Entomadas (Enchiladas with fresh tomato sauce)

 

About 20 years ago, there was a Hole-in-the-wall Mom & Pop Mexican restaurant that had the best Mexican food, on the Monterey Peninsula. I'm not kidding. Locals would patiently wait for one of the few booths, or to sit at the counter to order really authentic Mexican food. This is the restaurant where I discovered Entomatadas. 

I'm surprised at how many people I know, who are Mexican, who say they've never heard of these! I'm so glad that I discovered this dish, because I love cheese enchiladas.  I loved these so much, that I craved them on a regular basis.  It got to the point where I'd walk into this little restaurant, and the mother or daughter would look at me and say "Entomatadas, rice and beans, right?"

Right! Please and thank you.  Then, a sad thing happened.  The restaurant closed. Empty. Shuttered and gone. I was heartbroken, and lamented that I'd never have these again. I'd think of those entomatadas,  whenever I had a craving for Mexican food, and I'd miss my beloved Mexican restaurant all over again.

It was time for me to see if I could clone that recipe.  First, let me introduce you to what an Entomatada is. It means "covered it tomato".  In a way, this is an enchilada. The difference is that the sauce isn't loaded with a lot of chili powder or chili peppers.  The sauce should have the brightness and taste of fresh tomato, with a mild amount of seasoning.  Traditionally, Entomatadas are stuffed with cheese (and sometimes onion).  Can you add chicken or beef? Of course you can.  But I wanted to make my version of Entomatadas as close as the one's from my beloved restaurant.

For Cinco de Mayo, I found that Roma tomatoes and Jalapenos were plentiful and on sale. I bought Medium Cheddar Cheese and Monterey Jack.  I did a little internet surfing and found a sparse selection of Entomatada recipes. I didn't like many of them, because I didn't want to add Chicken Bouillon or chicken stock.  I didn't want to add all kinds of chili, or I'd be right back to a more traditional enchilada sauce.  I wanted to be a tomato purist, and I didn't want too many spices to mute the star of the show.  

I decided to broil four Roma tomatoes, garlic, onion and one-half a de-seeded jalapeno for five minutes.

I debated whether or not to leave the tomato skin on, since I'm going to be buzzing this in my blender.

Why not? The skin slipped right off!

For seasoning, I added one teaspoon of coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.

I cut some fresh cilantro (3 or 4 sprigs) from our herb garden, added bit of black pepper and got ready for some pureeing action.

 I tasted the tomato sauce, and got a punch of heat! Whoa!  That was a little too hot for me, and I had to tone down the jalapeno. So, I added  four more broiled Roma tomatoes and pureed those-- that would be a total of 8 Roma Tomatoes. Perfect!

To make the enchiladas sauce takes about 10 minutes. Don't you love it? ! The entomatadas are just as quick to make: using a non-stick skillet, I added a small amount of vegetable oil (like a teaspoon...maybe two).  Corn tortillas (not flour) were cooked for about 30 seconds-- just enough to soften them, but not make them crispy.

A little of the tomato sauce is poured on the bottom of an oven-proof dish.  Fill a corn tortilla with a little cheese, and add a little freshly onion-- or leave out the onion, if you prefer.

Pour a little sauce on top...

Queso Fresco would be a perfect cheese to garnish on top, but I didn't have any. No biggie. I used the same cheese on top as I had stuffed on this inside.  These are baked at 350F for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and hot.

The sour cream garnish is truly a must. If I had fresh avocado, that would have been a nice touch.

I didn't make homemade refried beans (and I won't eat canned refried beans... yuck!) Instead, I made a healthy green salad which was delicious-- but next time, I'm definitely make rice and beans to go with this. Oh, and a margarita, too.

TASTING NOTES:  Sha-Zam!  Seriously, I nailed it and I am thrilled.  I loved the tomato sauce, which was bright and fresh tasting. The sauce was flavorful and mild, with a gentle heat of the jalapeno. I had to add just a bit more salt, but the cumin was subtle and just right.   I am not a fan of any canned enchilada sauce that I've ever tried.  I find that it's got an overwhelming flavor of chili powder that I just don't care for. I'm working on perfecting my own homemade enchilada sauce. However, I still prefer Entomatadas, any day, because I love the flavor of tomato.  The gooey cheese, and onions are very much like my Tex Mex Chili Gravy enchiladas-- except a much more pronounced tomato.  I guess the theme here is TOMATO!

