DRINKS AND DESSERTS
Horchata
Tamarind Agua Fresca
Spicy Cherry Agua Fresca
Michelada
Ryan’s Blackberry Margarita
Fruit Granitas
Blackberry Corn Drink
Café de Olla
Spicy Hot Fudge Tacos
HORCHATA
Horchata
If you’ve never tried horchata, please do. It has a nourishing and refreshing substance, unlike anything made from rice that you’ve ever tried. It’s a triumph of the imagination: old world grain meets new world minds. For a festive touch, serve from a widemouthed gallon jar with a ladle.
MAKES ABOUT 4 QUARTS
1 cup rice
1 pound blanched almonds
2-inch cinnamon stick
4 quarts water
2½ cups sugar
1. Grind the rice in a spice grinder or blender. Put the ground rice, almonds, and cinnamon stick in a large bowl. Heat 7 cups of the water to about 140°F and pour over the ingredients, stirring to incorporate. Cover and let sit overnight.
2. Put half of the rice mixture in a blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add 2½ cups of the water and blend just to incorporate, about 30 seconds. Set a sieve lined with 2 or 3 layers of cheesecloth over a large bowl and pour in the mixture. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, press and stir the mixture to strain out the liquid. Then twist the ends of the cheesecloth and squeeze the rice ball to expel the remaining liquid. Repeat the process with the other half of the rice mixture and 2½ cups of the water.
3. Add the remaining 4 cups water and slowly stir in the sugar, adding just enough to suit your liking. Pour into a 1-gallon jar and refrigerate. Stir well before serving. The horchata will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
TAMARIND AGUA FRESCA
Agua Fresca de Tamarindo
Just picturing the tart, pasty tamarind pod in my head makes my mouth pucker. This classic agua fresca is perky and tropical, certain to quench your thirst on a hot summer day.
MAKES ABOUT 4 QUARTS
4 quarts water
2 pounds tamarind paste
2 cups sugar
1. In a medium-size pot, bring the water, tamarind paste, and sugar to a boil for 1 minute. Cover, cool and let sit for 1 hour.
2. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and pulse a few times. Set a sieve over a large bowl and pour in the mixture. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, press and stir the mixture to strain out the liquid. Pour into a 1-gallon jar and refrigerate. Stir well before serving. The agua fresca will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
TACO TIP
Cheladas are tasty prepared beers, and really good on hot days. Just
squeeze a wedge of lime into your beer (Tecate, Sol, Dos Equis, Carta
Blanca, Superior, Pacifico, or Corona) and throw in a pinch of salt.
SPICY CHERRY AGUA FRESCA
Agua Fresca Picosa de Cereza
This slightly fiery agua fresca will keep you alert while you eat your tacos. From Nikki R. Cohen of The Hungry Cat restaurants in Hollywood and Santa Barbara, California, it dances intriguingly between tangy sweetness and invigorating spiciness. If Pancho Villa had been born a hundred years later, he’d be cooling his chops with this baby.
MAKES ABOUT 4 QUARTS
11½ cups water, divided
2½ cups sugar, plus more for coating chiles
4 to 5 Fresno chiles, stems and seeds intact, cut into 6 strips each
3 to 4 pounds Bing cherries, pitted
Juice of 8 lemons (approximately 1½ cups)
1. First, make a Fresno simple syrup by bringing 2½ cups of the water, the sugar, and the Fresno strips to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes and remove from heat.
2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the Fresno strips to an oven rack and let them dry. Let the syrup cool, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve and set it aside. When the Fresno strips are dry, dip them in sugar, lay them on a plate, and set aside.
3. In a juicer, juice the cherries to get 3 cups of juice. Alternatively, put the cherries in a blender with some of the water and blend.
4. Set a sieve over a large bowl and pour in the cherry mixture. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, press and stir the mixture to strain out the liquid. Add the remaining water, the lemon juice, and the Fresno simple syrup to taste. Pour into a 1-gallon glass jar and refrigerate. Stir well before serving. Serve over ice and garnish with some of the reserved candied Fresno strips. The agua fresca will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
MICHELADA
Michelada
Mi chelada means “my chelada” in Spanish. Yes, it is—yours to make and drink while relaxing in the shade on a hot day. Maggi, a popular brand of sauce in Mexico, is available at Latin American and Chinese markets and online. Look for the little bottles of liquid sauce, not the Maggi bouillon products.
