The post CARNITAS PIZZA RECIPE WITH A SPICY CHIPOTLE MARINARA SAUCE appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>The succulent pork roast shredded so easily out of the crockpot. I had inserted whole cloves of garlic (about 5) and added salt and pepper. That was it. So simple. I set the slow cooker on low. Went to bed and woke up with the entire house smelling heavenly.
As for the marinara sauce with chipotle. We went with a straightforward recipe of roma tomatoes, oregano, garlic, olive oil, white onion and threw in a chipotle pepper in the sauce, well, because we’re not Italian, we’re Mexican. LOL!
In most Mexican restaurants, when you order a plate of carnitas, it will come with a side of pico de gallo. We took those ingredients and topped our pizza with cilantro, jalapeños, diced white onion, and tomatoes.
How did it taste? Maravilloso! Sabroso!
Seriously, sometimes life needs a quick kick in the butt and that comes by not doing the same thing over and over again. I am even thinking of other ways to switch out other dishes with pork. Think enchiladas with pork rather than the usual beef or chicken. Chicken tinga? Why not Pork Tinga? So many possibilities.
Don’t skimp on the shredded pork roast. It’s too good!
Add a pico de gallo on top with the carnitas for added flavor and kick.
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]]>The post Valentine’s Day Cookies: Orejas or Palmiers appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>Palmiers are crisp little cookies with endless possibilities, you will not believe now easy these are to make. You can purchase puff pastry at most markets or make your own if you are feeling fancy and up for a challenge. I think store bought is just fine. Besides, who has the time? Using colored sugar is an easy way to add romance to your Palmiers, but there are many fillings: nuts, jams, honey, candied fruit, fresh fruit, fruit purees, or go savory and add thinly sliced deli meats, cheese, and pesto…for starters. Just remember to apply the filling very thinly or you may have problems rolling your logs. Keep it simple, you are not making a chocolate croissant or calzone. That’s another post.
Using a sharp knife cut the logs into 1/4 inch thick slices and place on the baking sheets leaving a little space between them as they puff up slightly.
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]]>The post Sweeten Your Valentine’s Day with Alfajores appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>For this recipe we used a Milk Caramel with Coconut spread from Don Joaquin Gourmet. Norma Vega, a contributing writer for LatinoFoodie, brought back a jar from the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco for us to try. You can substitute strawberry jelly, lemon curd, dulce de leche or simply use your favorite hazelnut chocolate spread, like Nutella.
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]]>The post Heat Things Up This Valentine’s Day with Red Hot Velvet Cupcakes appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>Six years ago we hosted a Valentine’s Day party for some family and some close friends. The five course tasting menu was designed around our love for each other. The fifth course, the dessert course, was our take on the classic red velvet cake. I added a combo of chile powders to spice up the cake, and yes, it was a hit. This year, we are spending our fifth Valentine’s Day together as a married couple. I made this recipe again with a few changes, but still with all the love. This recipe makes three dozen cupcakes, so share the love. Happy Valentine’s Day from your favorite LatinoFoodies!
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]]>The post Easy Valentine’s Day Treat: Crushing on Crepes appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>We are head-over-heels in love with Melissa’s Produce. We recently got our hands on some Melissa’s Produce ready-to-use crepes and their raspberry dessert sauce. With a busy smooch-filled Valentine’s Day just around the corner, warm crepes filled with cream and fresh fruit are a great way to stir romance.
No recipe needed! Room temp, warm or cold, crepes can be served any way you prefer. I enjoy them warm, filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit. A quick dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of Melissa’s raspberry dessert sauce is all you need to seal the deal.
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]]>The post Flor de Jamaica Poached Pears appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>The flowers are tart and tannic, but sweetened with piloncillo, the aroma will take you on a tropical journey. As the dried hibiscus flowers rehydrate, they plump up to petals and tentacled flower buds, the color changing to something between blood red and deep purple, and their floral scent will hang thick in the air. Using dried mulling spices is fairly typical when poaching or making mulled wine, but I use a special blend from Melissa’s Produce. Each package is 2 ounces, perfect for this type of recipe. Each package has Sri Lankan cinnamon chips, Guatemalan allspice, cloves from Zanzabar and dried orange peel. Just close your eyes and imagine a warm, spiced blanket wrapped around you, cradling you. The scent is of pure warmth.