I had plenty of leftover sauce, since I only made two casserole servings.  The very next day, I made the rest of the Entomadas and polished off the sauce.  I loved it just as much.  My husband loved them, too. This is a great vegetarian meal, to boot.

If you love Mexican food, I hope you try this authentic Mexican dish. It might be a bit obscure, but it's a gem of a dish.  Trust me!

So, the winner of the Tate's Bake Shop Giveaway is... Random.org picked the number "1" (what are those odds?) and congratulations to  Carole!  Carole, you have an email on your profile, so I'll send you a message. Whoo-hoo! Email me at foodiewife@gmail.com with you shipping address!

Here's the recipe:

Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate-Orange Marble Cake

 

My friends, at Tate's Bake Shop sent me a copy of their newest Cookbook "Baking For Friends" .  That means I can add this cookbook to their "Tate's Bakeshop Cookbook", where I posted my version of their Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Yay!


In 2011, I was fortunate to receive a sampling of their cookies, granola and Sour Cream Coffee Cake and I can honestly say that their baked goods are quality and delicious.  Tate's Bake Shop is located in the Hamptons, and is owned by Kathleen King. I've seen her featured on Ina Garten's show "The Barefoot Contessa". 

I enjoyed flipping through the recipes, and I bookmarked a few. The one recipe that really stood out to me was the Chocolate-Blood Orange Cake.  The photograph was so pretty, and this marbled cake reminded me of my own mom's version.  One of the signature cakes that my mother often baked was a Marbled Kugel Kuchen, that had a yellow batter with chocolate.  I never did get that recipe from her, so I thought I'd try this version


Blood oranges aren't in season, so I used Navel Oranges for this recipe. The recipe lists 2 ounces, each, of bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate.  The batter ingredients includes two sticks of butter, and one cup of sour cream.  I love adding sour cream to cakes because I can pretty much be guaranteed that the cake will be moist.

Half the batter has orange zest added to it.  My own little addition was to add a little bit of Pure Orange oil and a little bit of Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor.  These are baking ingredients that I use all the time, and I think they add some extra flavor to my baked goods.

The other half of the cake batter has the melted (and cooled) chocolate whipped into it. (I omitted using mini chocolate chips.) The batter is spooned in, alternately.

The recipe suggests to bake for 50 minutes, but when I inserted a long skewer, the cake was done at 40 minutes.

I love this Heritage Bundt Pan, because it makes a really pretty cake. I find that, if sprayed properly with a non-stick baking/flour spray, that cakes pop right out.  The cake is cooled, in the pan, for about 10 minutes.

A simple syrup of orange juice and sugar is very slowly poured over the cake, so that it soaked completely in-- and then is allowed to cool completely.

My husband was more than willing to be my honest taste tester.

I brewed a cup of hot tea, and gingerly touched the slice of cake, before taking my own taste test. It was very soft. Yes!

TASTING NOTES:  My husband immediately detected the orange cake flavor.  He's one of my toughest critics, because he knows I want his honest opinion.  He loved it!  The cake is super moist, and I love the balance of the chocolate with the orange. (Personally, I didn't miss not having added the mini chocolate chips.) You can't taste the sour cream, but I'm sure that ingredient really helps with the tender and moist crumb of this cake.   I think you can easily substitute lemon juice and zest, which is what my mother often did.  Actually, I'd make this cake without the chocolate. The batter is awesome!

I'm so pleased with this recipe that I look forward to trying several others that Kathleen King has created.

Tate's Bake Shop would like to offer a chance for my lovely readers to win a basket of their baked goods.
It features a lemon tea loaf, buttery-rich shortbread squares, an individual coffee cake, a box of our famous crispy chocolate chip cookies and copy of Baking for Friends, with over 120 delicious recipes. 

