Mi primero clase de cocina Mexicana

Today was my first (expensive) cooking class here in San Miguel de Allende, and it was really fun.  There were only four of us, so the chefs let us kind of run amok and be more hands on with them in the kitchen, even though the class looked to be set up as a demo only.  They taught it in English and Spanish, which was very helpful - both ways.
We made three traditional dishes - a sopa de tortilla that is eaten all throughout Mexico; a pescado a la Veracruzana that is a specialty from the Veracruz region; and flan, por supuesto.
They also served a hibiscus tea kind of drink, and margaritas, woo!  I learned some great new techniques and the food was AMAZING.  Here I thought my dad's tortilla soup was the best. . . I mean, it's still amazing and much easier than today's recipe, but this one. . . que rico!

There were a few "new to me" ingredients as well:
epazote - a green with small, pungent leaves that is typically used in quesadillas or with mushrooms
guero chilies - they have the same smell and color as peperoncinis, but they were long and thin
Cajeta Envinada - a caramel sauce made with goat's milk, which actually did have a flavor reminiscent of goat cheese


I also learned a few new techniques - very helpful for getting a superfine dice as we needed for the Pescado a la Veracruzana.  Typically in Mexican cuisine, the entire tomato is used - skin, seeds, and flesh.  For this recipe we scooped the seeds out though, and they showed us an easy way to do that (though I argue scraping it with a spoon would be even easier).  So, without further ado. . . .

Sopa de tortilla
Pescado a la Veracruzana
Flan de Caramelo

Flan de Caramelo

Flan de Caramelo
2 c sugar
1 c Ranchero Cheese (Farmer's cheese or cream cheese)
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c Cajeta Envinada
1 c cream
6 eggs


Preheat oven to 350.  Place 1 cup of the sugar in a pan and allow to caramelize; swirling and stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour the sugar into a mold and tilt so the caramel covers the bottom and sides of the mold.  Set aside.
At this point, we put the rest of the ingredients (except the Cajeta Envinada) into the blender and pureed.  The written recipe recommends lightly beating the eggs with the rest of the sugar; pureeing the milk, cheese and cream in the blender; and then combining the two.
Pour into the mold on top of the caramel.  Place the mold into a larger pan with 1 inch of hot water in the bottom of the pan (a water bath).  You can cover with flan with foil, though we did not.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  The flan will still have a lot of jiggle to it.  Allow to cool to room temp, and refrigerate over night.  (We popped ours straight into the fridge so we could eat it the same day; I imagine it would be a bit more set up if you leave it in the fridge over night).
To serve; place mold in hot water to soften caramel and run a knife around the outside edge.  Place a plate on top, and carefully invert so the plate is on the bottom and the mold is on top.
Serve with Cajeta Envinada or other caramel sauce.


Serves 6-10