Mexican Christmas Traditions

How to peel and eat cactus fruit

0 · Dec 29, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Cactus fruit, also know as cactus pear or prickly pear, comes from the nopal cactus.

Native to Mexico, the nopal cactus is sometimes called prickly pear cactus, but the plant’s Latin name is Opuntia. In Spanish, cactus fruit are called tunas. The fruit grows on the rounded edges of cactus paddles and has a thick skin covered in small spines. Once cut open, you’ll see they have a soft, juicy meat inside with lots of dark, round seeds.

How to cut and peel cactus fruit

Using a sharp knife, cut the two ends of the fruit, making sure to cut all the way through to the flesh. Stand the fruit on one side and make a vertical cut through the skin (it’s OK if you cut into the flesh a bit). With your finger or the tip of the knife, lift a corner of the skin where you made the vertical cut and use your fingers to peel the skin away from the fruit. Discard the skin.

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The best strawberry margarita

0 · Sep 22, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Margaritas are the most well-known cocktail from Mexico and the strawberry margarita is considered to be the most popular fruit-flavored version, both in Mexico and abroad.

The invention of the margarita dates back to 1942, credited to a bar in the Northwestern state of Chihuahua, where they began making this famous tequila cocktail in 1942. Today, you can get a margarita just about anywhere in the world. This version is a slightly slushy one, similar to the frozen margaritas you may have tried before.

Slushy strawberry margaritas with chamoy for rimming the glasses

If you love frozen margaritas, you might also like to try my prickly pear frozen margarita recipe!

Rimming your margarita glass with Miguelito (a powdered form of chamoy) lends a particularly Mexican sweet-and-sour flavor. Miguelito is available in most Mexican or Latin American markets in the same aisle as bottled salsas, as well as online. Miguelito is even available on Amazon Prime! I’ve used it to rim the glass for other margaritas as well, such as my mandarin orange margarita.

How to get extra strawberry flavor

If strawberries aren’t at peak season, your berries may not be very sweet or have that signature strawberry flavor you crave. A great way to enhance the strawberry flavor in your margarita is by using freeze-dried strawberries. They pack a lot of flavor without all the moisture and body of fresh berries.

Freeze-dried strawberries from Trader Joe's

Freeze-dried strawberries should be unsweetened and unsulfured. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s or Aldi, but you can also find them in many other supermarkets and online. A 1-2 ounce bag should cost less than $4. You can also find freeze-dried strawberry powder in 8-ounce bags. It’s more expensive up front but the per-ounce cost makes it less expensive in the long run.

Don’t be cheap when choosing your tequila

I use Don Julio Tequila Reposado in my strawberry margarita recipe because it has lemon citrus notes that complement the sweetness of the berries. It may be more expensive than you’ve spent on tequila before, but worth the price (750 mL costs around $40-50). Tequila reposado is aged in oak barrels from 2 months to 1 year. This rounds and softens the tequila, making it perfect for margaritas and mixed drinks.

Remember: buying cheap tequila always results in two things—a hangover and thinking you don’t want to drink tequila ever again.

What kind of triple sec goes best in a margarita?

Not all orange-flavored liqueurs are created equal. I prefer Cointreau which is a true triple sec with a subtle orange flavor and balanced between bitter and sweet. You can use whatever brand you like if you don’t have Cointreau. Stay away from cheap triple sec because it’s often unbalanced and too sweet. Cointreau is 80 proof and can be a bit pricey, but you don’t use much, so it should last awhile. Cheaper brands of triple sec are often lower, around 60 proof.

Grand Marnier is also a French 80-proof orange liqueur but is NOT a triple sec. Grand Marnier is a mix of cognac (a type of brandy) and triple sec, which technically makes it curaçao-style liqueur.

Strawberry Margaritas

Author: Maura Wall Hernandez
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Total Time: 15-20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Beverages
Cuisine: Mexican

Description

An easy slush margarita recipe that packs a big strawberry-flavored punch

Scale

Ingredients

1 pound strawberries, hulled, juiced and strained
1.5 ounces liquid cane sugar (such as Hey Shuga! brand)
0.5 ounce Cointreau
2.5 ounces tequila reposado
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup unsulfured, unsweetened freeze-dried strawberries (I buy them from Trader Joe’s)
1.5 cups ice

For rimming glasses:

Juice of half a lime
2 tablespoons Miguelito or Tajín

Instructions

Wash, hull, juice and filter 1 pound of strawberries.
Add 1.5 oz liquid cane sugar, 0.5 oz Cointreau, 2.5 oz tequila reposado and the juice of one lime to the strawberry juice.
In a small food processor, pulse 1/3 cup freeze dried strawberries until moderately ground.
Pour strawberry juice mix into blender, add 1.5 cups ice and 1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries.
Blend on high until smooth and serve.

