Cinco de Mayo

“The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862 near the city of Puebla during the French intervention in Mexico. The battle ended in a victory for the Mexican Army against the occupying French forces. The victory is celebrated today during the festivities of Cinco de Mayo (5th of May).”

This holiday is celebrated by more and more Americans every year. To the first (like myself) and second generation Mexican American, the holiday means a whole lot more than just the remembrence of the Battle of Puebla. The courage and determination shown by the humble and meager Mexican Indians and farmers against the French armies and their artilleries, represent the struggle for equality in society. We teach our children that they can never be anything less than someone else simply because of their heritage and the color of their skin. Un brindis (A toast) to our forefathers for having taught us how to stand up for our rights, ourselves, and our children’s future. Feliz Cinco de Mayo everyone.

Coctel Bandera Mejicana

1 pint Tequila
½ cup lime juice
½ cup sugar
Crushed ice
1 jicama
1 cup green seedless grapes
1 cup cherries

Mix the tequila with the lime juice and sugar. Add crushed ice and mix thoroughly. Serve in tall cocktail glasses. Skewer one green grape, one cube of jicama, and one cherry. To represent the colors of the Mexican Flag, garnish each cocktail with the skewered fruits. Makes 8 servings.


Mexican Bloody Mary

1 ¼ cups tomato juice
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, cayenne pepper, to taste
1 cup tequila
Ice cubes


Puree all ingredients in blender except tequila. Pour into pitcher and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, blend in tequila. Makes 4 servings.



Dulce de Leche Cupcakes (Con Sombreros!)
(This is not an original. I saw this in a Woman’s World magazine and instantly knew that I had to make them.)

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 ½ cups dulce de leche (either Hershey’s or La Lechera)

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 boxes powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Granulated sugar
Gumdrops in assorted colors
Decorator sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with cupcake liners. Beat cake mix, milk, eggs, and oil until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes. Bake 20-22 minutes. Cool on racks 5 minutes.Using a wooden skewer, poke about 5 holes in the top of each cupcake. Drizzle half cup (1 teaspoon at a time) dulce de leche over the tops of each cupcake. Cool completely on racks.Beat butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tablespoon of water, 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 1 cup of the dulce de leche. On medium high, beat until frosting is light and fluffy.

For Sombreros, sprinkle sugar on a piece of waxed paper. Flatten the gumdrop. Place on sugar and sprinkle more on top. Cover with a second piece of waxed paper. Roll out. Use a small round cookie cutter, about 2 inches in diameter, to cut the sombrero brims. Discard scraps. Attach a whole gumdrop to the top with a little frosting. Decorate brims with zigzags and sprinkles. Place on frosted cupcakes. Makes bout 24.

The Legend of the Margarita

Several posts ago, I wrote about Tequila and gave you a “pea” size history on its’ origins and manufacturing and a recipe for Tequila Muffins. What I didn’t give you were these intriguing legends that I’ve found over the years about how the “margarita” originated. I’d like to share those with you now.

So far, I have found four different versions as to how the most popular tequila drink, the Margarita, was first created. If you know of another one, or know which one is the correct story, blog me and share it with us. Here goes:

1st version: There was a wealthy caballero who was totally consumed with the beauty of a young woman named Margarita. So, he had a drink created in her honor by the local bartender. Sadly, he woke one morning to find both Margarita and his money gone. Only her garter remained. ( Sounds iffy to me.)

2nd version: A man by the name of Francisco "Pancho" Morales is credited with the creation of the Margarita. It is said he first designed the drink in 1942. Presumably he was working at a place called Tommy's Bar when a woman came in and asked for a drink he had never heard of. Not wanting her to think of him as inept (and for fear of ruining his reputation as an excellent bartender), he conjured up a drink mixture of tequila, cointreau and lime juice. The woman loved it and asked Pancho for the name of the drink. He told her it was a Margarita. Pancho died in El Paso, 1997. This one sounds quite convincing.

