Mexican-spiced potato oven fries

• 4 medium sweet and/or white potatoes*, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick strips, lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

preheat oven to 425 degrees F. combine all ingredients in a large bowl, tossing to coat potatoes evenly. place potato strips on parchment-lined baking sheets in a single layer, leaving a little room around each strip so they can brown and crisp. cook for 15 minutes, flip the pieces over and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned.

*note: you can use any kind of potato you want. a combination of sweet potatoes and russets is particularly good.

bright & citrusy braised, shredded Mexican beef for tacos

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 pounds boneless beef for braising (chuck roast, flank steak, boneless short ribs, or other suitable cuts)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro (save a bit to chop for garnish, if you wish)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup water or stock

preheat oven to 325 degrees F. heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large French or Dutch oven (or other burner- and oven-safe pot that's big enough to hold everything) over medium-high to fairly high heat, add the onion and pinch of kosher salt and saute until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. you're not caramelizing the onion; you're actually searing it a bit to get lots of good flavor, so let the pieces get nice and dark around the edges. you don't have to worry about softening them; they'll cook nicely with the beef.

while the onion is frying, cut the meat into large (1-2 inch) chunks. combine the paprika, cumin, chili powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, pepper, cilantro, garlic cloves, citrus juices, olive oil and water (or stock), and puree in a regular blender or with an immersion blender. add the meat and the pureed mixture to the pot and stir. bring to a simmer, cover with an oven-safe lid (or cover tightly with aluminum foil) and place in the oven. cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.

when it's nice and tender (shreds very easily with a fork), turn off the oven. using a slotted spoon, scoop the meat out onto a plate. place the pot on a medium-low burner and reduce the cooking liquid, uncovered, until reduced by about half (you just want to reduce it enough so the finished mixture isn't watery). while the liquid is reducing, shred the meat using two forks, then add the shredded meat (and any accumulated juices) back to the pot. combine and adjust seasoning, if needed. serve with hot flour and/or corn tortillas, and accompany with crumbled cotija cheese, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, guacamole or avocado slices, sour cream (or crema fresca, or Greek yogurt) and wedges of lime. very good when served with Mexican-spiced oven fries (that recipe is coming next)!

best ever flour tortillas

make them; they are fabulous. a food processor fitted with an "s" blade works perfectly for the dough.

http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2013/08/best-ever-homemade-flour-tortillas/

spinach-mushroom enchiladas suizas

filling:

• 3 bunches (1-1/2 pounds) spinach, trimmed of stems
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (cremini or white button mushrooms)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or grated on microplane)
• 1 pound swiss cheese, grated (set aside half for sauce & garnish)
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly (use half of them in the filling; set aside the rest)
• salt and pepper

place the spinach leaves in a large bowl of cold water and wash thoroughly (change the water if spinach is particularly sandy). lift the leaves out with your hands, letting the water drain back into the bowl, then place in a large stockpot. when it's all in there, cover the pot and place on the stove over medium-high heat. check after a few minutes to stir it down as it wilts, and remove from heat as soon as it's all done -- this only takes a few minutes. pour the cooked spinach into a colander to drain and run a little cool water over it so you can handle it. when cooled and drained, take handfuls and squeeze them until relatively free of liquid, then chop roughly and place in a large bowl. in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter, and saute the onions over medium-high heat until translucent. add in the mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms release their liquid and onions are turning golden brown. turn the heat to medium and add in the garlic; cook for another 2-3 minutes to cook off most of the mushroom liquid. remove from heat and add contents of skillet to the spinach. add the grated cheese and green onions, combine well, then add salt and pepper to taste.

sauce:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• half of the remaining sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream (or Mexican crema fresca, or creme fraiche)
• 1 6-ounce can mild green chilis
• the remaining grated swiss cheese (set aside 1/2 cup of the cheese and combine with the remaining green onions to garnish)
• salt and pepper

in the same skillet in which you cooked the onions and mushrooms, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the green onions. cook for a few minutes to soften, then stir in the flour and cook for another 3-4 minutes. whisk in the milk and raise heat to medium; continue cooking & whisking until thickened and bubbly. whisk in the sour cream, green chilis and cheese and cooking, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. salt and pepper to taste.

assembly:

• 12 white corn tortillas
• small amount vegetable oil
• the combined swiss cheese and sliced green onions from above

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. clean out the skillet and lightly oil. brush one side of each corn tortilla lightly with oil, then cook over medium-high heat in the skillet, one at a time, flipping each one once, for just a minute -- until soft and floppy -- and stack them on a plate as they're done. butter a large casserole pan (or two -- you need enough space for 12 enchiladas) and pour a little of the sauce into the bottom. now you're ready to roll! fill each tortilla with a few tablespoons of filling (I divided it into 12 portions before starting, which made it easier), and nestle  them closely together so they retain their shape. when done, pour the remaining sauce over all, and top with the reserved grated swiss and sliced green onions. cover the casserole with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, until thoroughly heated through and bubbly. raise the heat to 400 degrees F, remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes to brown the top a bit. serve with rice (I made brown rice with a bit of chopped cilantro, lime juice and lime zest stirred in just before serving) and refried beans.

