Cream cheese and guava paste pastries
May 3, 2023 • Category: Sweet Pastries, Pastries/Breads
This flavor combo (cream cheese and guava paste) is one I recently discovered in Mexico. I was there just a few weeks ago for Spring break, and tried it once at my favorite coffee chain there. It was the stuffing in a roll (can’t remember what type of roll). Fabulous! The combo of the slightly tart creamy cheese with the sweet fruity berry tasting guayaba paste was to-die-for! The guava paste reminded me of the quince jelly we make in Lebanon. Come to think of it, why do we not think of this combo? (say with areeshe cheese or labneh??).
Anyway, musings aside, I decided to try and recreate this especially since I had to contribute pastries to a fundraiser to help the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
I used puff pastry I bought, the best quality I could get my hands on, and I also used ready-made empanada circles with a puff pastry in the freezer section of my favorite Latino market. The clear winner (taste-wise) is the French-style puff pastry. The empanada dough package makes it super easy because the dough is precut and you can fill it in a snap. However, it is not as delicate in texture and flaky as the puff pastry.
I am finding out this is a very popular dessert in Brazil as well as other Latin and Caribbean countries such as Cuba, Panama, where it is called pastelitos de guava or guayaba.
Hibiscus enchiladas
March 29, 2023 • Category: Mexican fusion, Main Dish, Vegan
Ramadan Mubarak!
I have just returned from two weeks in Mexico, where I divided my time between Mexico city and Mazatlán in the state of Sinaloa. I wanted to take a cooking class in both places; so I joined a WhatsApp foodies group in CDMX (Mexico City) to try and ask around for a recommendation. Luckily, Chef Paulina Lara responded, sent me menus and we settled on a date for a private class in her kitchen in Mexico City.
The title on her menu Hibiscus Enchiladas intrigued me. I had only used hibiscus (karkadeh in Arabic) to make iced or hot tea or agua fresca, the Mexican ice cold drink, sometimes adding a cinnamon stick to the flowers while boiling them.
In Mexico, hibiscus is called jamaica or flor de jamaica (pronounced ha-ma-ee-ka), and every restaurant or café sells it as a cold drink or agua fresca sweetened with sugar. This is also a popular drink in Egypt where people drink it cold especially during Ramadan.
The hibiscus is produced in Mexico, but also in Soudan and other countries in Africa and imported into Mexico for the local consumption. In fact, I had seen tubs of hibiscus leaves of various sizes and color at the giant mercado de la Merced in Mexico city, with a label showing its country of origin. I had also read a recipe for hibiscus enchilada in a cookbook on Mexico City cuisine but never ventured to test it in my kitchen. Years prior, while living in Beirut, I had bought whole candied hibiscus leaves imported from Thailand and they tasted delicious like a gummy candy with a bit of tang.
The method is super simple: the hibiscus flowers are boiled briefly in plenty of water, drained, (the hibiscus-flavored broth can be recycled as a tea with some sweetener later). They are then stir-fried with some previously fried onion and garlic combo, seasoned and used as a filling to some fresh tortillas, just as you would prepare any enchiladas. Once filled, the enchiladas are smothered in enchilada sauce ( made with guajillo chilies, tomatoes, onion and garlic). And as usual, the enchiladas are then garnished with a drizzle of Mexican crema and some grated Panela cheese (see Note on substitute).
Coleslaw
January 11, 2023 • Category: Salads
My world has now become enchilado (more on that in another post), so when I decided I wanted to make coleslaw, it was obvious I was going to find a way to add a chile or two somewhere.
So I did. A few jalapeños went into the processor (minus the seeds and stem). I also used a chipotle mayo and the classic garlic-lemon-olive oil Lebanese dressing.
It was yummy and so practical to have on hand in a big bowl in the fridge, to dip into over several days until the supply is exhausted.
Get the Recipe »
Mexican green rice
November 26, 2022 • Category: Mexican fusion, Whole Grain/Bulgur/Rice
I had been wanting to try my hand at this rice for a while. It consists of making a green salsa with poblano peppers, onion, garlic then cooking the rice in it with the addition of fresh corn kernels. The rice can be served alongside a dish of beans or a protein. I did not have time to cook anything else and so to give it more sustenance I ended-up baking it (after cooking it) briefly with some shredded cheese and it was filling enough on its own, with an optional splash of hot sauce or Mexican cream on top.
Get the Recipe »
Recent Recipes
Piloncillo syrup
This is an ingredient used in the Mexican kitchen that I have discovered recently and grown very fond of. It is called piloncillo and is made of pure unrefined sugarcane. I have used it when making Mexican sauces or mole; I have also added it in small doses to stews...
Read More »
Semolina rolls with date
I guess I must be getting good in baking (or over confident) but I made this without measuring anything, and it worked fine. Just to show that this is a very easy roll despite the somewhat unusual ingredients. I had made it years ago with a brioche dough. I also...
Read More »
Maamoul bars with dates
This recipe took me about 3 months (even longer) to make. I had prepared the dough (it takes one minute or so) and stored it in a bag in the fridge. I kept glancing at it every once in a while thinking about making maamoul using one of the half...
Read More »
Bayrut by Hisham Assaad
This cookbook is a delight. The layout and graphics are exquisite and the photographs are outstanding and really capture all there is to love about my native city. Hisham Assaad did an outstanding job with this work, one that I consider to be Art through and through. Leafing through the...
Read More »
