The Little Mexican Cooking School, Puerto Morelos Mexico

The thing that I like to do most when I have free time is cook so when we were on Vacation in Mexico we took the time to visit the Little Mexican Cooking School. The school is located in a small hotel in Puerto Morelos a picturesque fishing town not far from Playa del Carmen, about a half hour drive from the hotel zone in Cancun. 

The day that we attended was the first time their current chef was returning after a break so he was jovial but nervous - without reason! The entire class was well organised and entertaining and the recipes were wonderful. He took the time to plan out the cooking so that our meal was all prepared and ready to eat as a multi course meal.  

We started with some lectures on the local food and how to prepare it, some misconceptions about Mexican food and the history of some of the major ingredients. Then we moved into the large kitchen to prepare our dishes; a 4 course meal. 

For some of the attendees this included some basic guidance on knife skills, seasoning, mise en place and kitchen cleanliness but it was a great tutorial for the beginner and experienced cook alike. The range of dishes included salsas, soup, appetizers, a main dish and a pastry and covered a great variety of cooking skills was covered like baking, frying, sauteing and more. 

The kitchen is large and well kept and perfectly suited for cooking classes, I was particularly enamoured of this above stove mirror system which meant the whole room could see what the chef was doing on the stove. I wish that my school had had something similar for home economics classes as a teen. 

The recipes we cooked that day focused on Caribbean Mexican food; tropical and fresh flavours combined with the familiar spicy comfort food that many were used to eating Mexican in the US.  

The class took up a whole morning finishing with the meal as a lunch so be prepared to spend an entire day at the school. This was well worth the time out of our sight seeing and relaxing schedule though and was one of the more memorable vacation days we've had travelling. 

On leaving the school they provided us with a recipe book of everything we had done that day and a lovely apron each, that I use constantly. Here I'm going to give one of the recipes that they provided but I will say that the experience, the hands on fun and the time we had as a couple make the cooking school experience worth far more than the recipes we walked away with. Much recommended.

Chilled avocado soup with tortilla sticks and chilli oil

Fresh potato and corn gorditas; including all the salsas and salads

Crusted tuna fillet with mango salsa and cilantro lime rice

Chocolate Truffle Tart with Spicy Pecans

Spicy nut topping

1/4 cup dark agave

2tspn ground cinnamon

1 tspn ground orange peel

1/4 tspn dried chile arbol (ground)

2 tbspn brown sugar

2 cups pecans

1/2 tspn salt

Method

• Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set asside
• Mix the agave, cinnamon, orange peel, chile arbol, brown sugar and salt together in a small bowl
• Place the nuts in a skillet and set over medium heat. 
• Add the nuts to the skillet and cook while stirring frequently for 4 -6 minutes until they start to brown and a toasty scent is found
• Add the spice mix to the skillet and stir continuously until the mixture thickens and coats the nuts, approximately 2-3 mins
• Transfer the nuts to the sheet pan and separate with a spatula. Allow the nuts to cook then use to top pastry or on their own with cheese or dried fruit

Crust

3 cups plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup cold butter cut into cubes

1 large egg

1 tbspn white vinegar

3 - 5 tbspns cold water

Method

• Preheat oven to 220C (425F)  
• In a small bowl mix egg, vinegar and 3 tbspn water
• In a food processor combine flour and salt and pulse slowly. Add buttter and pulse until you get a small crumb consistency
• Add the egg mixture and continue to pulse until the dough comes clean off the sides of the mixer
• Portion dough into 2 equal disks and rest the dough in the fridge for 1 hour
• Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface into a 20cm (8 inch) circle 
• Transfer to a shallow tart pan, cover the bottom of the pastry with a circle of foil and 2 cups of dry beans (to dry bake the pastry flat)
• Bake pastry for 10 minutes
• Remove the beans and foil and continue cooking for another 10 mins until light brown in colour
• Rest the crust for 30 mins to cool before adding the filling

Filling

1 cup heavy cream

5 oz (125g) dark chocolate

1 tablet Mexican chocolate

1/4 cup melted butter

2tbpsn toasted ground coffee

2 oz liqueur - Xtabentun for Mexican flavour or your choice of spirits

2 tspn Vanilla extract 

1 tspn ground cinnamon

Method

• In a small pot bring the heavy cream to a boil and then take off the stove
• Mix the chocolates and butter into the cream folding well until you see that the butter is encorporated
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the chocolate and mix
• Pour the chocolate mixture into the tart shell and place in the fridge for 3 hours to set completely
• Top with spicy nuts, cream or other garnish of your choosing
• Serve with fresh berries and wild honey

