Heart healthy lentils: Mexican fall favorites Karen Hursh Graber

Like so many other ingredients common in Mexican cooking, lentils came to the New World with the Spaniards, and became a staple in the culinary repertoire. They are found in bulk in the mercados at the same stands that sell rice, chiles, spices and beans, and in one pound bags in the supermarkets. The most common types in Mexico are Spanish brown (pardina) lentils and large yellow ones called macachiados. read more

Mexican Oaxaca-style lentils: Lentejas oaxaqueñas Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Yucatan-style lentil stew: Potage de lentejas estilo yucateca Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Queretaro-style lentil soup with nopales: Sopa de lentejas con nopales estilo Queretaro Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican lentil salad: Ensalada de lentejas Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican lentil soup with chorizo: Sopa de lentejas con chorizo Karen Hursh Graber

Market day in Ocotlan, Oaxaca: Gourmet grazing in Southern Mexico Karen Hursh Graber

Bricks of rich Mexican chocolate are flavored with coconut from Pacific shores. Aromatic herbs are displayed in beautifully arranged baskets, their scent alone whetting the appetite. Sweet local honey is offered for tasting on slices of waxy, pale yellow yams. No, this is not a high-end gourmet emporium or a trendy organic supermarket. This is Ocotlán, a Oaxaca town where the ingredients sold on market day present a dazzling array of color, flavor, aroma and texture. read more

Refreshing squash drink: Agua de chilacayote Karen Hursh Graber

Potato and fava bean patties with costeño chile sauce: Tortitas de papas y habas con salsa de chile costeño Karen Hursh Graber

Oaxacan yellow mole: Amarillo Karen Hursh Graber

Fragrant, flavorful allspice: An essential Mexican seasoning Karen Hursh Graber

Recently, when a friend here in Cholula went up to Cuetzalan, in the Sierra of Puebla, I asked him to bring back some allspice, which proliferates there on evergreen trees that produce fat, fragrant berries. An indispensable ingredient in several adobos (the seasoning pastes used on meat, fish and fowl) and on many regional pipians (the seed-based sauces of Central and Southern Mexico) allspice is also a requisite ingredient in the cuisine of the Yucatan. Along with cumin and cinnamon, allspice... read more

Mexican turkey in a dark spice sauce: Chilmole from the Yucatan Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican honey spice bundt cake: Rosca de miel y especias Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican pumpkin flan: Flan de calabaza Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican-style rabbit in red pipian with wild mushrooms: Pipian rojo con conejo y hongos silvestres Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican chicken and allspice stew: Chilpozontle Karen Hursh Graber

Miel de maguey: an ancient Mexican sweetener brings hope to modern villagers Karen Hursh Graber

Smoked pork chops with orange and Mexican maguey sauce: Chuletas ahumadas con salsa de naranja y miel de maguey Karen Hursh Graber

Baked sweet potato fries with Mexican miel de maguey: Camotes horneadas con miel de maguey Karen Hursh Graber

Cheesecake with Mexican blueberry maguey jam: Pay de queso con mermelada de maguey Karen Hursh Graber

Flavorful flan: Making Mexico's classic dessert Karen Hursh Graber

Whether in the oven or on the stovetop, the basic components of flan making are the same — a custard made with eggs and milk or cream is poured into a mold that has been coated with caramelized sugar. Texture can vary almost as much as flavor, and some people prefer a very smooth texture while others favor a more cheesecake-like consistency. read more

Mexican chocolate flan: Flan de chocolate Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican coffee flan: Flan de cafe Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican coconut flan: Flan de coco Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican vanilla flan: Flan de vainilla Karen Hursh Graber

Karen Hursh Graber

Senior Food Editor for Mexconnect.

Born in New York City, Karen Hursh Graber spent several years Directing an English as a Second Language Program in Northern California before moving to Mexico to teach at the state university in Puebla, where she developed an interest in the unique cuisine of the area.

