Vegan

These sweet peaches are used often in Mexican cooking primarily to decorate cakes and to eat with ice cream or pancakes. I thought it might be nice to have this recipe so you can make some at the height of peach season and use them in the colder months when fresh local ones are out of the question.

This is a four-generation recipe that is still enjoyed today by Estela Elizondo’s family in Monterrey, Mexico. I have made these many times and really like them. If you like a little heat, toss them with about 1 teaspoon ground chile, such as chipotle or guajillo, mixed with the superfi ne sugar. To me, that makes these traditional strips of sweetness have a little fun while dancing along on your palate. You can use the leftover grapefruit flesh to make the Red Sorbet Terrine with Hibiscus Compote (page 196).

As my friend Josefina says, we Mexicans love two kinds of sweets: the really over-the-top sweet, sticky ones that make your teeth ache, and the tart-spicy ones that make your mouth pucker, scorch your palate, and make the tip of your tongue salivate. Many of these latter kinds are made with tamarind. This recipe is one that most people think of when it comes to dulce de tamarindo. They are sold along the highways and beaches of Acapulco. Even when they are mixed with sugar, they remain tart and acidic; however, I have included an option for adding citric acid for those who really want an extreme puckery sensation. These tamarind balls have seeds in them. You can make them without the seeds, but it’s a little extra work (however, I don’t think you’ll mind sucking the seeds, trying to get all the tasty candy off).

There are countless sweets made from shredded or ground coconut, called cocadas. Some are cooked with milk and baked; others are mixed with piloncillo, thickened with eggs, and finished with liqueur or simply cooked in their own juice. How to choose one recipe? This was no easy task, but I chose this particular one from a small village in Yucatan, where I found a stand that sold more than twenty different kinds. The fresh lime zest brightens the slightly burnt flavor of the caramel that enrobes the tasty coconut morsels. This could even be used as a sort of jam if cooked a little less. For a little more information on coconut, see page 9.

Crystallized fruit is basically fruit that’s been cooked for a long time in a sugar or piloncillo syrup until it is almost translucent (hence the name). t is customary to presoak the fruit overnight in lime or calcium oxide so hat it retains its shape after the long cooking process. The town of Santa ruz Acalpixa in Xochimilco is one of the best places to appreciate the normous variety of candied fruit, including prickly pears, figs, oranges, cactus paddles, and even chiles. A word of caution, though: beware of bees when making this! The process takes several days, but it’s quite simple and the fruit will fast for a several months and up to a year if stored properly. You can use he same method for many kinds of fruit, so pick some that are in season but slightly underripe so they don’t fall apart.

I have not been able to have these for a very long time because I became allergic to peanuts about fifteen years ago, but I always looked for them on my way to the movies when I was little. It was one of my favorite treats—a long tube of soft plastic, filled with crunchy, sweet red balls that never lasted through the movie. I never realized or even questioned how they were made, but I definitely remember being fascinated by the idea that each peanut was encapsulated in a sugary, crunchy coating. I have not put any food coloring in these because I prefer the caramel color, and I don’t think the traditional red adds anything to the recipe. I am certain you will end up making these again and again.

Chihuahua, a state in the north of Mexico, is filled with nogales, the pecan tree that adorns many of the valleys and towns in the area, and there are hundreds of dishes and desserts where the pecan is the featured star. One of my favorite pecan recipes is this one prepared by Marisela Chavez de Romo, a very kind and sweet woman who opened her home to me and showed me the proper way to select and clean pecans during an afternoon of pecan-based recipes. These wonderful treats are special because of their unexpected molassy flavor.

I know you’re probably thinking, bean candy? That doesn’t sound too good. I was doubtful, too, but I was pleasantly surprised and excited about this wonderful recipe. I am deeply grateful to our dear family friend Amado for getting this recipe that came from his friend. The beans are cooked with cinnamon, puréed, and cooked again with orange juice and sugar. After awhile of stirring, the flavors begin to come together and a wonderful chest nutlike texture is achieved. The paste is then formed into balls and rolled in sugar. I love giving it to people to try and guess what the main ingredient is. Although only one person out of about thirty is able to guess, they all really like it. The original recipe is made with dark raisins, but I prefer to use currants.

These candies were supposedly created in the Santa Clara convent in the state of Puebla and are sold everywhere in that state. They are long, cigar-shaped pieces of sugary sweet potato flavored with different fruits (mostly using flavorings and added colorings), but this is the basic recipe without any distractions. They are usually made with white sweet potato, but I prefer the flavor of the yellow or orange kind. Although it takes a couple of days to dry out, you can also serve it on a platter once it has cooled (and then you won’t even have to wait to eat it) the way many desserts were served in convents, and decorate it with some fresh pineapple on top.