3rd version: The Margarita was named for Margarita Sames of San Antonio. The drink was especially created for her for a Christmas party she was hosting in Acapulco in 1948.

4th version: The Margarita was named after Margorie King, a young actress. She reportedly could not drink any alcohol except tequila. The owner of Rancho La Gloria, Danny Herrera, created the drink so that Margorie would not seem unlady-like as to drink straight tequila. This was back in the late 1930's.

Most Expensive Tequila!

Dos Lunas Grand Reserve
$2,500/750 ml bottle

The most expensive tequila comes not from Mexico, but from Texas. It is distilled by the Dos Lunas distillery. The owner, Richard Poe, always said he wanted to make the world’s best tequila and he probably has.

The tequila is made from Jalisco’s best agave and is aged for 10 years in Spanish sherry casks. This particular brand is rare and only a reported 1,000 bottles have been made. Those still not sold are kept under lock and key, very safe, very secure.

An announcement was made in August of this year stating that “Dos Lunas Tequila Celebrates Its Third Year of Being Herbicide and Pesticide-Free.” Founder and CEO Richard C. Poe II made the announcement and said, “I am proud of Dos Lunas Tequila, not only because it is all natural and chemical-free but also because it continues to be a standout in terms of flavor and taste, and is undoubtedly the smoothest tequila on the market today".

El Paso’s own, Park Kerr, author, foodie, and part owner of the El Paso Chile Company, has authored two marvelous cookbooks about the “Margarita” and Tequila. They are named; Viva Margarita and El Paso Chile Company Margarita Cookbook. Just like Mexican Chocolate, where the uses are endless and its’ origins are from Mexico, Tequila recipes abound in Parks’ cookbooks. He offers recipes for Margaritas (of course) but also recipes for desserts and savory dishes as well. I have these books and I love using them not only for special occassions but also for everyday meals that you want to make special for someone. Think about getting his books, they sure would make a great Cristmas present for someone.


***************************
Meanwhile, I will leave you with a few (7) margarita recipes of my own that you can enjoy.

7 Margarita Recipes for YOU

Margarita
Makes 1
1 slice of lime
Course salt
½ ounce fresh limejuice
1 ½ ounces tequila
½ ounce orange flavored liqueur
2 to 4 ice cubes
Rub the inside rim of the chilled glass with the slice of lime. Pour salt into a saucer and dip the glass until a thin layer of salt adheres to the moistened rim. Combine the limejuice, tequila, orange-flavored liqueur, and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and strain into the salt-rimmed glass. Makes one serving.

Margarita Sunrise
Makes 6
1 lime, cut in half
Granulated sugar
3 cups cracked ice
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 cup tequila
1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
Rub rims of 6 stemmed glasses with 1 lime half; dip rims of glasses into granulated sugar. Squeeze juice from both lime halves into blender. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and blend on high speed until foamy. Pour into glasses.

Jalapeño Margaritas
Makes 1
Steep jalapeño peppers in a sour mix (1 part sugar syrup and 1 part lemon juice). In a blender, mix your tequila, Triple Sec, sour mix, a dash of Tabasco Sauce. Garnish with a whole jalapeño and a slice of lime.

Chocolate Margarita
Makes 2
Chocolate Chipotle Powder, recipe follows
1½ ounces dark chocolate liqueur
1½ ounces chocolate vodka
1½ ounces tequila
1½ coffee flavor liqueur

Chocolate Chipotle Powder*
2 tablespoons Mexican Chocolate ground into powder
1-tablespoon ground chipotle powder (or red chile powder if you prefer)
Mix completely

Spread the Chocolate Chipotle Powder out on a large plate. Rim 2 (8-ounce) martini glasses by rolling the edge of each glass on a clean wet sponge, then rolling the edge over the powder. Tap the glass gently to knock off the extra powder. Pour the rest of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty. Strain immediately into the glasses and serve.