She has written food and travel articles for The News (Mexico City) and the Antigua Times (Guatemala) and is the Food Editor of the internet magazine Mexico Connect, for which she writes a monthly column.

She is the author of Take This Chile and Stuff It: Authentic Mexican Chiles Rellenos (Golden West Pub., 1998)

The mother of two grown daughters, she lives in southern Mexico with her husband, Larry. The Grabers travel frequently in Mexico and Central America, collecting regional recipes along the way.

• Cuisine of Mexico
• Cuisine of Colima
• Cuisine of Oaxaca
• Cuisine of Puebla
• Cuisine of Tlaxcala
• Cuisine of Veracruz
• Cuisine of the Yucatan

Menu and kitchen consulting, food research, cooking classes and Mexican cuisine presentations

The fields of Menu Consulting and Food Research/Writing have, in recent years, expanded to include information on culinary traditions and ingredients on an international scale. Economic globalization, the Internet, a newly-discovered pride in ethnic and indigenous roots - all have contributed to the groundswell of interchange in areas as diverse as hotel/restaurant management and culinary anthropology. The world-wide enthusiasm for Mexican cooking has expanded to an interest in authentic, regional cuisine as well as its origins and ingredients.

As the Senior Food Editor of MexConnect, the author of Mexican cookbooks (Take This Chile and Stuff It and The Cuisine of Puebla, Cradle of Corn) and a long-time resident of Mexico, I have had the opportunity to study with a diverse group of chefs, academics, and regional cooks in restaurants and home kitchens throughout Mexico, and to share what I have learned with both professional and home cooks.

I have worked with Chef Guillermina Reyes of Las Cazuelas, Tlaxcala, Mexico; Chef Estela Salas of Mexican Home Cooking; master baker Maestro Jose Dominguez, founder of La Feria del Pan, among others. I have also written food and travel articles for newspapers in the United States, Mexico and Guatemala, as well as magazine articles and essays for COPIA, The American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts, Home By Design and El Restaurante Mexicano. I have served as food consultant and developed recipes for a variety of enterprises, including Cacique Cheese Company, Fleishmann's Yeast, The American Dairy Association, The New York Daily News and Hacienda de los Santos-Five Star Small Hotel Spas of the World. I have done menu consulting for restaurants as far away as Oslo, Norway and Brisbane, Australia.

In 2007 I was awarded the magazine industry's Folio Award for a series on the history of Mexican Cuisine that appeared in the Chicago-based magazine El Restaurante Mexicano. This year I am appearing on the satellite television show Under the Sun, doing Pueblan cooking and marketing.

Below is a list of services that I offer. Fees are based on the work required by individual clients. Once clients specify a particular service, or combination thereof, I provide as fair and accurate an estimate as possible. Fees do not include research expenses I may incur, such as long distance phone calls and visits to out-of-town restaurants and schools.

I am based in Mexico and will provide curriculum vitae upon request.

Menu Consulting:

A complete menu-developing service, including recipes, is available to hotels, restaurants, spas and members of the food industry. Menus are custom-tailored to fit budgetary and dietary tastes/requirements, with special attention being paid to the availability of ingredients in specific locations.

Food/Recipe Research:

This includes historical and cultural background on specific regional dishes and ingredients, as well as information on culinary festivals and fairs throughout Mexico, updated to include the very latest information requested by hotel and restaurant owners, food and beverage publications, and producers and aficionados of Mexican food products.

Guest Chef/Cooking Teacher:

I give cooking classes to restaurant, hotel and spa staff, as well as private clients. I specialize in regional Mexican cooking with attractive, modern presentations. I have developed a course in La Nueva Cocina Mexicana for small groups or individuals, both professional chefs and home cooks. I also give regional cooking classes, featuring traditional dishes from Oaxaca, Puebla, the Yucatan and other parts of Mexico. Recent clients have included food stylists from Bon Apetit and Gourmet magazines as well as readers who want to learn more and visitors interested in this vital aspect of Mexican culture.

Karen Hursh Graber - E-mail

See all articles by Karen Hursh