Ates are fruit pastes made from cooked fruit and sugar, a method that was brought by the Spaniards by way of the Arabs. In the old days, the word ate was put at the end of the main ingredient, such as mangate (mango paste), perate (pear paste), or membrillate (quince paste). Ates are cooked down in copper or heavy pots, and once cooled they are cut up into slices. The more the mixture cooks, the firmer it will be. They are sold in many markets by weight and are also cut into small cubes, tossed in sugar, and then sold in baskets of assorted flavors and colors. Known as ates in the majority of the country, they are also called cajetas (not to be confused with the caramel sauce) in some of the northern states. Quince ate is one of the most common flavors because of its high pectin content, and it is definitely my favorite. Ate can last for a long time (up to two years!). Be sure to serve it with some kind of semifirm cheese that isn’t too salty (it is commonly served with Manchego).

This recipe takes very little time to make but amazes everyone. The natural oil from the peanuts, or any other nut you are using, comes out when you grind it, and the sugar barely holds this crumbly, nutty sweetness together.

Almonds were used in most of the convents, and these prunes filled with an almond candy similar to marzipan capture the love the nuns had for this ingredient. You can always buy almond flour, but I find that the flavor of the nut really comes through when you make it at home, and the honey adds a delightful sweetness. You can fill dried figs, dried apricots, or dates instead.

This is a wonderful beverage made from toasted ground corn sweetened with sugar or piloncillo. You can find it prepared, already ground and ready to be mixed with water or milk. Additional flavors vary depending on the region and include anise, oatmeal, allspice, chocolate, and cinnamon, the most common. It is a very tasty, refreshing, and energizing drink, especially when served cold.

Theobroma cacao, the botanical name meaning “food from the gods,” captures the magnificent essence of the cacao bean. It’s the perfect way to start the journey through the sweets of Mexico because it is also considered one of the most important contributions from the land to the world. Cacao was consumed by the Olmecas as early as 1500 B.C.E. Mayan priests used it for religious rituals, mixing it with chiles, vanilla, and honey. The Mexica indians consumed it hot or cold and mixed it with ground corn, vanilla (the orchid and the bean), magnolia flowers, achiote, allspice, or honey, and used the bean as currency. It was (and continues to be) energetically beaten with a molinillo, poured from up high so it is foamy, and often taken in ceramic cups or jícaras (gourd bowls). In Mesoamerica, the fruit of the cacao symbolized the human heart, and the ground toasted bean symbolized the blood. Moctezuma Xocoyotzin offered the first chocolate beverage to Hernán Cortés. Cortés sent cacao to Europe as a tribute to Spain, explaining the different uses and the importance it had in Tenochtitlan; it quickly became the preferred beverage of the king. In Mexico, chocolate remains an ingredient used primarily in beverages. Its importance has lasted many centuries, and there are many different kinds of chocolate mixtures. Many places preserve the tradition of slowly toasting the beans on a comal, peeling them (an atole is sometimes made from the shells), and grinding them by hand over a warm molinillo; others go to a community mill. Either way, most mix it with sugar and cinnamon (the cinnamon is also toasted and ground, in most cases). Then tablets or balls are formed from this granular mixture and left to dry in the shade. The ones with almonds, vanilla, and/or spices are usually reserved for special occasions. I wanted to make my own in a modern kitchen using a food processor because much of the hot chocolate that is exported doesn’t have almonds and uses artificial flavoring (luckily, though, a couple of really good brands are becoming more available); I was very happy with the results. You can make the hot chocolate with water or milk and use a whisk if you don’t have a molinillo, but make sure it is really frothy and hot when you drink it.

Everybody likes something to munch on for extra energy, or to accompany that glass of wine earned by a day of unpacking! You may think you’ll never find ancho-chile powder, but McCormick packages it, and it is readily available at most grocery stores. It’s really important to keep the heat on low in this recipe, because the nuts and spices are inclined to get too brown.

Assure your neighbors that they won’t have to dig out the grill immediately to slap this dry rub on steaks (although you wouldn’t mind if they did!). The mixture can be kept in a clean, airtight jar for up to 3 months.

Filled with the energy of oats and the antioxidants of blueberries, this is the mix for a kick-ass day. Keep it on hand and nothing can stop you. What’s nice is, it’s not too sweet, not too fatty, and really flavorful. It’s just right; and when you’re away from your family or what’s familiar to you, this kind of homemade love will soften the blow.

PAT I told y’all, I can’t have steak without potatoes, and fingerling potatoes are my choice. These rich and creamy little darlings are about the size of my fingers, and they are firm enough to withstand the heat of my grill. A great tip for grilling potatoes is to boil them a bit first; this will give you faster and more even grilling. The olive oil will keep them moist and let the rosemary and garlic do their aromatic thing.