Chicano Eats

How to Make Traditional Ponche Navideño

Hola Hola Hola!

We are just 3 days away from Christmas, or 2 if you start your celebrations on Noche Buena!

This year, I decided to take the Holidays off. My partner and I bought our first house together over the Summer, so aside from wrapping up my first cookbook (which comes out in less than six months!!!!!!!) we’ve spent the past few months unpacking, organizing and fixing things around the house and are in dire need of some time to relax.

I’ll be making a small batch of tamales (rajas con queso and pork in a red chile sauce) and champurrado for the two of us, along with ponche. If you’ve never had ponche before, it’s essentially a hot hibiscus and tamarind tea with various warm spices that is served with fruit like guavas, sliced apple, and tejocotes sweetened with piloncillo. It’s tangy, it’s sweet, and it is a great way to stay warm and cozy during the Holidays, and adding a shot or two of tequila only makes it even more perfect. If you don’t follow me on Instagram yet, join me here, I’ll be posting a little ponche tutorial later today so you can follow along at home! If there’s a certain fruit included in the recipe that you don’t like, feel free to substitute with your favorites!

I hope you’re all able to take some time off to this week to enjoy the Holidays with your loved ones. I have a few recipes left to share before the year is over, but for now, nos vemos pronto!

If you still haven’t solidified your menu for Christmas Eve or Christmas, I’m including some recipe suggestions below:

Polvorones Rosas (Mexican Pink Sugar Cookies)

Marranitos (Soft Mexican Gingerbread Pig Cookies)

Buñuelos de Viento

Pozole Rojo de Pollo (Red Chicken Pozole)

Rajas con Mac and Cheese (Poblano Mac and Cheese)

Mole Pulled Pork Sliders

Honey Mole Glazed Wings

Find the recipe in my new cookbook Chicano Bakes!

Churro Cheesecake with a Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl

Hola Hola! Feliz Viernes!

I’m sharing a recipe for churro cheesecake today!

I’ve been working on this recipe for the past week since I teased it on Instagram, and let me tell you, I am so happy with how this cheesecake turned out! There was a lot of trial and error, testing the cheesecake with a water-bath and without, and then letting it rest in the oven vs taking it out immediately and there were a few things that I learned a long the way after having to bake 6 different cheesecakes. It was really important to bake the cheesecake in a water-bath and let it rest in the oven after it was done baking to make sure that the cheesecake did not collapse or crack. The viscosity of the brow sugar slurry for the swirl was important to get just right as well because if it was too heavy, it would have sunk right into the cheesecake batter.

This cheesecake is comprised of a crust made from canelitas, a beloved cinnamon sugar cookie I enjoyed as a kid with a cinnamon and brown sugar cream cheese filling. To top things off we’re layering this cheesecake with a brown sugar cinnamon swirl that makes it look like you’ve got some serious skill. If you have any extra time, make yourself a batch of home made whipped cream to top your cheesecake with, and if you have any extra ca nelita s, crumble them over the whipped cream or simply sprinkle in a little bit of cinnamon over it and finish off with a drizzle of cajeta.

With Thanksgiving coming up in two weeks, this decadent cheesecake is the perfect addition to the dessert table. I’ll be making this cheesecake on my Instagram stories tomorrow morning, so if you’d like to follow along, follow me here to bake a long with me!

Have a good weekend, nos vemos pronto!

How to Make Dairy-Free & Vegan Coconut Arroz Con Leche

Hola Hola! Feliz Martes!

Today I’m sharing a short recipe for a vegan & dairy-free coconut arroz con leche.

Before you kill me for using vegan and dairy-free in the same sentence as arroz con leche, hear me out for just a sec! It’s actually pretty good! Instead of using regular milk and condensed milk to sweeten the rice pudding we use coconut milk and sweetened condensed coconut milk which are really good alternatives for those of you who are vegan, or have cut dairy out of your diet. This arroz con leche is still just as creamy, warm and spiced, and I promise your abuelita won’t be too upset for skipping out on the dairy.

Have a good rest of the week, nos vemos pronto!

Holiday Roast Chicken

Hola!

Today we’re making a roast chicken with OXO! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year because the weather starts to get colder, and it means we get to watch the seasons change. As someone who doesn’t really care for turkey, I like to roast a chicken. It’s something I’ve done ever since I graduated from College, and it’s become our new tradition.

Hosting Thanksgiving at my house for the past 5 years, has taught me one thing. Family loves leftovers, so one of the things I like to keep around in the kitchen are OXO’s Glass Bake, Serve & Store Set because the containers come with lids so they come in handy for giving away leftovers! The containers are made out of glass, so they won’t retain any odors, and they also come with matching leak-proof seal lids, to make sure everything stays nice and fresh. OXO also makes prep work easy, with non-slip cutting boards and non-slip Y peeler, that has a really nifty potato eyer built-in.

This year I decided to refresh my recipe for my Chipotle honey roast chicken with fresh thyme, garlic, smokey chipotles and honey for some sweet and spicy action. I love resting the chicken on a bed of potatoes, carrots and brussel sprouts, so they cook in the drippings as the chicken roasts, but if you’re not laying the chicken in a bed of vegetables, using a roasting rack is crucial when roasting a chicken, as it prevents the chicken from sitting in a pool of fat as it cooks so it doesn’t end up soggy! The OXO silicone roasting rack keeps food elevated while it roasts and is also a huge space saver—and dishwasher safe!

With celebrations looking a bit different this year, how are you safely celebrating Thanksgiving this year? If you happen to try this recipe, make sure to tag me and share pictures with me!

Chipotle Honey Roast Chicken
-1/4 Cup Unsalted butter, room temperature

-1/4 Cup Honey

-3 garlic cloves
-2 Chipotle Peppers in adobo
– 3 Teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
-1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme

-1 teaspoon onion powder

-¼ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
-1lb Brussels sprouts, cut in half
-1 lb Fingerling potatoes
-3 Large Carrots, cut into ¼ inch coins

-1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 5-6 lb Chicken, giblets removed

Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees then place the butter, honey, garlic cloves, chipotles, 2 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt, thyme, onion powder, and paprika. Pulse until the spices and butter are thoroughly combined.

Toss the vegetables in a tablespoon of olive oil, then add the vegetables to a large roasting pan and season with a ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper. Pat the chicken completely dry (or the butter won’t stick), then place the chicken on top of vegetables. Use twine to tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the chicken. Run your fingers in between the breasts and the skin to loosen the skin, then flip the chicken and loosen up the rest of the skin on the other side. Take half of the butter and stuff it in between the loose skin. Take the rest of the butter and rub it all over the chicken. .

Cook the chicken for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours until the internal temperature of the chicken in between the thigh reaches 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

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