The sweet Jamaica poached pears are easy enough to simply eat with a fork, or fun served with a scoop or ice cream. If you want something a little more upscale, serve the poached pears with some really good blue cheese.
So go ahead, poach some pears and blow their socks off.
For another poached pear creation, click on the image below to view the recipe for Tequila Poached Pears.
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]]>The post The Perfect Pear: Tequila Poached Pear with a Cactus Pear Coulis appeared first on Latino Foodie.
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We’d like to thank Melissa’s Produce for delivering fresh cactus pears and organic Bosc pears to our doorstep to help us create this swoon-worthy recipe. For more information about Melissa’s or how to select, store and handle cactus pears, visit http://melissasproduce.com
The post The Perfect Pear: Tequila Poached Pear with a Cactus Pear Coulis appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>The post Make your Valentine Swoon with This Flourless Chocolate Cake appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>Leafing through my old baking notebooks from culinary school, with creaking grains of sugar and small puffs of flour, I always come back to a handful of my personal favorites: fragrant frangipane tart with wine poached pears, rich Sachertortes, airy profiteroles filled with light Chantilly cream and, of course, flourless chocolate cake.
This cake is basically chocolate custard folded with whipped egg whites, producing a dense, sometimes fudge-like cake. If you make nothing else from this blog, bake this. It requires a few ingredients and comes together pretty quick for a dessert of its caliber. When the cake comes out of the oven it will be puffed, and light brown. As it deflates, the crust, which in my mind is like a thin meringue shell, will begin to crack, giving you a glimpse of the rich chocolaty goodness that lies beneath. In culinary school we were encouraged to press down on the cake to make a flat, even surface for make multi-layered cakes covered in a blanket of ganache. But I think the cracked crust looks sexy.
This recipe yields two 9-inch round cakes. You can decorate and eat the cakes anyway you like. I made a two layered cake and the other I simply served in the baking dish. My photos reflect cakes topped with strawberry whipped cream, fresh strawberries and a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar. But this recipe is for the flourless chocolate cake; how you dress, or undress, the cake is up to you. If you stack it, spread a thin layer of chocolate mousse or ganache between the cakes for an extra decadent dessert. Try different berries too, like sweet-tart blackberries and even edible flowers.
If you decide to make this elegant dessert for your Valentine, please share a photo with me and make me swoon.
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]]>The post Valentine’s Dinner: Ancho-Pomegranate Roasted Pork Loin appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>“Love is a many splendored thing. It’s the April rose that only grows in the early spring. Love is nature’s way of giving a reason to be living. The golden crown that makes a man a king.”
Every day I am grateful for finding someone to share life’s special moments with, like waking up in the morning to their smile, a gentle kiss goodbye when leaving for work or a warm embrace when you come home from a long, stressful day, simply makes life more meaningful. These are the moments I cherish and Valentine’s Day gives me another opportunity to express my love by preparing a delicious meal that is quite honestly easy to make.
When I look for inspiration, I often turn to pork as my choice of protein as it is flavorful, versatile, and accessible. From a traditional cochinita pibil to carnitas, my family loves when I cook with pork.
For Valentine’s Day, and other special holidays like Easter and Christmas, I love the idea of cooking with a pork loin roast. For larger groups, a full pork loin does the trick, but for dinner with my honey, a smaller 1-2 pound pork loin roast will ensure we have leftovers.
In this recipe, I have butterflied the pork loin to stuff with a salty-sweet pomegranate and walnut mixture. (You can sweetly ask your butcher to butterfly the roast for you.) The sauce is a combination of pomegranate juice and pureed ancho chiles that have been toasted in a dry skillet just long enough to release oils, imparting a scintillating smokiness to the dish. The sauce is sweetened with pomegranate, brown sugar and scented with fresh orange zest.
Pork loin cooks pretty quick. I suggest making the sauce and the rub the day before. Then stuff, truss and chill the pork loin until you’re ready to cook. It takes roughly 20 minutes per pound, but use an instant read thermometer and once it hits 145-160, take it out and let it rest on your counter for a few minutes while you pour your special Valentine another glass of wine. To serve, remove the twine and slice the pork loin roasts. The Ancho-Pomegranate Pork Loin alone will dazzle any table. Serve alongside steamed green beans and mashed potatoes.