The Little Mexican Cooking School

http://www.thelittlemexicancookingschool.com/

A hands on, all day cooking class 

Fun for beginners and foodies alike

Av Javier Rojo Gomez
77580 Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo
Mexico

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

I like to post my 'best classics' recipes on occasion for those who are just learning to cook or looking for a great rendition of a standard dish. This cookie recipe is an excellent rendition of a classic. Not too sweet, but very rich.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup castor or baker's sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (250g) salted butter, softened
2 tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1 egg
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts - (1/2 cup Walnuts and 1/2 cup Pecans)
2 cups chocolate chips

• I use half and half Walnuts and Pecans to get that classic cookie taste but any nuts you have on hand will do. 
• Dark or semi sweet chocolate chips add the best flavour; using 2 or more brands of chocolate chips will give variation in the texture and add interest. 
• To reduce calories I use sugar free chocolate chips and replace the castor sugar with Splenda. Do not use all Splenda or the cookies will not brown

Method

• Preheat oven to 165C (325F) 
• Soften the butter either by leaving it out of the fridge or using the microwave. Butter that is partially melted has the best results for the final cookies. 

• Cream the butter and sugars together using an electric mixer, once the butter has lightened in colour add the vanilla and the egg and whip until well combined. 
• Add the flour, baking soda and salt and then mix until a dough is formed.

• Coarsely chop the nuts, if you have a herb grinder or small food processor this will give the best consistency. 
• Add the chopped nuts and the chocolate chips to the batter and then mix thoroughly using a spatula

Testing the effect of portioning on the final results - scoop cookies, chilled batter, hand shaped, spoon drop, batter balls

• I spent some time experimenting with different methods of portioning and baking the batter to give the "most attractive" cookies and these gave the most consistent results. Use a spoon or your hands if this is too much bother
• Line 2 cookie sheets with baking paper or silicon baking liners; make sure to let the sheets and liners cool before reusing them or the butter in the batter will melt and change the shape of the cookies
• Using a cookie scoop measure out the batter into drop cookies (around 1tbspn of batter per cookie) spaced around 2 inches apart

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• Do not flatten or otherwise reshape the scooped batter. Add some extra chocolate chips to the top of the mounds so that some chips will be exposed above the cookie. 
• Put the tray with portioned cookies into the freezer for 15 mins, cooling the batter gives better shape and reduces spread during baking
• Once the batter is frozen place the tray into the oven to bake for around 15 mins or until the batter is very lightly golden brown - remember that the cookies will continue to bake slightly after being removed from the oven

• Cool on a rack and serve with coffee or cold milk. Store in cookie tins lined with baking paper and keep for 1-2 weeks if you can.

Recipe: Reuben Sandwiches

Reuben sandwiches are one of those classic American dishes that I'd not encountered until I moved to the US. The combination of flavours doesn't sound like it should be good but it is! This is now one of my go to comfort meals.

Reuben Sandwiches

2 slices rye bread

1 tbspn Dijon Mustard OR 1 tbspn Russian Dressing

2 slices Pastrami or Corned Beef

1 slice Swiss cheese

1/2 cup sauerkraut 

1 tbspn butter

Method

• In this picture I've used sourdough but traditionally a marbled rye bread is used. Any good quality bread will do but you want something dense enough to hold up to the pickled strong ingredients
• In a pan heat the sauerkraut and the pastrami until warm
• Russian Dressing is a combination of mayonnaise, ketchup and other ingredients either this or Dijon Mustard can be used. Supposedly the choice of the two is an East/West coast variation 
• Spread your condiment on the bread slices - I opt for Mustard
• Cut the warm pastrami to size and place on the bread, then layer the cheese and the sauerkraut
• Close the sandwich and then butter the outside of the bread
• Grill the sandwich either in a skillet or using a panini press 
• Serve with sweet American soda like Root Beer, Dr Pepper or Coca Cola

Review: Sandos Cancun Luxury Experience Resort, Mexico

One of the advantages of the United States is the vast number of tourist destinations within affordable travel range and so we took a week's vacation to Cancun Mexico and tripped about the Riviera Maya and Yucatan.