And until May 12th, 2013 anyone who visits the Tate's Bake Shop website can save 20% on a purchase with discount code: mom13.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment.  For additional entries:

"Like" their Facebook and come and let me know that you've done so.

"Tweet" this giveaway, and  come and let me know that you've done so.

"Like" my facebook and let me know.
Please be sure that I have a way to contact you. If you don't have a profile with an email, please be sure to leave your email in the comment.

All entries must be entered no later than Thursday, May 9th at 9:00pm PST.

I will announce the winner on Friday, May 10th. 
***Comments have been turned off, the giveaway entry window has closed. A Winner will be announced tomorrow**

Good luck!

Thank you so much Tate's Bake Shop for your cookbook.  I look forward to sharing more recipes, and someday,  I hope to visit the Hamptons.  Here's the recipe for the cake:
 

Bacon & Cheddar Biscuits with Maple Chipotle Butter

 

About every other month, my husband and I make a point of dining at a more expensive "upscale" restaurant that is new to us. I usual check reviews on both Yelp and Trip Advisor to get a feel for what people rave about.  I made reservations and we got dressed up for Date Night on the town.
 

The restaurant's signature Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits with Maple Chipotle Butter received a lot of rave reviews. So we split an order at the price of  $6.00 for two biscuits.  Biscuits don't typically rock my world, but I have to say-- these biscuits were served piping hot, and they were tender.  The Maple Chipotle butter was the crowning glory. Wow! I thought to myself, "I really want to see if I can replicate these, at home."

I think that I've had a lackluster love for biscuits, because I was raised with canned biscuits.  Bleccch. The only other  biscuit recipe I've made, from scratch,  are Cathead Biscuits, which have become one of my most popular blog recipes. My men love them, and I think they're okay.  I got to thinking that I might adapt that recipe. Then again, I thought, I'd see what kind of recipes my trusty King Arthur Flour website would have for biscuits.  I have a bag of their new unbleached self-rising flour (and I love it) and there it was-- Easy Self-Rising Biscuits.  I was ready for the challenge!

 

First, I wanted to replicate the butter. Pure Maple Syrup is a staple at home. Yes, I do keep Chipotle Chili Powder on hand. It was 1-2-3 easy to do. One stick of butter, softened. I settled on 4 Tablespoons of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle Chili Powder.

I rolled half of the butter in plastic wrap and into a log, and stuck it in the freezer for another use. The other half was kept soft for the biscuits.

I keep strips of bacon in the freezer, so I can easily cut it into lardon (strips).  I used about 6 strips of bacon, cooked till almost crispy and then drained on a paper towel.


I used Sharp Cheddar Cheese, but you can use whatever you like. I used butter for the biscuits, instead of shortening. TIP:  I use frozen butter and grate it into the flour.  I think this is much easier than using a pastry cutter. 

The grated butter helps me to easily work the butter into the self-rising flour with my hands, without warming it too much.  Cold butter = tender biscuits. I then added the cheese and bacon.

I am convinced that using buttermilk makes a very tender biscuit. Once the dough comes together as "shaggy", I dump it onto a floured surface.  We're not going to be kneading the dough, or I'll get some tough biscuits. Instead, with floured hands, we'll fold press the dough together and then fold it over itself a few times. 

We're building some layers of dough, for a tender biscuit. I chose to pat and shape the dough into a large rectangle, using a bench scraper.

Using a sharp knife, I cut the rectangle into eight biscuits, and baked them until golden brown-- about
12 minutes.  The self-rising flour gives a lot of "lift" to my biscuits. 

TASTING NOTES:  The restaurant served these in the cutest single serving rectangle cast iron dishes. I'd love to get my hands on those. Other than that, I do believe I captured the flavor of the biscuits.  I might cut back just a wee bit on the cheddar cheese, though it wasn't a bad thing with lots of melted cheesy goodness. The bacon ratio was perfect.  I love the butter! With each tender biscuit bite, I could taste buttery goodness, salty bacon, sharp cheddar and the sweetness of the maple and a slight heat of the chipotle chili. This has made me appreciate what a good biscuit is all about.  

