NEW YEARS EVE 2012

In the better-late-than-never department, we have -- at last -- finalized our menu for New Year's Eve.  Based upon the availability of fresh ingredients, there will more than likely be a few additions when the day arrives.  We're also working on a special dessert menu for New Year's Eve, so stay tuned.

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT NEW YEAR'S EVE:
First, be sure to get your reservations in soon.  We are nearly to capacity for larger tables and the smaller ones are going quickly.  Our New Year's Eve dinners will be open seating, a la carte menu, and we're still BYOB.  Bring your tequila and we'll make you a killer margarita to go with your meal!
Second, [insert trumpet fanfare] beginning New Year's Eve and  every Friday and Saturday night thereafter, we will finally have VALET PARKING!!!  Paloma has contracted with Royal Valet Parking to provide parking for our guests at only $8 per vehicle.  Imagine ... no more endless tours of South Philadelphia just to be able to dine!

Here's the menu:

New Year’s Eve
31 December 2012

❦

Appetizers

Lobster Bisque
rich, creamy soup made with lobsters flambéed in cognac,
garnished with blini and caviar
12.50

Apple-Jicama Salad
mixed organic micro greens served in apple poached in white wine and
orange juice, with goat cheese, jicama and champagne vinaigrette
10.50

Castillo de Jaiba
fresh jumbo lump crabmeat stacked with avocado
and napped with lemon vinaigrette
14.00

Mushroom Flan Especial
creamy flan made with fresh porcini and
chanterelle mushrooms sprinkled with cilantro pesto
11.50

Ceviche of Tuna and Smoked Salmon
fresh tuna marinated with lime juice, olive oil, wasabi, jalapeño chiles,
shallots and cilantro, mixed with smoked salmon and stacked with jicama
13.50

Terrine de Foie Gras
rich terrine of foie gras served with blood orange balsamic glaze
14.50


❦

Entrées

Róbalo don Antonio
sautéed filets of branzino topped with avocado pomegranate salsa
and organic micro greens
29.00 

Wild Striped Bass Paloma
filet of wild striped bass topped with fish mousse and crusted with amaranth
in a tomatillo ciruela white wine cream sauce
31.00

Huachinango Arcelia
baked roulade of wild red snapper filets filled with fresh corn purée
and finished with pithaya sauvignon blanc cream sauce
32.00

Mariscos Priscila
pan-seared jumbo sea scallops, shrimp and lobster served in a phyllo nest
with a light carrot-curry cream sauce
34.00

Pechuga de Pato
boneless skinless breast of duck stuffed with caramelized shallots, wrapped in bacon,
seared and roasted, finished with a red wine reduction sauce of apples, ginger and morita chiles
30.00

Filete al Cafetál
grilled Black Angus filet mignon
finished with a chipotle cappuccino red wine reduction sauce
34.00

Venison Chop en Croûte
venison chop topped with huitlacoche and wrapped in crisp pastry,
served with a cabernet guajillo reduction sauce
29.00

❦

All of us at Paloma wish all of you
a new year filled with health, happiness, peace
prosperity and good fortune.
¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

RECIPE: CORN CHOWDER PALOMA

All of Adán's soups are terrific, but this one really makes people swoon and has generated more recipe requests than any other.  So, from our kitchen to yours, here it is:


CORN CHOWDER PALOMA
(makes 8 servings)

5 ears of sweet corn (yellow or white)
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper (optional)
1 yellow bell pepper (optional)
1 poblano pepper
1 ancho pepper (dried)
3 large potatoes, preferably Yukon gold, peeled
½ quart heavy cream
½ cup tequila (doesn’t have to be good tequila)
3 tablespoons pinole powder (or substitute approx. 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
brown sugar
salt
pepper