I can't say enough good things about the microplane zester/grater. I use mine to grate fresh garlic, zest citrus, and to grate harder cheeses (I used a regular box grater for the swiss cheese, but it's fantastic for harder cheeses like parmigiano, etc.).

cinnamon-raisin bread pudding made with pan dulce (bonus! caramel recipe)

pan dulce can be used to make very good bread pudding -- the textures and flavors are very well-suited. I like to buy a variety of different conchas (chocolate, cinnamon, anise -- they're fairly subtle in flavor) specifically for bread pudding, and allow them to get a bit dried-out in the refrigerator for a few days. sometimes I augment the pastries with plain white bread if I don't have enough on hand. in this recipe, the measurements for pan dulces and bread are flexible -- any ratio will do, as long as you keep the total volume the same (I'll measure the volume of torn pastry/bread pieces next time I make this recipe). if you have only fresh pan dulce or bread and don't want to wait days to make this pudding, just toast the pieces lightly in the oven at about 250°F for 10 minutes or so. you don't want them to get browned, just a bit dry to ensure a bread pudding with the proper texture -- firm, but not dry; definitely not goopy or wet. below, I've also included my recipe-in-progress for caramel sauce, which is quite scrumptious drizzled generously over bread pudding or just about anything else.


4 pan dulces, torn into pieces approximately 1" on all sides (torn pieces are more aesthetically appealing to me than slices or cut cubes, but won't affect the final outcome, so tear, slice or cut as you prefer)
1 thick slice plain white bread, torn into pieces (same size as pan dulce pieces)
1 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed (increase to 3/4 cup if using plain white bread only)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use Mexican vanilla; bourbon or other liqueur also works well)
2 tablespoons softened butter

preheat oven to 350°F. butter a medium-large covered baking dish (if you don't have a covered baking dish of the proper size, you can cover your dish tightly with foil). scatter half of the pan dulce and/or bread pieces in the dish, sprinkle with half of the cinnamon and half of the raisins, then repeat. thoroughly whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla (or liqueur) in a large bowl and pour evenly over all, pressing down with a slotted spoon to ensure all the pastry and/or pieces are soaked. dot the top of the pudding with the softened butter, cover with lid or foil, and bake for 25 minutes. remove cover or foil and continue to bake for about 20 more minutes, until the top of the bread pudding is golden brown and center is firm (a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean).


the above bread pudding is *very* good served with caramel sauce. I'm working on perfecting my sauce recipe; in the meantime, here's the recipe-in-progress, which produces caramel candy when cooled. my goal is to produce a thick caramel syrup when cooled. however, this caramel is delicious, and is the perfect texture when warm. more notes: candy-making is basically kitchen chemistry; the temperatures specified are very important, and I've found it essential to use a candy thermometer. many cookbooks and websites describe various methods for testing the sugar syrup to determine the stage (thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, etc.), but I've gotten the best results when using a candy thermometer. it's also important to be aware that you'll be working with VERY hot sugar syrup (which can produce severe burns), so take all necessary precautions: turn all saucepan handles in so they don't protrude where the pan could easily be knocked over; let other people in the house know what you're doing so they'll be careful around the stove, etc. that said, candy-making is a great way to watch physics/chemistry in action as sugar syrup changes physical states, browning reactions take place, etc., so I think it's good to encourage those who are interested to watch and participate. enough warnings -- *do* try making this; it's a lot of fun!


2 cups white sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup invert sugar syrup (sugar syrup boiled to the soft ball stage with a bit of cream of tartar or lemon juice, which will convert it to glucose & sucrose -- check this link for a detailed recipe) OR corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, I use Mexican vanilla; you can also substitute bourbon or any other liqueur)


place sugar, cream, invert sugar syrup (or corn syrup) and salt in a large saucepan -- make sure it's deep enough that the mixture can boil up to well over twice the original volume without boiling over. stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. when mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring if you haven't already. clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, immersing bulb in the boiling liquid (and ensuring that the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan). adjust heat down to medium-low -- keep it boiling, but not boiling over. continue to cook until mixture reaches 235°F - 240°F -- this will take a while, as the sugar syrup is passing through several phases to reach the "soft ball" stage. at the same time, the proteins in the cream are undergoing the Maillard Reaction, which you can observe directly as it turns a creamy golden brown in color. when the mixture reaches the proper temperature, turn off the heat, remove the candy thermometer, add the vanilla (without stirring), cover the pan and remove from the burner. allow it to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the vanilla. spoon a bit out, make sure it's not too hot and taste. the mixture should be nicely thickened and deliciously caramel-y. use it warm to drizzle over the bread pudding (or any other dessert). you can also *pour it into a buttered glass dish, cover with buttered wax paper and refrigerate to cut into caramel candies, or you can *pour it into a jar to keep for future use -- you'll have to warm it up to scoop it out. *note: when pouring caramel, DO pour while it's still quite warm. do NOT scrape the sides of the pan with a spatula or spoon to get it all out -- the mixture that adheres to the sides of the pan can contain sugar crystals that can ruin your entire batch of caramel. AFTER pouring, feel free to scoop any remaining syrup and use it immediately over your dessert, nom it straight off the spoon, etc.; just don't include it with any caramel you store.