RECIPES: Cinco de Mayo Favorites
Chef Jose Garces of Distrito has recipes for esquites, tuna tacos, jicama salad.
May 5, 2010 -- To read the "Nightline: Platelist" profile of Jose Garces, click HERE.
All recipes courtesy Jose Garces
Jicama Salad
Ingredients:
Jícama-1/2 ea, small dice
Mango -1 ea, small dice
Orange-1 ea, segments
Honeydew-1/4 ea, small dice
Red Onion-1/4 ea, brunoise
Jalapeño-1 ea, small dice
Frisée-1/2 bunch, rough chopped
Cilantro-1/4 bunch, chopped
Pepitas-2 Tbs, toasted
Lemon Vinaigrette Ingredients:
Lemon Juice-1/2 c, freshly squeezed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil-1/2 c
Shallot-1/2 ea, minced
Sugar-1 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp
Preparation:
Combine lemon juice and shallot and let stand for five minutes. Whisk in oil and season with salt and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble the salad:
In a bowl toss the frisée with 1 TBS of the lemon vinaigrette. Place in the bottom of a glass serving bowl. Toss the remaining ingredients in a bowl with ½ c of the lemon vinaigrette. Spoon onto the frisée and serve. (It is also nice to serve the salad with lemon or lime sorbet on top.)
Tuna Tacos
Ingredients:
Yellowfin Tuna-1 pound
Corn Tortillas (6 inch flour tortillas)-6 ea
Chayote and Cucumber Salad-recipe follows
Chile de Arbol Sauce-recipe follows
Avocado Espuma-recipe follows
Salt
Pepper
Chayote and Cucumber Salad Ingredients:
Chyote-1 ea, julienne on a mandoline
Cucumber-1ea, julienne on a mandoline
Lime Juice-2 ea, fresh squeezed
Cilantro-1/4 bunch, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil-2 Tbs
Preparation:
Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and reserve for taco. (Do not add lime juice and olive oil if you do not plan on assembling taco immediately.)
Avocado Espuma Ingredients:
Avocado-1/2 ea, peeled and chopped
Jalapeño-1/2 ea, peeled and chopped
Cilantro-1/4 bunch, just leaves
Lemon Juice-1 ½ tsp, fresh squeezed
Heavy Cream-1 Tbs
Whole Milk-1/4 c
Sugar-1/2 tsp
Salt-1 tbs
Preparation:
In a blender, combine avocado, jalapeño, cilantro and lemon juice, and puree. With blender running, add cream and milk and process until smooth. Season with sugar and salt. Reserve in refrigerator until ready to use.
Chile de Arbol Sauce Ingredients:
Chile de Arbol Chiles-10 ea, remove stem, toasted
Onion-1/2 ea, medium dice
Plum Tomato-2 ea, rough chopped
Garlic-1 ea, clove
Cumin Seeds-1 tsp, toasted
All-Spice-5 ea, toasted
Sesame Seeds-2 tbs, toasted
Apple Cider Vinegar-1 ½ c
Water-1 ½ c
Vegetable Oil-2 Tbs
Salt-1 tbs
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except for salt and oil, in a pot and reduce by ½. Puree in a blender and emulsify with oil. Season with salt.
Assembling the taco:
Cut the tuna into 3 oz. portions. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sear tuna on the grill. Cook to desired temperature (rare recommended). Warm the flour tortillas on the grill, about 5-10 seconds on each side. Spread 1 tbs of the avocado espuma on the bottom of the tortillas. Cut tuna into 5 slices and place on top of the tortillas. Add a desired amount of the chayote-cucumber salad on top. Finish with a tsp of the chile de arbol sauce and serve.
Esquites
Ingredients:
Butter-4 tbs
Onion-1/2 ea small diced
Corn-6 ears of yellow corn cut of the cob
Corn Stock-3 cups – recipe follows
Epazote-10 ea leaves, chiffonade
Mayonnaise-1/2 cup
Queso Fresco-2 cups
Chile Pequin-1 tbs
Limes-3 ea
Salt-TT
Preparation:
Cut all the corn of the cob with your chefs knife. Make sure you do not cut to deep into the cob, you just want fresh corn and not the cob. Set aside the corn and make a corn stock with the cobs by placing them in a pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring up to a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for one hour. Strain the stock and set aside.
Sweat the onion in butter on low heat for five minutes. You do not want any color on the onions. Add the corn and cook for twenty minutes until the corn is tender. Add 3 cups of corn stock to the pot and reduce by 1/2. Season with salt and fold in epazote.
Plating:p
In a rocks glass place ½ tbs of mayo at the bottom of the glass. Add ¼ c of the corn mixture. Squeeze a dash of lime juice on top of the corn and top with a tbs. of queso fresco. Repeat the layering process one more time starting with the mayo and finishing with the queso fresco. Top off the esquites with a dash of chile pequin.