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Desserts

How To Make The Best Gelatina de Leche (Mexican Milk Jello)

I can still remember how excited I used to get for Birthdays growing up. As kids, we never received toys—and it wasn’t because my parents didn’t love us, but because it was a luxury they could not afford. I grew accustomed to receiving socks/underwear and the occasional $20 for the occasional paleta or raspado pretty quickly because as you become more self-aware, you notice your parents are doing their best to provide you with everything they can.

When it came to Birthdays, my mom would always splurge and make us our favorite meals, and I (usually) always asked for the same thing; sopes, and gelatina de leche. Sometimes she’d just make gelatina de leche by itself, and other times she would layer it with a strawberry jello and top it with slices of strawberries.

My favorite of course, was just the gelatina de leche by itself.

Purchase my new cookbook Chicano Bakes:

When I posted the picture of the slice on Instagram, I didn’t realize that there’d be so many of you who also grew up loving gelatina de leche. I love connecting through food and sharing stories and it always makes me incredibly happy when others share their memories with me.

What is Milk Jello, or gelatina de leche?

The best way I can describe gelatina de leche, or milk jello, is as a more firm, slightly more flavorful panna cotta. We steep cinnamon in the milk, and top it with fresh berries to counter the sweetness. We’re also adding heavy cream to make the gelatina a little creamier.

It wasn’t until I was going through the pictures that I realized I had this red/white and blue motif going on which makes this perfect for your upcoming 4th of July gatherings. Step it up a notch and use a more intricate bundt pan for it and boom! you have a simple and very elegant dessert.

PS. This is the pan I used!

Vegan Churros with a Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be a guest on one of my favorite podcasts; the Tamarindo Podcast! I had been a long time listener, so when Luis asked me to be on I gladly accepted! I was so excited and slightly nervous and I couldn’t believe I was in the studio recording with them. If you love a good podcast, check them out! Whenever I listen to them or to Latinos Who Lunch I feel like I’m sitting en la sala hanging out con mis primos. They instantly become like family, and I love how relatable they are.

You can listen to the episode here.

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When I posted the Vegan tacos Al Pastor on Tuesday, I had no idea I was going to get the reaction that I did. They went over so well! I had so many people tag me in their Insta stories who were making the marinade and I was living for it–Thank you for showing me so much love!

Keeping with the Vegan theme, we’re going to be making vegan churros with a vegan salted caramel dipping sauce today. The churro recipe comes from Eddie Garzas’s ¡Salud! Vegan Mexican Cookbook, which is one of the cookbooks I picked up a few weeks ago. This is a great book for anyone who’s Vegan and is looking for an authentic Mexican experience, or for those who like having alternatives for days when they don’t feel like eating meat.

I wish I were actually Vegan so I could truly appreciate the authenticity in these dishes. Eddie not only showcases modern Mexican cuisine, but he also focuses on spotlighting pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican dishes, taking it back to its plant based roots.

Today we’re pairing these Churros with a Vegan Salted Caramel dipping sauce because when I was visualizing what I wanted to do with the churros, I could not stop smelling cajeta. I kept picturing myself walking around El Jardín de la Villa being enveloped by the aroma of tacos de adobada, hot cakes with cajeta sizzling over a hot skillet, and the smell of dough being deep fried and being tossed around in sweet sugar and cinnamon.

Are there any vegan recipes you’d like to see in the future? Let me know! Non-vegans, we’ll be back to our regular recipes next week! See you then.

Flan de Limón (Key Lime Flan)

Lately, I had been having trouble trying to stay afloat. I had so many projects land on my lap that I had to take a quick (baby) mental break because I was starting to feel overworked, drained and really uninspired. I’m not the type of person who does their “best work” under pressure, I like to take my time and do things at my own pace. I’m a perfectionist, which can be extra crippling at times especially when my OCD compulsions decide say “¡Hola!”. So I turned to retail therapy to help alleviate my stress, and to find some inspiration.

Flan de Limón (Key Lime Flan)

I didn’t own any Mexican cookbooks, so I bought a few of the ones a few friends recommended. One of the books I got was “Claudia’s Cocina, A Taste of Mexico” authored by Claudia Sandoval, winner of Master Chef Season 6! I was really excited to get my hands on this book because she takes great pride in her Mexican heritage and I was instantly sucked in when I read her introduction.

She says,

“I hope this book does a couple of things. I hope it reminds you that you should never be ashamed of where you come from, but rather celebrate every bit of who you are. I hope it encourages you to stop making excuses and push the boundaries of your fears and day-to-day life. And I hope that it inspires you to cook food that doesn’t always look pretty but that warms your soul.”

And I couldn’t stop relating to it.

Flan de Limón (Key Lime Flan)

For much of my childhood, I was made to feel ashamed of who I was and where I came from. For wearing the huaraches on my feet, for speaking a foreign language, and for being a little darker than everyone else. Now, I’m taking my culture back, and I’m owning it. I’m wearing my huaraches proudly, and I’m embracing mi piel de color cajeta–without making any apologies for it.

One of the first recipes I landed on when I first opened the book was a recipe that Claudia has for a Key Lime Flan and I don’t know that I could have landed on a better recipe because it is exactly what my soul needed! The flan itself is easy to make, and it was one of the dishes she made for her finale dinner. It’s sweet, a little tart from the key limes, and we’re topping it off with a tequila/triple sec whipped topping. I truly enjoyed reading the bits and pieces Claudia shared about her life and how she’s been able to connect with her culture through food. She’s the true definition of a Chingona, a total badass.

In the book she includes recipes for Mariscos estilo Mazatlán, basics like tortillas and frijoles de la olla, and staples like enchiladas, chile verde pork and huevos divorciados. If you’re interested in learning a little more about her, you can find her cookbook here.

Don’t forget to take a minute to treat yourself. Make some flan, and unwind away!

Flan de Limón (Key Lime Flan)

Mole Brownie Tart

This post is in partnership with La Guelaguetza, all opinions are my own.

¡Hola!

How’s your week so far?

Did you catch the Superbowl?.. Yeah, me either!

I did watch the halftime show though, and it was all sorts of amazing. I’m whatevs when it comes to Gaga, pero she did such a good job! I just kind of wish she would have made an even bigger political statement.

Pero pues, beggars can’t be choosers.

Also..where was Beyonce?

Ring Ring…

Mole Brownie Tart

We’re making brownies today.

But we’re being fancy, so we’re making a tart. It’s sort of the dessert you want to make on a first date, because it’s super easy to make and it’ll make you look all sorts of good.

We’re also making it today because there’s days when I have a hankering for chocolate on chocolate on chocolate, and this definitely satiates that craving.

Add a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream, y como dice Alexis Mateo, BAM! GET IT BABY!

Mole Brownie Tart

When you think of Mole, Mole negro is probably the first thing you might think of.

Did you know some Mole pastes can have up to 50 ingredients?

The Mole negro we’re using today has strong notes of plantains, chile mulato, mexican pasilla, black chilhuacle chile, clove, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, oregano, peanuts and raisins (amongst other things).

Mole Brownie Tart

No, we’re not crazy for adding Mole to our desserts.

All of the flavors just kind of dance together and hold hands, and it works so well in this tart!

And we’re topping it off with a super decadent ganache! say whaat?

What is everyone doing/making for Valentines Day?

If you’re looking for dessert options for Valentines day bc you want to sweep your chulx off their feet.

You know I got you!

I’ll see you in a few days, stay chingonx! ?

Mole Brownie Tart

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