As it was toward's the end of the high season we got a killer deal on Orbitz for a week at the Sandos resort, an all inclusive holiday destination. This means all you can eat food and drink; a concept that Americans seem to love on vacation but for me this was my first time at such a place.

I thought you might be interested in what you get at such a resort. They had 3 major restaurants - Seasons - a set menu molecular gastronomy affair, Zango's - the main restaurant and buffet, Gaijin - an unfortunately named teppanyaki restaurant.

They also include all you can drink cocktails, coffee time pastries, as well as bistro snacks by the pool and limited room service menu. Going during off season meant that we got a suite and all the food and beverage packages for less than $200USD per night. Prices in Cancun are similar to the US so don't expect to be able to eat off resort cheaply unless you track down small venues that the resort staff and locals eat at.

Please excuse some of the shadowing on the pictures I have a new camera which is proving difficult on macro shots.

Cocktails

Rob Roy

Miami Vice

Grasshopper

High Tea

Seasons

Assorted breads baked in house 

Shrimp "ceviche" ravioli with chipotle emulsion

Yellow corn "cappucino" with coconut foam and truffle parfum

Roasted duck breast with passion fruit spheric and sweet sensations salad

Deconstructed Key Lime Pie

Zango's Mexican Fiesta night

Breads

Sweets and desserts

Festive setting at sun down

Gaijin

Theatrics from the Teppanyaki chef

Fried rice

Miso with seasonal vegetables

Garlic chicken teppanyaki

Fried ice cream

So what was my experience of the food and drink at Sandos? For the price eating in was very economical, snacks, beers and cocktails by the pool would easily have run us $100 a day. Like many facilities designed for Americans I find the customer service to be variable depending on how nice you are to the staff and whether you tip. $1 a drink is a standard US tip and ensured that we got regular service and kind offers of refills or dish suggestions. I found that customers that were rude or needy to the staff were treated in kind. I have found reviews online of such resorts to be peppered with US tourists expecting to be waited on hand and foot without a single word of kindness to their servers. 

For foodies the quality was 'acceptable' but not amazing and given that we were there for a week it got a bit stale in choice. Still I would happily recommend the experience to others going to Mexico especially given the very limited number of smaller hotels and resorts in the Cancun area. If you include the cost of nights at the bar, breakfasts and dinners it was almost impossible to match the price. I would probably advise going out a night or two for local food. The breakfasts were amazing so fill up in the morning, spend the day site seeing and come home for a hearty dinner before relaxing in your room. 

Be prepared to change seats if you encounter large wedding parties. The all you can drink service and beautiful beach setting make this a common destination for weddings. We weren't the only couple on a romantic holiday to run away from loud groups invading the dining rooms and bars late at night. 

Sandos Cancun Luxury Experience Resort, Mexico

All you can eat and drink beach resort

Good for groups and romantic vacations - not family friendly

Recipe: Blueberry Yoghurt Pancakes

Brunch is a much loved meal in our house and weekends are all about taking the time for special morning meals. The yoghurt in this dish adds a tangy note that sets off the blueberries well but also makes a hearty meal without additional fat. 

Blueberry yoghurt pancakes

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup yoghurt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup milk or almond milk

2 eggs

1 tspn vanilla

Oil for frying

Method

• Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar
• In a small bowl whisk the eggs and vanilla, then add the milk
• Add the liquid ingredients to the flour, stir until a batter is formed
• Add the yoghurt and stir until incorporated into the batter
• Fold the blueberries carefully into the batter 
• Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil to the pan
• Using a ladle or jug (pitcher) pour a pool of batter the size of your palm into the pan
• Once bubbles appear in the pancake then flip carefully so as to not break the blueberries
• Serve with your favourite pancake toppings like maple syrup, powdered sugar and lemon or more yoghurt and blueberries (as pictured)
• Makes 6 pancakes

Recipe: Oatmeal & Craisin cookies

Cookies are a fast and furious way to make a sweet treat out of cheap cupboard staples. Whether you have guests coming, children in need of a snack or just have a craving for a good book and a cup of tea these cookies are a spicy and delicious morsel. 