MAKES 1 MICHELADA
Coarse salt
Lime wedge
Juice of ½ lime (approximately 1 tablespoon)
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco, or other hot sauce such as Tapatío or Huichol
1 pinch freshly ground pepper
1 dash Maggi Seasoning Sauce
1 dash soy sauce (optional)
One 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer
Cover the surface of a small plate or bowl with salt. Rub the rim of a tall glass with a lime wedge and press the rim into the salt to coat. Fill the glass with ice and add the lime juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, pepper, Maggi, and soy sauce, if using. Stir with a long spoon. Pour in the beer and stir again. Garnish with the lime wedge.
RYAN’S BLACKBERRY MARGARITA
Margarita de Moras de Ryan
In the heat of summer, with an abundance of sweet, fresh blackberries everywhere, this margarita shines. In fact, it’s one of master mixologist Ryan Magarian’s “go-to summer-thyme refreshers” at backyard dinner parties (or a taquiza, perhaps!). Here, the technique called muddling, which is the bruising of herbs and the light crushing of fruit, releases the essential oils contained in the thyme and mixes it with the blackberries. Cheers to Ryan for sharing his recipe.
Note: A muddler is essentially a wooden handle used to crush herbs and spices directly in a cocktail shaker or glass. It can be found in houseware stores. A decent substitute is any household utensil that has a wooden handle with a blunt end. Use a muddler much like a pestle, smashing the ingredients to release their essences.
MAKES 2 COCKTAILS
Simple Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
Margarita
1 teaspoon vodka
2 to 3 limes (to make 1½ ounces lime juice)
14 fresh blackberries
2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 2 sprigs for garnish
½ ounce Cointreau
3 ounces El Tesoro Platinum tequila
Ice (about 6 to 8 cubes home freezer size)
2 ounces brut champagne
1. To make the simple syrup, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool, then add the teaspoon vodka as a preservative. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Using a citrus juicer or lime expresser, juice the limes and set aside.
3. In a shaker or jar, add the blackberries and two sprigs of thyme and muddle until the berries are fairly well crushed, about 8 to 10 presses with the flat side of the muddler.
4. Add the Cointreau, tequila, lime juice, and 1½ ounces simple syrup to the muddled mixture.
5. Add several pieces of ice to the shaker or jar, leaving some room at the top. Then place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for 6 seconds. Remove lid and strain contents into two chilled cocktail glasses.
6. Top each margarita with 1 ounce brut champagne, then lay a sprig of thyme across the top and serve.
FRUIT GRANITAS
Agua Fresca Helada
This recipe is tasty, refreshing, and very easy. Simply make any of the aguas frescas (see pages 85 and 86) and follow these directions.
MAKES 8 CUPS
2 quarts agua fresca, any variety
1. Pour the agua fresca into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, or another dish that is wide and shallow. Put the dish in the freezer.
2. About once an hour, remove the dish from the freezer and stir with a spoon, breaking up the ice that forms along the edge of the dish with the edge of the spoon. This will give the drink a nice, grainy texture. Allow 4 to 6 hours for the entire process.
3. When the agua fresca is completely frozen into grainy ice, scoop it into individual ice cream cups and return them to the freezer until ready to serve.
BLACKBERRY CORN DRINK
Atole de Moras
I love atole, the ancient Mesoamerican corn-based drink, and I love blackberries, which grow in profusion around my Pacific Northwest home. This is an ideal warm dessert after a cool-weather taco meal—tasty and nutritious. It’s also a great drink to start the day. Kids love to dip cinnamon sticks in the atole and slurp it off. Atole’s base ingredient, a special cornmeallike flour called masa harina, is available at Latin American markets, many supermarkets, and online.
Note: To break up cones of piloncillo, the Mexican brown sugar, use the thick edge of a cleaver or a hammer.
MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS
5 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
2½ cups water
3 tablespoons piloncillo or dark brown sugar
1/3 cup masa harina
2-inch cinnamon sticks, for garnish
1. In a medium-size pot over medium-low heat, combine the blackberries and water and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the berries are very soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, let cool, and transfer to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Set a sieve over a medium-size bowl and pour in the blackberry purée. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, press and stir the mixture to strain out as much liquid as possible.