Peach Margaritas
Makes 6
1 lime, cut in half
Granulated sugar
3 cups cracked ice
1 cup tequila
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ can (12-ounce size) frozen orchard peach juice concentrate, thawed
6 peach slices
Rub rims of 6 stemmed glasses with 1 lime half; dip rims of glasses into granulated sugar. Squeeze juice from both lime halves into blender. Add remaining ingredients except peach slices to blender. Cover and blend on high speed until foamy. Pour into glasses. Garnish with peach slices.

Lemony Margaritas
Makes 6-7
2 large lemons, cut in half
Coarse salt
2 cups cracked ice
1 ¼ cups tequila
1/3 cup triple sec
Rub rims of stemmed glasses with 1 lemon half; dip rims of glasses into coarse salt. Squeeze juice from lemon halves to measure ½ cup. Place lemon juice and remaining ingredients in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until foamy. Pour into glasses.

Strawberry Margaritas
Makes 4
6 ounces tequila
2 ounces triple sec
8 ounces frozen strawberries
4 ounces frozen limeade concentrate
6 cups ice
Place ice in a blender and crush for 15 to 20 seconds. Add frozen strawberries, tequila, triple sec, and limeade. Blend until smooth.
******************************

Fajitas

What are fajitas? Fajitas are strips of meat or chicken that started out being marinaded in lime juice and spices and then grilled to a medium rare perfection. Along with the chicken or beef, onion and peppers are grilled alongside to give the grilled meat it's exceptional flavor.

The fajitas are served with warm flour or corn tortillas, sour cream, salsa such as pico de gallo, and guacamole. It's a wonderful weekend meal prepared over the outdoor grill. Of course if it's raining or storming, grill the beef or chicken indoors over a grill pan. I love my grill pan. You can cook any cut of meat or chicken and attain the same beautiful grill marks made on your charcoal grill. So go ahead, marinade a couple of chicken breasts and a piece of skirt steak, or flank if you prefer. Make some guacamole, pico de gallo, and caramelize some onion slices. Grab a Corona beer, sit back and enjoy.

Tequila-Lime Marinated Fajitas

1 pound chicken breast
1 pound beef skirt (or flank)

Marinade
½ cup lime juice
½ cup tequila
1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeños, seeds removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons oil, separated

Combine marinade ingredients and mix well. Place the meat into one 1-gallon size zip lock bag and the chicken into another. Pour half of the marinade into each bag. Squeezing out the air, zip each bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Use remaining oil to oil the grates of your barbecue grill. Get grill HOT. Grill quickly to a medium rare. Slice cuts of meat into thin strips and serve immediately.

If you are cooking up the fajitas indoors, cut the chicken breasts and skirt steak into thin strips before adding to a heated grill pan.

Heat large skillet (preferably cast iron) with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook meats (one at a time) discarding marinade. Cook 8 to 10 minutes for beef and 5 to 8 minutes for chicken.Serve hot with warm flour tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and grilled onions. Serves approximately 4.

Aprovecho queridos amigos.

**********************************
Mexican Word of the Day: Chicken
My wife wanted me to go to the store, pero chicken go herself.
**********************************

Please check out my new chocolate blog: Mexican Chocolate Lore and More. Let me know what you think about it and how I can make it even better for you. Muchas gracias mis amigos y amigas.

Strawberry Tequila Rose Bundt Cake

This cake is delicious. It's not just a regular run of the mill bundt cake, it's made with Strawberry Fanta soda and Tequila Rose. The flavors jump out at you and your mouth starts doing back flips of joy. I am submitting this cake to Ben's "I Love Baking Event" on his What's Cooking blog site.

I hope you will vote for me and if you would like to enter Ben's twice monthly event go to his blog site and sign up. It's alot of fun. Now for the recipe.




Strawberry Tequila Rose Bundt Cake

1 French Vanilla cake mix in a box
1 (3.4 ounce) box of French vanilla instant pudding
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup liquid ( I used 1/2 cup Fanta Strawberry soda and 1/2 cup Tequila Rose)chocolate covered strawberries (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, oil, and liquid.
Mix on low speed for 1 minute. On medium speed, mix for 2 minutes.