Oatmeal & Craisin Cookies

250g (2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
3 eggs
1 tspn vanilla
1 tpsn baking soda
2 tspns cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) and line 2 cookie sheets with baking paper
• Soften the butter and add to a large mixing bowl, cream the butter using an electric hand mixer
• Slowly add both types of sugar and cream with the butter until smooth
• Beat in the eggs 1 at a time and then add the vanilla
• Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda into the bowl and mix into the batter
• Chop the Craisins and pecans into pieces and add to the batter, mixing thoroughly
• Using a tablespoon measure spoonfuls of batter into the hand and roll into balls, place around 5cm apart on the cookie sheet
• Flatten the balls into a cookie shape using a fork and place the tray into the oven
• Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned
• Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cookie rack
• If you have the willpower let cool completely before storing in a cookie jar or tin or try not to burn your fingers as you eat them warm
• Budget busting? Switch the pecans and cranberries for cheaper ingredients like raisins, peanuts or chocolate chips
• Lighten the calories by using light margarine in place of butter, Splenda in place of sugar and reduced sugar Craisins

Recipe: Banh Mi with fresh pickled onions

We try to have a leftovers night regularly in my house to make sure that we clear out the fridge and don't waste food. Rather than just eating the same dish again I prefer to turn it into something new. This week I had Vietnamese ingredients from our Bun Cha and also leftovers from a Sunday roast so Banh Mi was just what the doctor ordered!

Pickled Onions

1 red onion

1 cup white or rice vinegar

2 tbpsn salt

2 tbspn sugar

• Start by making the pickled onions, you can also pickle the cucumber this way if you like a more sour vegetable mix
• Chop the onions into rounds or half moon shapes and add to a bowl
• Sprinkle the salt and sugar on the onions
• Add the vinegar, enough to cover the onions
• Mix with a spoon and leave for 20 mins before preparing the sandwiches
• The colour from the onions may leave a faint pink colour in the liquid, this is normal
• Drain off the pickling liquid and then use for sandwiches, salads or Mexican food

Banh Mi

1 baguette

2 tbpsns liver pate

1 bird's eye chilli or 1 tbspn Schiracha sauce

1 tbspn mayonnaise

4 slices roasted meat or cold cuts (chicken, pork or beef all work well)

1 carrot

2 tbspn pickled onions

8-10 slices of cucumber

1/2 cup coriander leaves

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

• Ingredient amounts are for 1 sandwich, multiply by the number of guests
• I regularly make my own chicken liver pate but any commercial pate or Liverwurst can suffice
• Prepare the ingredients before collating the sandwich - slice the cucumber, julienne the carrots, de-stem the herbs, slice the meats, pickle the onions and set asside all the spread ingredients

• Cut the roll in half, spread one side with the pate and the other side with the mayonnaise; if you are allergic to eggs use butter. If using Schiracha spread on top of the mayonnaise
• Over the pate place your cold meats, for this sandwich I used a mix of leftover roast beef and cold cut Black Forest pork

• Spread the vegetables (cucumber, carrot, pickled onion and chilis) over both sides of the sandwich
• Stuff with coriander and mint and serve! 

Recipe: Bun cha - Vietnamese pork patties with herb salad

This is a labour intensive dish but absolutely delicious on a hot Summer's day.

Pork patties

500g (2lbs) ground lean pork

1 onion or 1 bunch of spring onions

1/4 bunch fresh mint

1/4 bunch fresh coriander

4 bird's eye chillis

2 carrots

2 eggs

1 sprig lemongrass

1 clove garlic

1 tbspn ginger

2 tbpsns soy sauce

1 tbspn Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc nam)

• I prepare the vegetable/herb mixture using a food processor or electric vegetable chopper to save time
• Grate or chop the carrots and onions and add to your mixer or a bowl
• Separate out some of the herbs,  you will use the rest in the salad about 1/4 of each bunch will do, you should end up with about 1 cup of each once you have removed the stems and separated the leaves
• Add diced garlic and ginger, mince the herbs and chili and add to the mix
• If mixing by hand then whisk the eggs before adding to the vegetable mix, if using a machine you can add directly 
• Add the liquid ingredients - soy and fish sauce. You should now have a quite liquid mix. 
• For a gluten free/low carb variation use Tamari or wheat free soy sauce
• Add to the minced pork and mix thoroughly to ensure that the herbs and egg are distributed throughout the meat
• Take a generous spoon (a serving spoon or ice cream scoop size) of each and form into patties, I do this by rolling into a ball and then tossing between my hands. Place on a tray covered in plastic until you are ready to cook. 
• This recipe should make enough for 4 people, as I often cook for 2 you can transfer 1 tray of meat patties to the freezer and once frozen store in a bag or box for another day
• Grill or fry the pork patties until a firm texture is reached then serve on top of the dressed salad detailed below
• Because there is no breading in this dish it is perfect for keto or gluten free eaters. 3g carbs (2g net) for 2 patties.

