Sunday Snacks - Chips and Dip

It seems like just yesterday I was writing about how authentic Mexican tostadas would be ideal fare for the Super Bowl. Nearly eight months later, the blog has accrued three followers (who are not friends or family members), and we're into the third week of our 2011 NFL season, ready to casually snack our way through Sundays.

Although you may not be ready for the authentic invasion of tostadas in your living room, nothing says football like chips and dip, and this little homemade effort is worth it for the resulting texture, flavor and freshness (plus, you know, the personal satisfaction). You can try all or part of this recipe, as well as build on to it. This particular recipe is our simple (no money) snacking chips and dip, but easily turn it into a meal with ground beef, beans or shredded chicken.

Ingredients

Chips
corn tortillas
salt, to taste
frying oil

Cheese sauce
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 cups Mexican cheese blend (see 8/1 post, Kirkland, Kraft, whatever)

Salsa
see recipe from 1/19 post or
use your favorite jar salsa

Directions

1 - Fill a large pan with at least 2 inches of oil. Heat the oil until very hot over high heat.

2 - Cut the tortillas into 6 triangles. Put a large handful of the tortillas into the hot oil. Cook for about 30 seconds, turn them and then cook for another 30 seconds or less (crisp, but not burnt).

3 - Remove the chips to a colander to drain the oil. Add a sprinkle of salt.

4 - Continue until there are no more tortillas.

5 - Turn the oven to 400*. Place a small empty oven safe bowl in it.

6 - Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pot over low heat. Add the flour and stir until the flour is cooked. Whisk in cold milk. Add salt and crushed red pepper. Simmer and stir until the mixture thickens.

6 - Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese until it's melted.

7 - Remove the bowl from the oven. Pour the cheese into the bowl to keep the cheese warm, and serve with the chips and salsa immediately. (The cheese will still harden quickly, but the bowl will slow that down, and in my experience, chips and cheese sauce never hang around for too long.)

Chiles en Nogada (Happy Independence Day!)

Today is September 15th, and although Independence Day is officially the 16th, the celebratory festivities start tonight with the Grito de Independencia (the Shout for Independence, where everyone "viva"s all of the revolutionary heroes, and then fireworks!) Unfortunately, I'm not expecting the spectacle I witnessed last year for my 1st Mexican Independence Day, but, of course, the 201st birthday of the nation cannot overshadow its bicentennial.

One thing that has not changed though is the food. Pozole is particularly popular on this day (every supermarket has pig heads for half off!), but pozole is popular for big celebrations throughout the year. Chiles en nogada, however, are Independence Day specific, and were created as an accompaniment to patriotic spirit by sharing the colors of the Mexican flag - green chile poblanos, white cream sauce and red pomegranate seeds (which are added just because they're red, not for flavor). Chiles en nogada means, more or less, "walnut-ized chiles" in Spanish, called such for both the walnuts in the cream sauce and in the relleno, which also includes shredded chicken, apples and pears.

There will be no accompanying recipe for this today because chiles en nogada are not generally nor prepared at home due to the walnuts, apples and pears (which are all relatively expensive down here) and the difficulty in finding pomegranate seeds. Instead, every restaurant in the DF area will have signs up all throughout the month of September boasting their chile en nogada specials. (And if I had had any money, I would have bought some.)

More Birthdays (and More Tres Leches)

Mexico has other birthday traditions besides mañanitas and piñatas and tres leches cake, though this one that I have to share today is much less pleasant. After the cake is brought out and the candles are blown out, the chants of "Mordida, mordida" begin. Then, the birthday celebrator, with the help of someone nearby, goes head first into the cake for the first bite, covering their mouthal and nasal regions in frosting. No one escapes this tradition, not even my Mexican source's 91 year old abuelita (she went on her own though; you can't push an old lady). The "Beso, beso" chant commonly follows this, and the birthday celebrator must kiss a loved one nearby, thus sharing the frosting facial. Ridiculous photos must follow before you can actually go wash your face. (And, don't worry, the birthday celebrator has to eat the piece of cake that they put their face in.)

This weekend, Jonatan (my authentic Mexican source) had his birthday and, sadly, had to make his own cakes to celebrate (I at least bought the ingredients, but he's the experienced pastelero). In the last Tres Leches blog, I had a fancy and non-traditional chocolate cake, which was delicious, but authentic tres leches cakes are much more delicious and simpler. After about 15 tres leches filled birthday celebrations in the past year (big Mexican family), even the most common peach filled tres leches has grown on me. However, my personal favorite is the less common (due to the price) but still authentic pecan (or simply nuez, or nut) tres leches cake. I can't wait for the next birthday!

Ingredients

8 eggs

240g sugar

40g butter, melted but room temperature

240g flour

1 can of Lechera (sweetened, condensed milk)

1 can of Nestle Media Crema

1 can of Carnation evaporated milk

(note: we make 2 6-inch round cakes because the milk mixture is enough for two, and I have no idea what you could do with leftover tres leches.)

1 liter whipping cream

200g sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large can of peaches in syrup

and

1 cup of pecans

Directions

1 - Preheat an oven to 350* F, and grease and flour 2 6-inch cake molds. Set aside.

2 - Mix the eggs and sugar in a stainless steel (or glass) bowl, and put the bowl over a bain marie (a shallow pan of water on low heat).

3 - Whisk constantly for 5 minutes, or until the mixture has tripled in volume. For the last minute, raise the flame to high heat.

4 - Remove from heat, and continue to whisk constantly until the mixture is room temperature, about 3 minutes.

5 - Gently fold the flour in to the egg mixture. Add the butter.

6 - Divide the mixture evenly into the 2 cake molds and put into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes.

7 - While the cake is baking, mix the three cans of leches together. Stir well, and refrigerate until needed. Also, slice the peaches and toast and chop the pecans in preparation.

8 - Whip together the cream, sugar and vanilla until you have stiff peaks. Refrigerate until needed.

9 - When the cakes are done, remove them immediately from the mold, and cut them each into three layers.

10 - With a pastry brush, saturate the bottom layers, each with about 1/6 of the milk mixture. Then, put a layer of the whipped cream. Add pecan slices to one cake, and peach slices to the other.

11 - Put the next layer of cake on top. Repeat Step 10.

12 - Put the last layer of cake on top. Add the remaining milk mixture with the pastry brush.

13 - Frost the cake all around with the remaining whipped cream.

14 - Decorate with the very traditional designs shown in the picture, or however you feel like.

15 - Let the cake set up for at least an hour in the refrigerator (as long as you can stand the wait), and enjoy!