Mexican amaranth-potato croquettes: Croquetas de papa con amaranto Karen Hursh Graber

Chicken in Mexican amaranth sauce: Pollo en amaranto Karen Hursh Graber

Mexico's grain of the gods: Cooking with amaranth Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican chicken and fruit stew: Manchamanteles Karen Hursh Graber

Adding zest to summer's bounty: Tropical fruit accents for meat, fish or fowl Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican cantaloupe salsa: Salsa de melon Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican mango salsa: Salsa de mango Karen Hursh Graber

Avocado and kiwi salsa: Salsa de aguacate con kiwi Karen Hursh Graber

Adding zest to summer's bounty: Salsas de fruta Karen Hursh Graber

Enticing colors, graceful shapes and heady fragrances are all part of the appeal of summer fruit. Fruit salsas, which combine Mexican flavors and techniques with a Southwest influence, are perfect for the warm weather which finds many readers gearing up for grilling, chip-and-dipping, and outdoor entertaining.

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Mexican steamed carrots with vanilla: Zanahorias al vapor con vainilla Karen Hursh Graber

Papantla style shrimp: Camarones xanath Karen Hursh Graber

Tropical Mexican pineapple salsa: Salsa de piña Karen Hursh Graber

Vanilla: a Mexican native regains its reputation Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican braised chicken with vanilla: Pollo al vainilla Karen Hursh Graber

Citrus-tequila cocktail: Mexicana Karen Hursh Graber

Strawberry and tequila cheese cake: Pastel de queso con fresas y equila Karen Hursh Graber

Cooking with tequila: Mexico's national drink moves into the kitchen - Part Two Karen Hursh Graber

Mango-tequila ice: Nieve de mango con tequila Karen Hursh Graber

A sweet tequila cocktail: Toreador Karen Hursh Graber

Chicken tequila fettuccine: Pollo al tequila con fettuccine Karen Hursh Graber

Acapulco style fish filets: Filetes de pescado estilo Acapulco Karen Hursh Graber

Cooking with tequila: Mexico's national drink moves into the kitchen - Part One Karen Hursh Graber

Sangrita salad dressing: Aderezo de sangrita para ensaladas Karen Hursh Graber

Beef fajitas with tequila: Fajitas de res al tequila Karen Hursh Graber

Baja stuffed clams: Almejas brujas 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