Spray your bundt pan with non-stick spray, making sure you get into every nook and cranny, especially if you use a rose bundt pan like I did.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes and invert cake onto cake plate. Drizzle with Strawberry Glaze.

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup Tequila Rose
1/4 cup FANTA Strawberry soda

Mix until smooth and of drizzling consistency. If the glaze is not smooth enough to drizzle, add more soda, a teaspoon at a time.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries:
1 pint strawberry basket
1 (12 ounce) bag chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

Wash and pat dry strawberries. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
In microwavable bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until completely smooth. Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Dip strawberries in chocolate and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

Tequila

Margaritas, Sunrises, shooters - you name it; you can't make it without tequila. It's another one of those wonderful gifts Mexico gave to the world.

What is tequila? Well, it's an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sugars (agua miel) derived from the piña of the Blue Weber agave cactus-like plant. It's cactus-like because it looks like it would be a cactus, not because it is. Actually, the agave is related to the Lily. Its leaves grow to an average of 10 feet tall. At the plants' maturity, which is approximately 8 to 12 years, a center stalk (the flower) grows up from the center to a height of about 15 feet. These plants are said to be pollinated by bats!

At maturity, the leaves are cut off to expose the piña. The piña is what is used to make the agua miel that after being roasted and repeatedly crushed, produces 98% of the agave sugars needed for fermentation.

Tequila is named after the city in the state of Jalisco in Mexico where is it produced. The city of Tequila's origin can be traced back to the Aztecs. The Tiquila Indians established the settlement 35 miles NW of Guadalajara. It is a small hillside town located at the foot of a dormant volcano. This town has over 30 tequila producing factories.

Tequila evolved from the drink pulque, which was prepared by the Zapotec Indians. They used the pulque in religious ceremonies and for medicinal purposes. After the pulque, came Mezcal. The Spanish, needing a stronger "spirited" drink, took the pulque and fermented it for several days and then finally distilled it. The sugars used for fermentation came from the sap taken from the roots, stalks and leaves of the wild agave plant. Tequila is made from the piña (core) of the Blue Weber agave. There are at least 100 different types of agave plants.

The first major distiller of tequila was Jose Cuervo. His distillery was established in Mexico in 1795.


The different levels of tequila are:
Blanco (Plata) - un-aged tequila
Gold - un-aged tequila with additives to give is its amber color
Reposado - aged in oak barrels from 60 days to 1 year
Anejo - aged in government* sealed barrels for a minimum of 1 year.
Back Medallion - is anejo tequila aged in charred oak barrels
*Tequila production is government-regulated in Mexico much the same way cognac production is regulated in France.

A few of the more popular tequila brands are: Aguila Blue Agave; Chinaco; El Conquistador; Herradura; Jose Cuervo; Montezuma; Sauza; Constitucion. A new comer on the tequila block is Tequila Nacional, owner, El Paso's own, Park Kerr, author and businessman.

So, if you have a special occasion coming up or would just like to have a special little something to sip on after a long hard day, try tequila. The flavor reflects the very nature of the Hispanic community; warmth, strength, courage, and soul.

Here’s a stimulating way to start your day. Tequila muffins and coffee!

Tequila Muffins
These are like scone muffins. The batter is nice and thick. They are not very sweet like cupcakes, but will certainly fill you up along with your coffee.

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup Gold Tequila
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon grated orange peel
½ cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 400º F.Mix all the ingredients together except pecans. The batter will be lumpy. Then stir in the pecans and fill lightly greased muffin tins ½ full. Bake at 400º F. for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

El Vaquero Coffee

4 cups hot, freshly brewed coffee
2½ cups Kahlua
3 ounces Tequila
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Mix coffee, Kahlua, and Tequila. Divide evenly among 6 mugs. Top each with whipped cream and serve. Serves 6.

(c)2008