2. Return the strained mixture to the pot, add the piloncillo, and warm over low heat until the piloncillo is dissolved. Whisk in the masa and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the atole has thickened to a gravylike consistency. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little water. Serve hot in mugs garnished with a cinnamon stick.
CAFÉ DE OLLA
Café de Olla
Traditionally made in a cazuela, or earthenware pot, and served in earthenware mugs, Café de Olla, a Mexican-style coffee, is brewed with cinnamon and served with piloncillo, Mexican brown sugar. It’s a satisfying way to end a meal. Note: To break up piloncillo cones, use the thick edge of a cleaver or a hammer.
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
5 cups water
¾ to 1 cup coarsely ground medium-dark roast coffee
2-inch cinnamon stick
6 ounces piloncillo, broken into small pieces, for serving
Put the water in a medium-size pot and bring to a boil. Add the coffee and cinnamon and bring to a boil again. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let steep for 5 minutes. Set a sieve over a serving pot and pour in the mixture. Serve with the piloncillo pieces on the side.
SPICY HOT FUDGE TACOS
Taco de Salsa Picante de Chocolate
The Aztecs drank xocolatl, an elixir made of freshly ground cacao beans and hot chiles. A nod to xocolatl, this fudge sauce is a bit spicy, with just a touch of cayenne and ancho chile powder. Pour it over crepes and vanilla ice cream and you have a dessert taco like no other. Don’t let the long recipe scare you—all the steps are simple. This recipe makes about 2 cups of hot fudge sauce. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks and drizzled on ice cream, blended into milkshakes, or stirred into hot coffee for an interesting mocha.
MAKES 5 SERVINGS
Crepe Tortillas
2 eggs
¾ cup milk
¼ cup water
¾ pastry or all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine corn flour
3/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Spicy Hot Fudge Sauce
10 ounces semisweet chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao content)
1/3 cup Dutch cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
¾ cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup water
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ gallon vanilla ice cream
¼ cup toasted almonds, finely chopped
1. For the Crepe Tortillas, put the egg, milk, and water in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth, about 5 seconds. Add the pastry flour, corn flour, and salt, and blend for 5 more seconds. With a spatula, scrape down the sides of the container, and blend for 5 more seconds. Pour the batter into a medium-size bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator to rest, at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight.
2. Over medium heat, warm a 7-inch crepe pan or other seasoned pan with sloped sides. When the pan is hot, brush the surface with a little of the butter. Add 3 tablespoons of the batter to the pan and tilt the pan so that the batter coats the entire bottom. (If the batter is too thick to pour and spread out in the pan quickly, add a little water or milk to it in the bowl while whisking. If the crepe sets before it covers the pan, discard the crepe—or finish cooking and eat it—lower the heat slightly, and wave the pan in the air for about 15 seconds to cool it off. Begin a new crepe.) Cook until the edges of the crepe begin to dry and pull away from the pan, about 1 minute. Slide a spatula or knife under the edge to loosen the crepe and flip it over, cooking the second side just until set, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate.
3. Repeat with the rest of the crepe batter, adding additional butter to the pan as needed, until you have used all of the batter. You should have 9 or 10 crepes. When the crepes are all cooked, cover them and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. For the Spicy Hot Fudge Sauce, in a double boiler, melt the chocolate, whisking often, until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a medium-size glass bowl in the microwave on high, stirring every 1 minute. Once the chocolate is melted, whisk in the cocoa powder, cayenne, and ancho powder until dissolved.
5. In a medium-size saucepan, simmer the corn syrup, sugar, cream, water, and salt over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 4 minutes.
6. Remove the saucepan from the stove and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth, about 1 minute.
7. To assemble, work quickly so the ice cream doesn’t melt. Place a cold crepe on a cold plate. With a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, put 3 to 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream near the edge of the crepe closest to you. Flip the edge of the crepe over the ice cream and roll it up. Place the rolled crepe, seamside down, on the plate. Repeat with the remaining crepes. For each serving, include 2 rolled crepes. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of warmed Spicy Hot Fudge Sauce over the crepes, sprinkle with the toasted almonds, and serve.
