Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
While peeling a batch of fresh corn at home last week, I found one ear that had a peculiar grey-blackish mass at the tip; it was a small clump of corn smut, maybe a blight in many countries, but a delicacy in Mexico ...
There are certain edible products, especially sweets, which have become iconic as souvenirs when visiting some locations, for example, Canadian maple syrup, or Swiss milk chocolate; in Mexico, cocadas (coconut sweets) from Acapulco, Guerrero, or Tequila from, well, Tequila, Jalisco, are sovereign. In San Blas, Nayarit, eating Zarandeado grilled fish goes along with bringing home a loaf of pan de plátano - banana bread. I remember the classic San Blas banana bread as extra sweet and somewhat heavy, with a very strong banana flavour, evidently from a high fruit content. My recipe is a much lighter version ... click on title for more
A Mexican Garibaldi is a buttery upside-down cupcake, coated with apricot jam and white nonpareil sprinkles. Although this sweet treat was named as a homage to the Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi, it was first created in Mexico City … click on title for more
This year has not been a great one for berries in my garden, in general. Two years ago, I had a bumper crop of raspberries, and made a raspberry pie, but this season, between very hot days, and too much rain at once, my berry plants have been much less productive. A nice solution was to make a mixed berry pie … click on title for more
Viennese style pastries have always been popular in Mexico, and when I was a kid, mocha buttercream torte (pastel vienés de moka) was a classic item to find on the menu at restaurants and tea parlors. Slices from round or slab mocha cakes were tempting treats to enjoy with a cup of coffee (or a glass of milk in my case). I have construed my homemade version of this Classic Mocha Slab Cake with two layers of coffee-flavoured chocolate cake, and a rich coffee and cocoa buttercream filling and icing. The cake is finished with chocolate shavings … click on title for more
My Slice of Mexico 