1.      Cut the corn kernels from the cobs.  Set cobs and kernels aside.
2.      Dice two of the potatoes and half of the onion.  Cut the ends from the bell peppers and the poblano pepper, discarding the stems and seeds.  Cut off and reserve the ends of the peppers.  Dice the remaining parts and add to the diced potatoes and onion. 
3.      Put half of the mixture from the preceding step into a small saucepan with half of the corn kernels.  Add water just to cover.  Set aside.
4.    In a large soup pot, heat a small amount of oil and add the second half of the onion (roughly chopped), the remaining potato (peeled and roughly chopped), the reserved ends of the peppers, the rest of the diced vegetable mixture, the ancho pepper (cut or torn into pieces), and the remaining corn kernels.  Cook at high heat, stirring frequently, for about two minutes.  Remove from heat and flambé with the half cup of tequila.  Once the alcohol burns off, add two quarts of cold water.  Add the reserved corn cobs, bring to a boil, and simmer for five minutes.  Add a half quart of heavy cream, return to a boil and cook for five minutes.  Turn heat to low and simmer until all of the vegetables are fork-tender, about 30-45 minutes.
5.    Remove the corn cobs and discard.  Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of brown sugar.  Set aside.
6.    Bring the saucepan of diced vegetables from Step 3 to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes once it reaches a boil.   Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of brown sugar.  Remove from heat and set aside.
7.    Purée the contents of the soup pot using an immersion blender, blender or food processor.  Strain the mixture and discard the solids. 
8.    Strain the vegetables from the saucepan and add them to the soup.  Adjust seasoning.  Thicken the soup with about 3 tablespoons of pinole or some corn starch dissolved in water.

Garnish with blue and white tortilla twigs and ancho pepper strips (thinly sliced corn tortillas and dried ancho pepper, all lightly fried until crisp).  Serve hot.
 
Optional:  add shrimp, lobster, crabmeat or chicken.
Optional:  sprinkle the soup with basil oil and guajillo-garlic oil. 

¡Buen provecho! 

INGREDIENTS: VANILLA AND VINDICATION

I love vanilla in all of its forms.

For more than a decade, my favorite vanilla product has been high quality paste, caviar-like in its appearance, with a gorgeous bouquet.  I use it in gelati, sorbets, cakes and all types of desserts.  Adán has been using it in wonderful savory sauces.

Many of my friends and acquaintances swear by the Nielsen-Massey brand.  I see it on television food shows, its label partly obscured so as not to promote but its pedigree unmistakable.  It is the go-to brand for many.  I decided to buy a bottle to try it, just to see how it compared with my own go-to brand, the Totonac line of products from Arizona Vanilla Company. 

Both jars of paste are 4 ounces.  The Nielsen-Massey was a little less expensive, $10.99 at Fante's.  The Totonac is $15.95 online (though Arizona Vanilla sometimes has sales).  For comparison, I used the Nielsen-Massey in a batch of vanilla-cinnamon gelato. 

The two pastes differ widely in appearance.  The Totonac is a true paste - thick and quite opaque.  It can pour, but very slowly.  By contrast, I was surprised to see that the Nielsen-Massey was more like a syrup - runny and transparent with visible specks of vanilla dispersed throughout.  Its fragrance was not nearly as strong as that of the Totonac, and I had to use considerably more of the Nielsen-Massey to get a good vanilla flavor in my gelato.  I was quite unimpressed with it.  When I examined the labels, I understood why.

 The ingredients list on my Totonac vanilla paste reads:  "ground vanilla beans, pure vanilla extract (water, alcohol 35%, vanilla beans), xantham gum (a natural thickener)."

The Nielsen-Massey list reads: "sugar, water, vanilla extract, vanilla beans, gum tragacanth (a natural thickener)."


By law, ingredients must be listed on the label in order of quantity, with the the ingredient making up the largest quantity of all the ingredients listed first and the smallest quantity listed last.

So, the famous vanilla paste that all my friends swear by is basically sugar water with vanilla in it!  My 4-ounce jar was exhausted in about a week and I happily returned to my tried and true Totonac.  Lesson learned.

Given these results, I feel that a disclaimer is necessary.  I have no connection whatsoever with the Arizona Vanilla Company other than that of a very satisfied customer.  They sell a variety of vanilla products on their website, all of them excellent.  You can find them at www.arizonavanilla.com.

¡Buen provecho!

INGREDIENTS: PITHAYA

This is the first in an occasional series of posts about some of the ingredients that we use at Paloma with which you may not be familiar.  We'll start with the lovely pithaya.

The pithaya (pee-TIE-ah) is a gorgeous fruit and, even in Mexico, is not widely available.  It's only found in some areas and has a rather short season. You can sometimes buy it here, sold in Asian markets as dragon fruit. It looks the same on the outside, but the flesh is white with a little pink, not the deep raspberry red of the Mexican variety we use in our sorbets.

Here is the pithaya, peeled. Besides sugar and a little water, it's the only ingredient in our pithaya sorbet.  Despite its assertive color, the flavor is quite delicate and very delicious. 

Because it is so hard to find, we are not able to offer pithaya sorbet all the time.  We do have it now, so stop by and try some!

