A light dessert or a refreshing palate cleanser, this uses one of the most popular herbs in Mexico, but it also goes well with Thai food, with which Mexican cuisine has several ingredients in common. Ingredients 1 cup fresh spearmint leaves (hierbabuena) washed 3 cups water ¾ cups sugar Juice of ½ fresh lime (or […]
Continue ReadingCalled chispas, chispitas, or in some places just the English “sprinkles,” these colored decorations are fun and festive. They add pizzaz to that favorite Mexican cake — pastel de tres leches. Ingredients For the cake: 1 ½ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup milk For […]
Continue ReadingRich yet light-textured, this can be made in a decorative mold and garnished with whipped cream and candied cherries for an elegant presentation. Ingredients: 1 ½ cups evaporated milk 2 cups rompope, either homemade or purchased 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (1 ounce altogether, or 28 grams) 1 cup cold water Preparation: Pour […]
Continue ReadingCrepes, 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 cajeta, and a banana filling. Bananas and chocolate are a popular combination at the fried banana stands at every small town plaza, and this […]
Continue ReadingThis recipe is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironella. It contains ground flax seed, an ingredient once found only in health food stores here in Mexico, but now sold in supermarkets, called semilla de linaza. If you don’t see it ground, buy the whole seeds and grind them in a spice grinder. High in Omega […]
Continue ReadingThis variation of the classic arroz con leche is served in Zimatlan, Oaxaca, one of the largest amaranth-producing areas in Mexico. The addition of popped amaranth grains adds nutrients as well as a delicious, nut-like flavor to the Mexican rice pudding. Ingredients 1 cup rice 2 cups water 1 cup milk 1 can condensed milk 1 cup amaranth cereal […]
Continue ReadingThis column presented a basic recipe for Rompope: Puebla Style Eggnog in the November 2003 issue of Mexico Connect. This one, which contains almonds, is very close to the original recipe prepared in the Convent of Santa Clara, except that the alcohol is not added until the end, for those who wish to eliminate it or add it […]
Continue ReadingA dessert syrup doesn’t get much more Mexican than this. The flavor of the Kahlua liqueur is a natural with that of chocolate. Besides being used for sundaes, the syrup can also be used to make an adult version of hot chocolate, or drizzled over pound cake. Ingredients: 8 ounces Mexican chocolate (Iberia, Abuelita, Mayordomo […]
Continue ReadingThis stovetop custard is not as thick as one baked in the oven. It is no longer necessary to use a flaming wooden paddle to caramelize the surface, a process that can be successfully carried out using a small butane kitchen torch, sometimes called a crème brulee torch. Ingredients: ½ quart whole milk ½ cup […]
Continue ReadingSince Fernández de Oviedo brought both yams and pineapples to Spain in the 1500s, one wonders whether he had this dessert in mind. In any case, it is a combination so popular in southern Mexico that when I buy both of them together at the market, the vendor invariably asks if I’m making this pudding-like […]
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