Celebrate The Holidays At Yxta Cocina & Mercado!
STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — Chef Jose Avecado of Yxta Cocina Mexicana & Mercado stopped by the KCAL9 studios to talk about Yxta's Holiday Menu.
Jose also showed viewers how to prepare turkey tamales and pumpkin flan on the Holiday menu, and gave a quick history lesson on the foods.
Tamales
• In the pre-Columbian era, the Aztecs ate tamales with the following ingredients included: dog, turkey, fish, frog, axolotl, pocket gopher, rabbit, turkey eggs, bees, honey, fruits, maize flour, squash and beans. Aztec tamales differed from modern tamales by not having added fat or grease
• In Mexico, tamales begin with a dough made from nixtamalized corn (hominy), called masa, or a masamix, such as Maseca and lard or vegetable shortening.
• Tamales are generally wrapped in corn husks or plantain leaves before cooking, depending on the region from which they come. They usually have a sweet or savory filling and are usually steamed until firm.
Flan
• Flan is found in recipes as far back as ancient Rome. It was during Roman times that domesticated chickens were first kept for laying eggs. The Romans, with eggs in surplus, and consulting the Greek's knowledge of the art of cooking, developed new recipes, one of which turned out to be a custardly concoction known as flan.
• It was originally a savory dish (not sweet, but aromatic and pleasing to the palate). The Romans concocted many dishes that we might find interesting, such as eel flan. They also had a very nice sweet flan that was flavored with honey.
Pumpkin
• High in fiber: one cup of pumpkin meat contains 3 grams of dietary fiber, which the body uses to control blood sugar
• Lowers bad cholesterol and aids in weight loss.
• Low in calories (and fat): If your family celebrates the holidays with a sampling of pies, bypass the pecan and apple and head straight for the pumpkin pie.
• While all that added sugar and butter aren't doing your waist line any favors, pumpkin is naturally low in fat and calories (one cup contains only 49 calories), making pumpkin a healthy snack (and probably a healthier pie option, too).
• If plain pumpkin isn't sweet enough, skip the sugar and try adding cinnamon to enhance pumpkin's flavor. (Cinnamon is good for you, too.)
• Good source of vitamins: Vitamin A aside, pumpkins contain high amounts of other essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins C and E, magnesium, potassium and iron.
Flan Caramel
Ingredients
Sugar 1 1/2 cups
Water 1/4 cup
1. Heat sugar & water in small sauce pan over medium with candy thermometer inserted.
2. When sauce is 340°, remove from heat immediately. Do not burn!
3. Place in baking dish. Should cover bottom of entire dish evenly coated.
Pumpkin Flan Custard
Evaporated Milk 2 12 oz.can
Condensed Milk 1 14 oz.can
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
Sugar 1 ½ tsp
Salt ¼ tsp
Egg Yolk 7 each
Pureed pumpkin 1 ½ cups
Pumpkin Pie Spice 1 tbl spoon
400 HOTEL PAN - FOR WATER BATH
Water 5 qts
Fluted China Ramekins 16 oz.
PROCEDURE:
Prior to making the custard, make sure the China ramekins are prepped with caramel.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix for 30 seconds.
3. Pour 1.5 cups of mix into each prepared baking dish. Cover with foil
4. Make sure water bath is 165º.
5. Place baking dish in water bath. Water level should be 3/4 way up the side of the baking dish.
6. Cook @ 350º for 1 1/2 hours with convection fan on low.
7. Remove from oven, remove foil and let rest at room temperature for 5 mins.
8. Place in cooler for a minimum of 3 hours before service.
9. Once flan has cooled, individually wrap with plastic and label
Masa for Tamale
Masa for Tamale 5 lbs
Baking Powder 1 tbl
Sugar 1 tbl
Kosher Salt 1 tsp
Lard 3 lbs Melt
PREPARATION PROCEDURE:
1. Mix all ingredients together in Hobart mixer with paddle attachment for 10 mins.
USE TIMER ON MIXER
Tamales
Corn Husk 2 each
Masa (Tamal) 2 ½ oz
Turkey (Tamal) 2 oz or any meat
PREPARATION PROCEDURE:
Note: Place 1" of water to the bottom of the tamale steamer pot.
1. Soak leaves in cold water for 10-15 mins.
2. Rinse off leaves well to remove any dirt.
3. Spread masa in middle of inside of husk.
4. Place Turkey inside of masa.
5. Close side leaves over masa.
6. Fold bottom up (so ingredients don't come out)
7. Place Tamales in Steamer.
8. Let steam for one hour.
9. Turn flame off and let sit for 10 minutes. At this point you can start to serve them.
10. Keep them in the steamer for one hour, at the most.
11. Remove tamales from steamer and place into alto sham.
Turkey for Tamale
INGREDIENTS
Pulled Turkey 4lb From Roasted Turkey
Tomatillo Sauce 8 cup See Recipe
Chicken Stock 4 cup
Salt 2 tsp
PREPARATION PROCEDURE:
1. Put all the ingredients in a stock pot and bring to a boil.
2. Lower to a simmer for 13 mins.
CRANBERRY, ORANGE AND CILANTRO SALSA
INGREDIENTS
red bell pepper 2 lb Whole
poblano peppers 2 lb dice 1/4x1/4
sugar 8 cups
orange juice 6 cups
cranberries 15 lb
pecans 2 cups toasted chopped
cilantro 4 cups chopped
orange peel ½ cup
red onions ½ cup mince
PREPARATION PROCEDURE:
1. Char red peppers and poblano peppers in broiler until blackened.
2. Put chiles in a plastic bag for 5 min. peel, seed
3. Mix sugar and orange juice in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves add cranberries let them cook for 10 more min.
4. Remove from heat and transfer to large bowl.
5. Cool down to room temperature and add the rest of ingredients.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper
7. Refrigerate
Yellow Mole Sauce
Quantity Produced: 1 Gal
Shelf Life: 36 Hours
INGREDIENTS
Yellow Tomatoes 6 lbs
Yellow Onion 8 oz Diced 1/2"X1/2"
Yellow Bell Peppers 6 lbs Cleaned & de-veined
Yellow Squash 2 lb
Habanero Chile 2 each
Vegetable Stock 1 Gallon
Lemon Juice-Fresh 2 oz
Garlic Cloves 4 oz
Ground Cinnamon 1 tsp
Ground Allspice V 1 tsp
Sugar 2 tsp
Ground Nutmeg 1 tsp
Ground Cumin ½ tsp
Kosher Salt 6 + 2 tbl + tsp
Olive Oil 1/2 cup
PREPARATION PROCEDURE:
Note: Pre-heat oven to 350º
1. Place the bell pepper, squash, yellow tomatoes & chiles in the oven until they are soft & bright in color. (about 15 mins)
2. While the peppers are roasting, saute the onions & garlic with the oil until lightly brown.
3. Add the roasted peppers to the pot & cook for 5 mins., stirring frequently.
4. Transfer the ingredients into the blender & blend until smooth.
5. Combine the sauce, chicken stock & the rest of the ingredients back into the pot & cook for 5 mins., Stirring frequently.
6. Sauce should be thick & rich in flavor.
7. Transfer the sauce to a container & cool down to 41º, label & refrigerate.