These recipes were mainly contributed by students who made the dishes and shared them with the class.
Torrijas
Sra. Ramage
These are customarily eaten during "Cuaresma" (Lent) in Spain.
1 egg
1 quart milk
½ cup Half and half (Optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 loaf uncut stale bread (French or Italian works well)
Cinnamon and sugar mixture
vegetable oil for frying
Heat vegetable oil in frying pan. Meanwhile, slice bread ½ inch thick and set aside. In bowl, whisk egg. Add milk and vanilla. Soak slices of bread in the milk mixture, a few at a time, for about a minute. Then place in hot oil to brown. When one side is browned, turn it over to brown the other side. Remove from pan and set on paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Enjoy warm. Don't microwave if they get cold, as they will get rubbery. Better to place in a toaster oven or back into a dry medium-hot frying pan to warm up.
Guava con queso Pastries
Dallas García
Pillsbury refrigerated dough (pastry or pie crust)
Guava paste 'Ate de guayaba' brand
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 (8 oz.) bar cream cheese
Cut pastry dough into 2" squares. Cut guava paste and cream cheese. Place in middle of pastry square. Fold square to cover guava and cheese. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Mexican Rice
Taylor Perry
garlic, minced
olive oil
oregano to taste
2 cups white rice
4 cups chicken broth
water
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Sauté garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add rice and continue to sauté until rice is transparent. Add chicken broth, tomato paste, and oregano. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Cheese enchiladas
Sean Moran
corn tortillas
enchilada sauce (Trader Joe's brand)
Queso fresco, crumbled (Cacique Ranchero brand) Comes in a round package
Shredded Mexican cheese blend
1. Fry the tortillas briefly in the hot oil (This softens the tortilla)
2. Next dip the tortilla completely in the enchilada sauce (This adds flavor)
3. Place the tortilla in a rectangular baking dish. Put crumbled cheese on the tortilla and roll, placing it along the pan edge side down.
4. Once all enchiladas are in the plate, sprinkled with the shredded Mexican cheese blend.
5. Bake at 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese inside melts.
Salsa de molcajete (Fire-roasted Salsa)
Heidi Joachims
1 to 2 fresh jalapeño chiles
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire roasted)
1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Salt to taste
In a small ungreased skillet over medium heat, roast the chiles and garlic, turning regularly until they are soft and blotchy brown (about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 minutes for the garlic). Cool until handleable, then pull the stem(s) off the chiles and roughly chop. Peel the skin from the garlic. Put chiles and garlic into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes with the juice. Re-cover and pulse until you have a coarse puree. Scrape into a serving dish. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon.
Alfajores
Sarah Lam
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Store-bought dulce de leche (or make your own)
Confectioner's sugar, for serving (opt.)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until well blended. Add flour, in small amounts, until well combined. Add milk, orange juice, and continue mixing until a dough forms.
4. Using a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2" apart. Transfer to oven and bake10-14 min. Cool on wire rack.
5. When cookies have cooled, spread the bottoms of half of the cookies with dulce de leche, cajeta, or jam; sandwich together with remaining cookies. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
Flan
Sean Hall
1 cup and 1/2 cup sugar
6 large eggs
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 (13 oz.) cans evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You will need 6 ramekins or other baking pans and a large baking pan to put the ramekins in to cook.
1. Pour 1 cup sugar in warm pan over medium heat. Stir sugar constantly until it browns and becomes caramel. Quickly pour approximately 2-3 Tbsps of caramel in each ramekin, tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. Reheat the caramel if it starts to harden.
2. In a mixer or with a whisk, blend the eggs together. Mix in the milks. Then slowly mix in the 1/2 cup of sugar and the vanilla. Blend smooth after each ingredient is added.
3. Pour custard into caramel lined ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large glass or ceramic baking dish filled with about 1-2 inches of hot water. Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath and check with a knife just to the side of the center If the knife comes out clean, it's ready.
4.Remove and let cool. Let each ramekin cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. Invert each ramekin onto a small plate. The caramel sauce will flow over the custard.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Brett Aaron
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for coating baked cookies)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting hands)
1 cup pecans, chopped very fine
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed, gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 Tbsp. of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioner's sugar. Cool on wire racks.
