Expert Interview Information

This week, I will be interviewing the Joseph Ambler Inn's executive chef Todd Blackney.  Hopefully, he will be able to help me in my journey towards mastering Southwestern cooking!

Check back soon for more updates :)

Blog Post #2

This week has been fantastic in regards to the progress I am making to my final goal!

Last weekend, I visited Toloache in New York City and had an authentic Mexican meal.  Everything was absolutely delicious, and I also learned many new words relating to Southwestern cuisine, as the menu was written entirely in Spanish.

After all of this wonderful food, I was inspired to create some of my own.  As soon as I got home, I began researching how to make different drinks, salsas, and desserts.  I have previously tried agua fresca, which is water mixed with sugar and fruit, but I find it incredibly interesting because of the different flavor combinations you can make.  So today, I created my own versions of this refreshing drink in three different flavors: strawberry, mango, and strawberry-mango.  I also added vanilla to my version of agua fresca Even though this drink sounds fairly simple, the sheer amount of ingredients and the mess they make means you must set aside several hours for just a few gallons, but I believe that all of this is worth it.  The result is a delicious cross between a simple sparking water and a smoothie.

Before this, however, I read a recipe in a book titled, "The Cooking of Mexico" by Matthew Locricchio (Locricchio, Matthew, and Jack McConnell. The Cooking of Mexico. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2012. Print.) for tortilla chips that seemed to be quite simple.  This book provided not only instructions and ingredients, but history, materials, and precautions, which made it a highly valuable tool.  In short, it said that all you had to do was cut tortillas into triangles, deep-fry them in canola oil, and then sprinkle with salt.  Instead, I decided to take a more complicated route.  I first made my own tortillas, baked them, and let them rest overnight.  The next day, I sliced them into triangles and very lightly coated them with a mixture of lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, and salt using a cooking paintbrush.  I then carefully placed them in the deep fryer to avoid the splash of hot canola oil.  After 2 minutes, I took them out, placed them on a paper towel, and put the next batch into the deep fryer.  Once they were somewhat dry, I sprinkled salt on them.

Next, I made a mango salsa to pair with my tortilla chips.  I put mango, cilantro, lemon and lime juice, jalapeño and habanero peppers, salt, pepper, and water into a food processor and blended until smooth.

This week, I learned many interesting things about not only about the food of Southwestern countries, but also their cultures, languages, and histories.  I also discovered several new Mexican markets and grocery stores, which will definitely influence my future shopping choices.  Next week, I will continue exploring salsas, but I will also begin creating desserts.

Check here next week for more information on my progress in creating flavorful Southwestern food!

Ingredients and Materials

Ingredients and Materials

A marble mortar and pestle, which I am using to crush Whole Black Peppercorns and Coriander Seeds.

I bought a large number of spices typically used in Southwestern cooking.

Whole Black Peppercorns  

Cilantro

Coriander Seed

Mexican Oregano

California Onion Powder

Paprika

Chili Powder

Garlic Salt

Ground Cinnamon and Stick Cinnamon

                          

                           Ground Cinnamon                              Stick Cinnamon                            

 Luxury Sea Salt

Blog Post #1

Last week, I began brainstorming for the Genius Project, and like many of my classmates, I found that it was difficult to choose between topics.  However, when I began reviewing my favorite ideas, I realized that I am both a frequent viewer of Food Network, and a lover of travel.  

I have visited Puerto Rico several times, and love the flavorful cuisine and interesting culture.  My step-mother and family are also Puerto Rican, and I am a huge fan of bold spices.  As a result of this, I have decided that I would like to learn how to cook using Southwestern flavors.

This past week, I have gathered books and researched ingredients and spices typically used in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine (these will be found on my "Ingredients" page). 

Within the next few days, I would like to experiment with flavor profiles and combinations of spices.  I am also going to learn not only how to cook food with Southwestern flavors, but drinks as well.  I love drinks such as agua fresca, which is a delicious fruit-flavored water, and flavorful Mexican hot cocoa, so learning how to make them should be both informational and tasty.

Even though I will be making my food for others, I will be judging my own success.  Unless the dish is a complete failure, I will continue along my timeline, but will also be looking to my Puerto Rican family members for advice.

By the end of this project, I would like to be able to make a full meal with multiple courses based solely on Southwestern flavors.

Stay tuned for more cooking updates!