Mexican fruit pops: Paletas
Paleterías - ice pop shops - have some of the most attractively displayed items in México: frozen pops, made from crushed fresh fruit. Lined up according to flavor, they present a spectrum of colors,...
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Crepes with Mexican Chocolate Sauce: Crepas con Chocolate
Crepes, frequently topped with the goat's milk syrup called cajeta, are a very popular dessert in fine restaurants throughout Mexico. This recipe uses a syrup made of Mexican chocolate instead of cajet...
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Peanut Cookies: Polvorones de Cacahuate
The thick, crumbly cookies called polvorones are a basic item in even the smallest Mexican bakery. This recipe, a variation using peanuts, is from one of the earliest bilingual cookbooks, with t...
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Sweet treats from Mexico: Los dulces
Mention "February", and one of the first associations that comes to mind is Valentine's Day. In Mexico, this is not only the saint's day to be celebrated by boys and girls named Valentín or Valentina,...
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Tequila-Lime Pie: Pay de Limón con Tequila
This dessert uses the pungent limes that are indispensible to so many Mexican meals. Piled high in markets all over the country, they are often squeezed onto food at the table in place of salt. The Flo...
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Date and Walnut Roll: Rollo de Datil y Nuez
This is a very easy sweet to make, requiring few ingredients. The minimal cooking time makes it a good project to make with children during vacation time, provided that young children are supervised ar...
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Quince Paste: Ate de Membrillo
While store-bought ate keeps longer in the refrigerator, the homemade version is far superior. It can be served with a wide variety of cheeses, from plain cream cheese to goat cheese or fresh mozzar...
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Yam and Orange Dessert: Dulce de Camote y Naranja
Fruit desserts, whether candied, crystallized or compotes, are among the most popular throughout the state of Chiapas. This one is more like a pudding, and may be served chilled or at room temperature,...
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Stuffed Crepes with Sweet Potato and Pineapple Sauce: Crepas Rellenas con Salsa de Camote y Piña
This was the course that I prepared during class, and although it is an impressive dessert, it is much easier than it will seem to guests, because the crepes, filling and sauce can all be made ahead. N...
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Chocolate Flan: Flan de Chocolate
Perhaps the classic Mexican dessert, flan is found all over the country, and in Mexican restaurants the world over. This variation, using Mexican chocolate, is a festive change from the usual egg custa...
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Sweet Potato Flan: Flan de Camote
One of the reasons I like using sweet potatoes in dessert is that it really makes for a guilt-free experience when their nutritional properties are considered. Not many other dessert ingredients can cl...
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Coffee Flan: Flan De Cafe
This dessert comes from the Coatepec region of Veracruz. Instant espresso powder is a boon to the dessert maker, since it dissolves easily and has an intense flavor.
Ingredients:
For the caramel:
...
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Sweet Potato Pudding: Budín de Camote
I first tasted this dish several years ago, prepared by Doña Gloria of the Hotel Bar Reforma in Cholula. It was the first time I had seen the purple-fleshed variety of sweet potatoes other than in the...
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Yam and Pineapple Dessert: Dulce de Camote Con Piña
This delicious dessert is a perfect example of the Afro-Cuban influence on Gulf coast cooking, combining pineapple, a plantation crop, with yams or sweet potatoes, a West African staple.
Ingredients:
...
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Candied Pumpkin: Calabaza en Tacha
This Day of the Dead specialty dates back to pre-Hispanic times, when it was sweetened with either maguey sap or honey. It is found ready-made in Mexican mercados toward the end of October, as people b...
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Coconut Flan: Flan de Coco
This is a quick, easy and delicious dessert. Like any flan, it needs to be prepared in advance and refrigerated. There are many instant flan mixes in Mexico that are now widely used by housewives-in-a-...
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Soft Nougat Candy: Turrón Blando Tipo Jijona
Turrón was brought to Mexico by the Spaniards, who have two versions, one from Jijona and one from Alicante. Jijona turron is a soft ground almond and honey candy, while the Alicante version is hard, ...
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Candied Walnuts: Nueces Garapiñadas
Candied nuts are a favorite treat in Mexico, and may be made with walnuts, pecans, almonds or peanuts. Walnuts are most prevalent during the winter holiday season. This sweet is one of the things we ca...
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Amaranth Candy: Dulce de Alegria
Alegrías, whose name is derived from the Spanish word for "happy", are made from the highly nutritious, ancient grain amaranth. Wrapped in colored cellophane, they make a nice addition to a gift baske...
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Vanilla Flan: Flan de Vainilla
Considered one of the classic Mexican desserts, flan takes on a far more distinctive character when prepared using fragrant vanilla beans. This dessert should be made one day ahead of time and stored, ...
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Piggy Cookies: Cochinitos
Piggy cookies, as implied by their name, are cut into the shape of little pigs, but any cookie cutter can be used, making them adaptable for several holidays. They would make good "gingerbread" men, an...
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Orange Sugar Cookies: Polvorones de Naranja
The sugar cookies called polvorones are sometimes known as "Mexican wedding cookies" in English, although I've never seen them served at a wedding here in Central Mexico. They are a common bakery it...
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Mexican Christmas Cookies: Galletas de Navidad
Both blackberry and apricot jam are produced in great quantity in late summer and enjoyed during the cooler months, especially in the Sierra Madre Oriental region, where fruit orchards abound. Either o...
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Plantains with Vanilla Cream: Postre de Plátanos con Vainilla
This is my own adaptation of a popular Mexican street food, fried plantains topped with sweetened condensed milk. This dressed-up version uses whipped cream flavored with vanilla and sherry. Plantains ...
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Apple fritters: Frituras de manzana
While the large, thin fritters served with syrup are called buñuelos, others, made with apples, corn, bananas or other fruit are called frituras. The apples can be chopped and incorporated into ...
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