Dressing (Nuoc Cham)

5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup fish sauce (Nuoc Mam)
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1 large clove garlic
2 bird's eye chillis
1 spring onion

• Depending on how cold you like your dressing you may wish to begin with this step before making the pork
• Boil the water and add the sugar, stir until all the sugar is dissolved. 
• Splenda or Stevia work just as well for Keto; but this sauce will be odd if you omit all sweeteners. Sauce is around 1g carbs per 1/4 cup if using low carb sweeteners. 
• Add the fish sauce, be sure to use Vietnamese Nuoc Mam and not Thai fish sauce which is much stronger and overpowering in this recipe
• Add the lemon juice, if using fresh lemon juice strain the sauce to exclude all the pith
• Dice the garlic and add to the sauce
• Cut the spring onion and chilli into fine slices and add to the sauce
• Chill and serve, this recipe is enough to make sauce for 2 servings, discard after 2 weeks if unused
• The sauce can also be used as a dipping sauce for Summer rolls and other Vietnamese appetisers

Salad

1 cake of rice vermicelli

1 bunch fresh mint

1 bunch fresh coriander

200g bean sprouts 

4 tbspns roasted peanuts

1/2 cucumber

1 carrot

• The salad ingredients take some time to prepare; I suggest doing this before cooking the meat patties or they will cool too much before serving
• Boil the vermicelli for 5 minutes in hot water and then transfer to a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove any rice starch from the noodles and to cool. 
• Leave the noodles to cool and dry thoroughly before using in the salad. If you do this step first the noodles should be cool by the time you finish preparing the other salad ingredients.
• Peel the carrots and julien, cut the cucumbers into strips
• Pull the leaves of the herbs off the stems and set asside, you should use the rest of the bunch that you didn't  use in the meat preparation
• Crush or dice the peanuts until to small crumbly pieces
• In a noodle bowl layer the salad - or ask your guests to choose their own. 
• I layer noodles, then vegetables, then herbs, pour dressing over, top with the meat and then crumble with peanuts. 
• Omit the noodles and replace with lettuce or more herbs for a low carb variation. 
• Serve with Summer rolls and a small dish of the dressing so that diners may dip their meat with each bite

Review: Sapporo-ya, San Francisco

The hunt for the ideal ramen place in San Francisco continues; having moved to Japantown some months ago we've been slowly hunting for the right combination of great soups and noodles.

Sapporo-ya is definitely a contender for my best ramen place in the area. Moving to San Francisco from Sydney means that I was amazed and disappointed how many mediocre noodle joints there are when San Francisco has a reputation as a city with good Asian food. In particular we had been craving and craving hand pulled noodles and failed to find them over and over again. Sapporo-ya finally hit home with the right chewy fresh morish noodles we were after. 

Hiyayakko (cold tofu appetiser) $4.50USD

The tofu here is good but bought in, but they serve it with plenty of sides. A great light alternative to dumplings.

Curry Ramen $14.50USD

This is the only place I've found in San Francisco so far that serves curry ramen - a salted ramen soup is topped with Japanese style beef and vegetable curry and micro greens. This is not overly hot but it is very filling so be warned! Great on a Wintery day

Soy Ramen $9.95USD

Lots of good additions here, vegetables, tofu and eggs. You can add additional toppings like corn, butter, pork and more for around $1 a topping.

Spicy Miso Chashu Ramen $13.95USD

Probably my favourite of their offerings the spicy miso soup is heart and delicious with a lot more substance than the other broths. It would have been better with more collagen but nonetheless is excellent and served with fantastic rolled roasted pork. 

The service can be a bit haphazard but no worse than any other noodle joint I've been too. The decor is a little quaint; reminds me of cheap eateries in the back alleys of Osaka. The miso broth is definitely the best here, I would have liked a chilli-sesame broth on the menu but all the soups have been decent and the noodles top notch. Unfortunately they hard boil their eggs which is a bit sad, but their bamboo is fresh and delicious so that makes up forit!

Sapporo-ya

Casual noodle eatery, kitsch decor