Torrijas
Sra. Ramage
These are customarily eaten during "Cuaresma" (Lent) in Spain.
1 egg
1 quart milk
½ cup Half and half (Optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 loaf uncut stale bread (French or Italian works well)
Cinnamon and sugar mixture
vegetable oil for frying
Heat vegetable oil in frying pan. Meanwhile, slice bread ½ inch thick and set aside. In bowl, whisk egg. Add milk and vanilla. Soak slices of bread in the milk mixture, a few at a time, for about a minute. Then place in hot oil to brown. When one side is browned, turn it over to brown the other side. Remove from pan and set on paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Enjoy warm. Don't microwave if they get cold, as they will get rubbery. Better to place in a toaster oven or back into a dry medium-hot frying pan to warm up.
Guava con queso Pastries
Dallas García
Pillsbury refrigerated dough (pastry or pie crust)
Guava paste 'Ate de guayaba' brand
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 (8 oz.) bar cream cheese
Cut pastry dough into 2" squares. Cut guava paste and cream cheese. Place in middle of pastry square. Fold square to cover guava and cheese. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Mexican Rice
Taylor Perry
garlic, minced
olive oil
oregano to taste
2 cups white rice
4 cups chicken broth
water
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Sauté garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add rice and continue to sauté until rice is transparent. Add chicken broth, tomato paste, and oregano. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Cheese enchiladas
Sean Moran
corn tortillas
enchilada sauce (Trader Joe's brand)
Queso fresco, crumbled (Cacique Ranchero brand) Comes in a round package
Shredded Mexican cheese blend
1. Fry the tortillas briefly in the hot oil (This softens the tortilla)
2. Next dip the tortilla completely in the enchilada sauce (This adds flavor)
3. Place the tortilla in a rectangular baking dish. Put crumbled cheese on the tortilla and roll, placing it along the pan edge side down.
4. Once all enchiladas are in the plate, sprinkled with the shredded Mexican cheese blend.
5. Bake at 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese inside melts.
Salsa de molcajete (Fire-roasted Salsa)
Heidi Joachims
1 to 2 fresh jalapeño chiles
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire roasted)
1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Salt to taste
In a small ungreased skillet over medium heat, roast the chiles and garlic, turning regularly until they are soft and blotchy brown (about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 minutes for the garlic). Cool until handleable, then pull the stem(s) off the chiles and roughly chop. Peel the skin from the garlic. Put chiles and garlic into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes with the juice. Re-cover and pulse until you have a coarse puree. Scrape into a serving dish. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon.
Alfajores
Sarah Lam
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Store-bought dulce de leche (or make your own)
Confectioner's sugar, for serving (opt.)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until well blended. Add flour, in small amounts, until well combined. Add milk, orange juice, and continue mixing until a dough forms.
4. Using a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2" apart. Transfer to oven and bake10-14 min. Cool on wire rack.
5. When cookies have cooled, spread the bottoms of half of the cookies with dulce de leche, cajeta, or jam; sandwich together with remaining cookies. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
Flan
Sean Hall
1 cup and 1/2 cup sugar
6 large eggs
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 (13 oz.) cans evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You will need 6 ramekins or other baking pans and a large baking pan to put the ramekins in to cook.
1. Pour 1 cup sugar in warm pan over medium heat. Stir sugar constantly until it browns and becomes caramel. Quickly pour approximately 2-3 Tbsps of caramel in each ramekin, tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. Reheat the caramel if it starts to harden.
2. In a mixer or with a whisk, blend the eggs together. Mix in the milks. Then slowly mix in the 1/2 cup of sugar and the vanilla. Blend smooth after each ingredient is added.
3. Pour custard into caramel lined ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large glass or ceramic baking dish filled with about 1-2 inches of hot water. Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath and check with a knife just to the side of the center If the knife comes out clean, it's ready.
4.Remove and let cool. Let each ramekin cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. Invert each ramekin onto a small plate. The caramel sauce will flow over the custard.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Brett Aaron
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for coating baked cookies)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting hands)
1 cup pecans, chopped very fine
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed, gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 Tbsp. of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioner's sugar. Cool on wire racks.