(no subject)
I was a little spoiled this Christmas - not insomuch that I received gobs of gifts, but that the gifts I did receive were perfect. It probably won't surprise you at this point that most of them had something to do with the kitchen ;)
One of the cookbooks that I received was featured on my favorite foodie website a couple of weeks ago - and immediately made its way onto my wishlist.
Amazon Link
Interesting factoid: the region of Mexico that my sister volunteered in for 9 months after highschool (and visited multiple times after that) is the same region that the boy's family is from (his father's side). Between the two of them, I heard lots and lots about the amazing sweets they have and how one of these days they're going to drag me down there :)
Since a trip to Oaxaca isn't in the immediate future for us, this book will have to do. It's full of amazing recipes that had both my sister and the boy reminiscing and some really interesting dialog from the author about her travels while she was collecting as many authentic recipes as she could. I've been picking it up and reading a recipe and story or two every evening and really enjoying it!
Last night we decided to try something easy - one of the MANY chocolate and/or corn based drinks that Mexico is known for. I would have loved to have made this:
Atole de Zarzamoras (Blackberry Corn Beverage)
But alas, I had no fresh blackberries. Rest assured that it will pop up on here someday soon, though. Instead, we decided to made Champurrado - a chocolate and corn based "porridge", or thick drink.
According to the author, it's one of the oldest beverages in Mexico - and looking at the ingredients, that's easy to take for truth. This being a bit spur of the moment, I didn't have all of the traditional ingredients, so I'll list both what's in the recipe and the substitutions I made (based on the recommendations in the book).
1/2 c fresh masa, or 1/2 c extra fine masa harina (ground corn) with 1/3 c hot water
1.5 c water
1 (3-inch) piece of canela (Mexican ceylon cinnamon - I used regular cinnamon and while different, I think it turned out alright)
3 c whole milk (I used organic skim, since it's what I had. Whole milk would make it creamier, but mine certainly didn't taste watered down)
3 oz Chocolate Tablets (a chocolate and almond mixture used in most mexican drinks. You can find it in specialty stores, or do what I did and substitute 3 oz of bittersweet chocolate and an extra stick of cinnamon)
2 oz chopped piloncillo (also known as panela or panocha - it's an unrefined sugar that's shaped into hard rounds or cones. It's okay to substitute 1/3 c raw sugar and 2 tsps of molasses)
Whisk the masa and the water in a pot over medium heat until it begins to bubble and thicken. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer, whisking until everything has melted and blended together. Remove from heat and ladle in cups. Makes roughly 6 servings.
Simple, yea? It's got a nice heft to it from masa - really thick and creamy tasting, despite the skim milk that I used, without tasting like corn. There's just enough hint of cinnamon and loads of chocolate in the flavor. Definitely a nice twist on the standard American hot chocolate and perfect for cold winter nights :)
Champurrado is apparently a popular street vendor drink, but is also had during celebrations and matched with sweet tamales. We stopped at a Mexican market during our errands today where I picked up a bunch of traditional ingredients, including some dried corn husks, so I may have to see for myself how well they go together!
One of the cookbooks that I received was featured on my favorite foodie website a couple of weeks ago - and immediately made its way onto my wishlist.
Amazon Link
Interesting factoid: the region of Mexico that my sister volunteered in for 9 months after highschool (and visited multiple times after that) is the same region that the boy's family is from (his father's side). Between the two of them, I heard lots and lots about the amazing sweets they have and how one of these days they're going to drag me down there :)
Since a trip to Oaxaca isn't in the immediate future for us, this book will have to do. It's full of amazing recipes that had both my sister and the boy reminiscing and some really interesting dialog from the author about her travels while she was collecting as many authentic recipes as she could. I've been picking it up and reading a recipe and story or two every evening and really enjoying it!
Last night we decided to try something easy - one of the MANY chocolate and/or corn based drinks that Mexico is known for. I would have loved to have made this:
Atole de Zarzamoras (Blackberry Corn Beverage)
But alas, I had no fresh blackberries. Rest assured that it will pop up on here someday soon, though. Instead, we decided to made Champurrado - a chocolate and corn based "porridge", or thick drink.
According to the author, it's one of the oldest beverages in Mexico - and looking at the ingredients, that's easy to take for truth. This being a bit spur of the moment, I didn't have all of the traditional ingredients, so I'll list both what's in the recipe and the substitutions I made (based on the recommendations in the book).
1/2 c fresh masa, or 1/2 c extra fine masa harina (ground corn) with 1/3 c hot water
1.5 c water
1 (3-inch) piece of canela (Mexican ceylon cinnamon - I used regular cinnamon and while different, I think it turned out alright)
3 c whole milk (I used organic skim, since it's what I had. Whole milk would make it creamier, but mine certainly didn't taste watered down)
3 oz Chocolate Tablets (a chocolate and almond mixture used in most mexican drinks. You can find it in specialty stores, or do what I did and substitute 3 oz of bittersweet chocolate and an extra stick of cinnamon)
2 oz chopped piloncillo (also known as panela or panocha - it's an unrefined sugar that's shaped into hard rounds or cones. It's okay to substitute 1/3 c raw sugar and 2 tsps of molasses)
Whisk the masa and the water in a pot over medium heat until it begins to bubble and thicken. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer, whisking until everything has melted and blended together. Remove from heat and ladle in cups. Makes roughly 6 servings.
Simple, yea? It's got a nice heft to it from masa - really thick and creamy tasting, despite the skim milk that I used, without tasting like corn. There's just enough hint of cinnamon and loads of chocolate in the flavor. Definitely a nice twist on the standard American hot chocolate and perfect for cold winter nights :)
Champurrado is apparently a popular street vendor drink, but is also had during celebrations and matched with sweet tamales. We stopped at a Mexican market during our errands today where I picked up a bunch of traditional ingredients, including some dried corn husks, so I may have to see for myself how well they go together!