If you’re still scrambling for a special Valentine’s treat, there has never been a better day to try pork than today! Go ahead and make ‘em swoon with this Ancho-Pomegranate Roasted Pork Loin.
For more recipes and cooking tips visit www.PorkTeInspira.com.
Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until completely chopped and paste-like. Reserve until needed.
Place sliced onion in small roasting pan and place pork loin on top. Roast 25 minutes and then baste with ancho-pomegranate sauce at least twice before the internal temperature hits 140-16 (Total roasting time is approximately 40-45 minutes. Allow pork loin rest before slicing. Serve with more sauce and fresh pomegranate arils.
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]]>The post ROSCA DE REYES: Perfect Sweet Bread to Celebrate Dia de los Reyes appeared first on Latino Foodie.
]]>A traditional Rosca de Reyes, or Three Kings Bread, is baked in order to share with family and friends on this special day. This lightly sweetened yeast bread is perfect for dipping and dunking into hot champurrado or Mexican chocolate. You may be able to still find your Rosca de Reyes at your local panaderia or Latino grocery store, but be mindful because they run out fast. Do not fret, with this recipe below now you can make your own!
Don’t be daunted by the amount of ingredients or the steps, because this recipe is worth it. The recipe yields a Rosca de Reyes about the size of a cookie sheet, two medium sized roscas or 3 small breads. I recommend making a big one and inviting all your friends and family over for a slice. Also, don’t forget to put in the baby Jesus!
Here is a video we developed for Herdez Brands to celebrate Three King’s Day. That big gorgeous Rosca de Reyes was made with the recipe that follows. For more authentic holiday traditions and recipes, visit HerdezTraditions.com
Rosca de Reyes
Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
1 envelope dry active yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted plus more for dusting
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (6 ounces)
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons whole milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoon orange extract
Zest of 2 medium oranges
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon whole milk
Sugar for sprinkling
Candied/dried fruit
Ingredients for paste:
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons margarine
½ cup powdered sugar
Procedure:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the water and yeast. Allow it to bloom, about 5-10 minutes.
2. After the yeast blooms, whisk in ½ cup of flour. Cover and allow to sit for about 25 minutes. (Optional: you can also add in a pinch of sugar to help feed and grow the yeast.)
3. In a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter with the paddle attachment.
4. Beat in the eggs/yolks one at a time with the speed on low until fully incorporated, about 1 minute each yolk.
5. Add the milk, salt, cinnamon, extracts and zest. Beat in for about 1 minute.
6. Use the dough hook attachment, slowly mix in the remaining 3 1/2 cups sifted flour just until the dough starts to come together.(You may not use all the flour or you might need to add a little more. Remember: moisture in the air is not your friend here.)
7. Add in the yeast and mix on medium for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed. Place on a clean lightly-floured surface to knead until smooth.
8. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place. The dough should about double, about 60-90 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the paste: using a hand mixer, combine large egg yolk, flour, margarine and sugar until creamy. Place in a piping bag with a wide tip like a large basket weave tip/cake icing tip. The sugar paste will be piped in bands around the cake, so the size and shape is ultimately up to you. (You can also just form shapes (thin/thick bands) with your hands or roll out shapes with a rolling pin or even use cookie cutters. If the paste gets too soft from the heat of your hands, simply refrigerate for a few minutes.)
10. Punch down the dough in the bowl. Place on a lightly floured surface and gently form into a ball. (You can cut the dough in half or thirds if you want smaller breads. While I prefer them, sometime making one large bread is easier for larger groups.)
11. Using your fingers, poke a hole in the center of the dough ball. Slowly make the hole bigger, gently stretching and pulling so that the ring is uniform in size.
12. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet tray(s) and spray with a neutral non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough ring on the paper, cover with a clean dish towel and allow it to rest in a warm spot for another 40-45 minutes.
13. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
14. Prepare the egg wash by whisking together the large egg and milk. Right before you are ready to decorate the Rosca de Reyes, brush it with the egg wash.
15. Use the reserved sugar paste you made by piping bands across the bread. Decorate the bread with the candied fruit any way you would like. (Remember that the decorations are a matter of taste, so use as much or as little as you like.)
16. Bake for 10 minutes are 375°F, rotate the bread(s) then reduce the temperature to 350°F and allow to bake for another 10-15 minutes, until it has browned to your liking.
17. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooing rack. Allow to cool completely before placing the plastic baby inside.
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