will turn to butter.
Stir in the vanilla.

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Course; Basic recipe / Sauce

Cuisine; Mexican

Brown Sugar Syrup

Mexican dark brown sugar cones called piloncillo are available in Mexican markets, or use regular dark brown sugar in this dessert sauce that is often spooned over baked puddings or other desserts. The syrup can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

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Ingredients

Makes about 1½ cups

▢ 1 cup packed dark brown sugar or 4 (2-ounce) piloncillo cones
▢ ½ cup water
▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and vanilla.
Bring to a boil, over medium heat, stirring, to melt the sugar.
Cook about 1 minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and let stand about 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
The sauce is ready to use, or cool and store in a covered container in the refrigerator indefinitely.
Reheat the syrup before using.

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Course; Basic recipe / Sauce

Cuisine; Mexican

Cream Cheese Frosting from Marge Poore

When you need a quick and easy frosting to spread over cakes, cream cheese is the answer. I often use this frosting for Pineapple Cake or Lime Cake.

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Equipment

medium bowl

Ingredients

Makes about 1½ cups

▢ 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
▢ 1½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium bowl, with an electric beater or mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
Spread the frosting over the cake.
Use at once.

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Course; Basic recipe / Cheese

Cuisine; Mexican

Chocolate Icing

Chocolate was one of Mexico’s gifts to the world, and that remarkable product has been put to incredible use. Here’s a simple chocolate icing to frost Vanilla Cupcakes or Chocolate and Almond Cake. Use whatever high-quality brand of chocolate you prefer. Mexican chocolate tablets don’t melt smoothly enough for this type of frosting.

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Ingredients

Makes About 1 cup

▢ 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
▢ ½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In the top part of a double boiler, put the chocolate, powdered sugar, butter, and 1 tablespoon of water.
Set the top of the double boiler over simmering water in the bottom of the boiler.
The water should not touch the top part of the double boiler containing the chocolate.
Stir constantly until the mixture is melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vanilla.
Transfer the chocolate to a bowl and cool until thickened to a soft spreading consistency.
Use at once.

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Course; Basic recipe / Chocolate

Cuisine; Mexican

Banana Cream Dessert Sauce

Crema de Plátano

Contemporary Mexican desserts are being presented in stylish new ways. I had a similar banana sauce with rum cake at Fuerte restaurant in Tlaquepaque. The sauce is also very good spooned over fresh tropical fruits.

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Ingredients

Makes about 1½ cups

▢ 1 ripe banana about 4 ounces, peeled and sliced
▢ ¼ cup pineapple juice
▢ ¼ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
▢ ¾ cup cold whipping or heavy cream
▢ ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Put the banana, pineapple juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until the bananas are soft, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to a food processor and purée until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
Beat the cream to stiff peaks and fold into the cold banana purée.
Stir in the vanilla.

Notes & Wine Advice

Cover and refrigerate until shortly before serving. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

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Course; Fruit / Sauce

Cuisine; Mexican

Strawberry Dessert Sauce

Salsa Dulce de Fresas

Strawberries are widely grown in Mexico. I use sweetened frozen strawberries for this easy strawberry sauce that can be made year round for a wonderful fresh tasting topping for fruit, such as Mangos with Strawberries, or over ice cream or cake.

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Ingredients

Makes about 1 cup

▢ 1 10-ounce package frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed
▢ 1 teaspoon orange liqueur such as Triple Sec or Grand Marnier, or orange juice
▢ 1 tablespoon Port wine or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Thaw the berries completely overnight in the refrigerator.
Put the thawed berries and all the juices in a strainer set over a medium bowl.
Push the berries and most of the pulp through the strainer.
Discard pulp.
Stir in the orange liqueur, Port, or vanilla.
Cover and refrigerate until shortly before serving, up to 3 days.

Notes & Wine Advice

If sweetened berries aren’t available, add confectioners’ sugar (to taste) to sauce after pressing pulp.

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Course; Fruit / Sauce

Cuisine; Mexican