The Baby loves Jicama! -2/7/09
Jicama is one of those foods I wished I ate more. Tonight I made three recipes from this month's Gourmet. Since I love thematic meals, I picked three recipes with a Mexican flavor. The magazine often puts recipes together and in fact suggested that you make the Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia on page 57 with the Mexican Pineapple Salad on page 58. I took it one step further and finished the meal with the Mexican Chocolate Pudding on page 110.
The Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia was really easy to make though I have the worst blender ever. It just pushes whatever is in it to the sides and the blades spin in the middle. The cooking time given was perfect but visually not the prettiest once cooked. Pretty green and gloppy looking but again very good. Eyrleigh hasn't eaten much fish and didn't seem thrilled but then again, most American 15-month-olds probably don't eat much fish nor proclaim to really like it.
The Pineapple Salad was another story. Eyrleigh loves pineapple and quickly discovered she's pretty keen on jicama too. I enjoyed the salad, but it probably won't translate into a day-to-day recipe. Its flavors are strong and perhaps more appropriate to a relish or garnish.
Eyrleigh didn't get to enjoy the Mexican Chocolate pudding because of bedtime but Richard and I really enjoyed it. It tasted lighter than a pudding made with cow's milk but still had the rich chocolate flavor with a hint of cinnamon. It set up well in the recommended time and the toasted almonds added a nice crunch.
On a different but related topic, for frequent Gourmet readers and those who know American cooking history, I found a children's book at the local library titled "Bring Me Some Apples and I'll Make You a Pie" by Robbin Gourley. The story is about Edna Lewis, the award-winning chef and cookbook author. Edna was one of the first and perhaps one of the best teachers of regional Southern cooking. The book has wonderful illustrations and some recipes at the end. I read it to Eyrleigh and may even order a copy for our home library.
The Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia was really easy to make though I have the worst blender ever. It just pushes whatever is in it to the sides and the blades spin in the middle. The cooking time given was perfect but visually not the prettiest once cooked. Pretty green and gloppy looking but again very good. Eyrleigh hasn't eaten much fish and didn't seem thrilled but then again, most American 15-month-olds probably don't eat much fish nor proclaim to really like it.
The Pineapple Salad was another story. Eyrleigh loves pineapple and quickly discovered she's pretty keen on jicama too. I enjoyed the salad, but it probably won't translate into a day-to-day recipe. Its flavors are strong and perhaps more appropriate to a relish or garnish.
Eyrleigh didn't get to enjoy the Mexican Chocolate pudding because of bedtime but Richard and I really enjoyed it. It tasted lighter than a pudding made with cow's milk but still had the rich chocolate flavor with a hint of cinnamon. It set up well in the recommended time and the toasted almonds added a nice crunch.
On a different but related topic, for frequent Gourmet readers and those who know American cooking history, I found a children's book at the local library titled "Bring Me Some Apples and I'll Make You a Pie" by Robbin Gourley. The story is about Edna Lewis, the award-winning chef and cookbook author. Edna was one of the first and perhaps one of the best teachers of regional Southern cooking. The book has wonderful illustrations and some recipes at the end. I read it to Eyrleigh and may even order a copy for our home library.
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