Mexican Fiesta

MEXICAN SWEET CORN CAKE PREP TIME 10 mins COOK TIME 50 mins TOTAL TIME 1 hour Mexican Sweet Corn Cake is moist, sweet, and packed with delicious corn flavor! It's the perfect side for your Cinco de Mayo feast or any Mexican dish. Serves: 6-8 servings INGREDIENTS • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened • ⅓ cup masa (corn flour- NOT corn meal) • ¼ cup water • 1½ cups fresh or frozen corn (thawed, if frozen) • ¼ cup cornmeal • ⅓ cup sugar • 2 tablespoons milk • ½ teaspoon baking powder • ¼ teaspoon salt INSTRUCTIONS 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2 In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the masa and water, and beat until incorporated. Set aside. 3 Pulse the corn in the food processor. Leave the corn chunky! Stir the corn into the butter mixture. 4 In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, and stir to combine. Stir the corn meal mixture into the butter-corn mixture just until incorporated. Pour into an ungreased 8x8" baking pan. Place the baking pan into a 13x9" baking dish with water filled up ⅓ of the way full. Cover the corn cake with foil. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then use an ice cream or cookie scoop for serving. NOTES Use roasted corn for extra flavor and flair! Shrimp and Chorizo Skewers Ingredients 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 teaspoons paprika 1/2 cup olive oil 1 pound Spanish chorizo, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on 20 (6-inch) bamboo skewers, soaked in water Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 lemons, cut into small wedges Directions In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, paprika and olive oil. Set aside Put a slice chorizo into the curve of a shrimp. Thread a skewer through the shrimp starting at the tail and working your way up through the chorizo into the shrimp. Repeat with remaining shrimp and chorizo. Pour half of the marinade on the bottom of a large baking dish and spread out to evenly coat the bottom of the dish. Put the finished skewers on top and brush the remaining marinade evenly over the top of the skewers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Season the skewers with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill the skewers for 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill to a serving platter and serve with lemon wedges. ALL PURPOSE CHILI LIME CHICKEN RUB Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS • 1 pound chicken breasts pounded to 1/2 inch thickness • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 teaspoon chili powder • 1-4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional for more heat) • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon pepper • 1 teaspoon brown sugar • fresh-squeezed lime juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons) • Lime zest from 1 lime INSTRUCTIONS In a small bowl, whisk chicken rub ingredients together and rub evenly all over chicken breasts. Timer permitting, allow chicken to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate up to 8 hours then bring to room temperature for before cooking. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once very hot, add chicken and cook, undisturbed for 3-5 minutes, or until nicely browned (or blackened if you prefer) on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for approximately 5-7 more minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with extra fresh lime juice if desired. OR Grease and preheat the grill to medium heat, 375-450°F. Grill chicken undisturbed for for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 165 degrees F.) Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Avocado Crema 1 medium avocado 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Add all the crema ingredients to your blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. May make 4 hours ahead of time and refrigerate in an airtight container. GRILLED PINEAPPLE SALSA INGREDIENTS 1/2 ripe pineapple, trimmed and sliced (Or use 1 can of pineapple slices) 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and quartered 1/2 small red onion, peeled and cut in half (so you have 2 quarters of whole onion) 1 jalapeno, whole 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, finely chopped 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin salt and pepper to taste olive oil INSTRUCTIONS Grease grill and heat to medium high heat. Drizzle red onions with olive oil and thread onto a skewer (if using a wooden skewer, soak skewer in water for at least 30 minutes beforehand). Drizzle red bell pepper quarters and jalapeno with olive oil to lightly coat. Working in batches as needed depending on grill size, grill pineapple and vegetables at medium high heat until tender and lightly charred all over, about 12 minutes for the onions, turning occasionally, about 8-10 minutes for the pineapple, or until caramelized, flipping once, 6 minutes for the red bell peppers, flipping once, and jalapeno for 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally. Once cool enough to handle, dab off any excess oil with paper towels from vegetables and chop pineapple (cutting around core), red bell peppers, and onions. Devein and deseed jalapeno and dice, reserving some of the seeds if desired. Toss pineapple, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, ginger, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. If you would like it spicier, add some of the jalapeno seeds to taste. Can be served immediately or even better chilled. EASY HOMEMADE CHURROS INGREDIENTS: • 1 ½ cup water • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon sugar + more for dusting • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil • 1 ½ cup all purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder • oil for frying Chocolate sauce: • ½ cup heavy cream • 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped DIRECTIONS:aste is the new campaign to raise awareness on authentic Italian Products. Their message was.. 1 In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the water, salt, sugar, and olive oil. Bring the mixture to a boil then remove it from the heat. Stir in the flour and baking powder, mixing with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball. 2 Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375ºF. 3 Transfer the dough to a cloth pastry bag or heavy-duty plastic bag fitted with a large star tip. 4 Squeeze a 5-6 inch strip of dough into the hot oil. Repeat, frying 3 or 4 strips at a time. Fry the churros, turning them once, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked churros to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. 5 Roll churros in the more sugar. Serve To make the chocolate for dunking: Heat heavy cream, add chocolate, and let it sit for 1 minute then stir to combine.Order Ingredients