To rim the glasses: You’ll need two shallow dishes. Squeeze lime juice into one. Add 2 tbsp of Miguelito to the other. Dip the rims of the glasses into the lime juice first, then the Miguelito.

Notes

If you don’t have a food processor, you can add the freeze-dried strawberries straight into the blender and just blend for an extra 60 seconds to make sure they’re fully broken up and incorporated.

Keywords: strawberry, margarita

Other margarita recipes you should try:

Paloma (grapefruit margarita)
Watermelon margaritas
Spiced pear frozen margaritas
Warm winter margaritas

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How to make elotes

1 · Aug 3, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Elotes are a very popular snack in Mexico City and other parts of Central Mexico. But this Mexican street corn is easy to make at home, even without a grill!

Although Mexican street corn is often cooked over a charcoal grill by a street vendor, this recipe made in the oven or a convection toaster oven will give you elotes that taste just as good.

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Mandarin orange margaritas

15 · Apr 7, 2019 · 5 Comments

Mandarin orange margaritas are a refreshing cocktail using in-season citrus. These margaritas get a fun agridulce kick from a Miguelito and salt-rimmed glass.

Mandarin oranges, or mandarinas, are extremely common in Mexico, so they’re used in all kinds of recipes, from aguas frescas, to gelatinas, salads, and more—including mandarin orange margaritas.

The juicer used in my video is a Chefn Citrus Juicer.

In this case, rimming the margarita glass with a mixture of kosher salt and Miguelito (a powdered form of chamoy) lends a particularly Mexican sweet-and-sour flavor. It’s salty, sugary, acidic, and very slightly spicy, and it’s often used on fresh fruit, veggies, and other snacks. You can buy Miguelito in most Mexican or Latin American markets in the same aisle as bottled salsas, as well as online. Miguelito is even available on Amazon Prime!

RELATED RECIPE: Easy watermelon margaritas

A note about mandarin oranges: The harvest in the beginning of the season is usually less sweet or even a little bit sour, while mandarins harvested mid- to late-season will be sweeter. For that reason, you may want to add a little bit of sugar to your juice if drinking at the beginning of the season and the fresh-squeezed juice tastes a bit too tart for your liking.

I like to use a liquid cane sugar such as Hey Shuga! Organic Pure Cane Liquid Sweetener because a little bit goes a long way and it’s easier than dissolving granulated sugar. You can typically find this in any grocery store near where you’d find maple syrup or other liquid sweeteners for baking.

RELATED RECIPE: How to make a paloma

There are a few different varieties of mandarin oranges, and that’s why they may look and taste slightly different. Their peak seasons are also slightly staggered, but you can use any variety listed below.

Types of mandarin oranges you’ll find easily in the U.S.

Clementines are sweet, less acidic, and almost always seedless. They’re in season from November-January.

Murcott Mandarins are sometimes also known as honey tangerines, and are very sweet with no seeds. They’re in season from January-April.

Golden Nugget Mandarins are smaller than other varieties, but very juicy and sweet. They’re seedless, and in season from March-June.

Tangerines are a cousin of the clementine, but are less sweet and have a lot of seeds. They’re in season from October-January.

You might be used to seeing these types of oranges called Cuties in the grocery store, thanks to some catchy marketing. Cuties actually sells two varieties of mandarin; clementines and Murcotts. Whatever you choose, I know you’ll love these mandarin orange margaritas!

A word on choosing your tequila

I’ve used Don Julio Reposado in this recipe because it has lemon citrus notes with hints of vanilla and a silky, warm finish. It’s perhaps a more expensive tequila than you may be used to buying if you’re not a tequila connoisseur, but worth the price (750 mL should cost around $40-50).

Remember: buying cheap tequila always results in two things—a hangover and not liking tequila. It’s a liquor that’s meant to be sipped, not slammed. I’ve chosen a reposado because it’s aged in oak barrels from 2 months to 1 year (Don Julio Reposado is aged 8 months), which rounds and softens the tequila, making it perfect for margaritas and mixed drinks.