NOTE: I can't find King Arthur Flour Self-Rising flour at my grocery store, but I intend to order more online.  I've made great self-rising scones with this flour, and a cake recipe that I have yet to post. This is a great product, and it makes baking so simple to do.

I am not sponsored by King Arthur Flour, nor am I paid to promote their products. I simply love them!

I served these biscuits with my first Southern Style Fried Chicken. It's fried in a lot less oil than you'd think, and then baked in the oven.  

A printable recipe is at the end of this post.  If you love biscuits, you'll love these! 

Enjoy,

Mexican Chocolate Flan

 

Caramel is a sweet treat that makes me swoon. Seriously. All I have to see is a photo of caramel drizzled over pie, cake or ice cream and I find myself fantasizing about that buttery, creamy confection.  I'll take caramel over chocolate any day. Guaranteed.

When you pair a creamy bite of custardy "flan" with a caramel sauce-- I'm smitten. No matter how full I think I am, I can always find room for flan.  It's a surprisingly light dessert, and I think it's make a beautiful presentation.  It's really not difficult to make. 

"Cinco de Mayo" is less than a month away, and this would be a great dessert for a Mexican theme.   I buy the Ibarra brand of Mexican chocolate, which is laced with cinnamon and coarse sugar. It's really easy to find, at most grocery stores.  I thought that I'd add this chocolate to a traditional vanilla-based flan recipe-- and a little added Kahlua would make this flan taste a little extra special.

I feared making caramel for a very long time. I was afraid of burning the sugar.  I finally overcame that fear when  I made a Grand Marnier Caramel Sauce for a Panna Cota  (similar to a flan, but no eggs). To make a caramel flan sauce, you need a pan, sugar and water.  The key to success is to pay attention, don't stir the sugar and water (rather, swirl it) and watch for that amber color to happen.  I show another tutorial for a Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream recipe (one of my all time faves) here.

Once the sugar water has caramelized, pour it into ramekins (or oven-proof dishes).

Mexican chocolate looks like an interesting layer of chocolate and sugar. (Melt some in hot milk with vanilla, and you have a delicious hot beverage.)

Chopped Mexican chocolate is added to milk, and a couple sticks of cinnamon. It's heated until everything is melted. Everything is steeped for about 20 minutes.

In a separate bowl, five eggs are whisked and then Kahlua, a little almond extract and vanilla is added.

A little bit of the hot milk mixture is whisked into the eggs (so we don't get scrambled eggs) to "temper" it.  Then, the last of the hot milk is combined and then poured through a sieve into a spouted bowl/pitcher.

I've lined a roasting pan with a clean dish towel, so that the ramekins won't slide around.  The custard filling is evenly poured into each caramel filled ramekin. We need to bake the dishes in a Bain Marie-- which is a fancy way of saying to pour boiling water into the dish.  So that I don't accidentally splash water into the custard, I leave one ramekin out while filling the pan with boiling water-- then I place it back once the water is filled.  The water should come up halfway to the ramekins.

Loosely cover the pan with foil and bake at 325F until they are barely set. 

(A knife inserted halfway between the edge and the center should come out clean), 35 to 40 minutes)
Let cool in the water bath, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly.  You can make these up to 3 days in advance, before serving-- but I've never tried that. (These babies are gone as soon as they are chilled.)

To serve these, I fill a bowl with warm water (not piping hot) and set the ramekin in it for a minute or two. Then I loosen the edges with a sharp knife and set a serving plate on top. Invert...and...

 

...behold!  Glorious, creamy custard with a pool of golden caramel sauce.  I could just slurp up that caramel sauce, it is so good! I can't wait to make these again!

In last year's  theme of Cinco de Mayo, I made--

 

These delicious Chicken Mole Sandwiches on homemade Bolillo Rolls.

This homemade Salsa Verde (Tomatillo Sauce) is really easy to make-- and is perfect for this sandwich, or as a dip with tortilla chips.

I love Mexican food, and I should! My father was Latino and I grew up with it.  Cinco de Mayo is a good excuse for me to make these recipes, but I love it year-round.

As always, a printable recipe card is at the end of this post.