RECIPE: WILD MUSHROOM FLAN

As promised, since so many of you requested it, here is Adán's recipe for Wild  Mushroom Flan.  This dish has been on our menu since we opened in 1999.  Every time he wants to take it off, the complaints are heard loud and long.  You can use cultivated mushrooms or wild ones, although the cultivated mushrooms, while delicious, will give the dish a lighter and less earthy flavor.

WILD MUSHROOM FLAN PALOMA
makes 4 servings

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup cooked sliced wild mushrooms
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. finely chopped epazote (an herb, available dry or fresh in Mexican groceries)
salt and pepper to taste

Slice mushrooms.  Sauté mushrooms in a little olive oil until cooked, about 5 minutes.  You should have about one cup of cooked mushrooms.  Add heavy cream and epazote.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, add eggs and egg yolks.  Beat with a whisk until well blended.  Add the cream and mushroom mixture.  Mix until well blended.  Correct seasoning.

Set 4 medium-size ramekins in a bain marie.  Spray each ramekin with nonstick coating.  Divide mixture among the ramekins.  Add water to the bain marie and bake at 375̊ for 30-40 minutes.  If serving immediately, unmold onto a warm plate and drizzle with cilantro pesto.
 
To hold for later serving, cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Remove plastic wrap and reheat in bain marie (or in a microwave at low to medium power), then unmold, drizzle with the pesto, and serve. 

CILANTRO PESTO

1 bunch fresh cilantro (leaves only)
1/4 cup fresh garlic
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup blended olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, blanch cilantro leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds, then shock in ice water.  Drain well and pat dry.  Roast pinenuts.  Put all ingredients except the oil into a food processor and blend, adding olive oil slowly.  It is not necessary to purée the pesto completely — it can be left a little bit chunky.  Correct seasoning.  Heat a small amount in a saucepan and drizzle over flan.  Serve immediately.

Busting our buttons!

We are proud to announce that the prestigious James Beard Foundation has announced the semifinalists for this year's awards and, in the Best Chefs in America category, Mid-Atlantic Division, the field of twenty includes four Philadelphia chefs, including our own Adán Saavedra!!!

The Philadelphia semifinalists are:

• Pierre Calmels, Bibou
• David Gilberg, Koo Zee Doo
• Adán Saavedra, Paloma
• Michael Solomonov, Zahav

We don't even know who nominated Adán, but we are thrilled and grateful that he is included among such a talented group of chefs.  Five finalists in each group will be announced on March 21, and those chefs will be invited to the Beard Foundation's black tie event at Lincoln Center on May 9, where the winners will be announced.

The Beard awards are like the Oscars of the culinary world, and it's quite an honor just to be nominated.  Read more at www.jamesbeard.org.

ROCKING OUR NEW GELATO FREEZER

Our beloved old Simac Il Gelataio gelato freezer is on its last legs.  Bought on eBay for $200 ten years ago, it owes us nothing, but our search for someone who could fix it (or its twin, which never did get quite cold enough) has so far been fruitless.  So, after considerable research, we went back to eBay.  We took a chance on a larger, more powerful Nemox Tuttogelato and snagged it for less than 10% of its original price.  It is, in a word, amazing. 

After a few batches of sorbet (which it turned out in less than half the time of the Simac), we made our first batch of gelato yesterday.  Our guests have been asking for ice cream to go with our warm pound cakes, and we didn't want to serve ice cream from a store, so we decided to make our own.  It only took about 20 minutes to turn out a gloriously rich Cinnamon-Vanilla gelato that was a huge hit.  We can't wait to make more!

What's next?  We're thinking Mexican chocolate (made with cinnamon and ground toasted almonds), Kahlua (coffee and vanilla), cafe de olla (coffee with piloncillo and cinnamon), mango, pithaya, mamey, chocolate-habanero (we must have at least one spicy flavor!), horchata, flor de jamaica ... the list is endless.

What flavors would you like to see?  

RECIPE: PALOMA'S WHITE CHOCOLATE-CAJETA CHEESECAKE

One of the things we love about having this blog is that it gives us a chance to share with you the recipes for some of our more popular dishes.  By popular demand, we're starting with our renowned white chocolate cajeta cheesecake.

Cajeta is a Mexican caramel sauce.  It is readily available in any of the Mexican grocery stores that have opened throughout the Delaware Valley.  The best brand is Coronado, which comes in a plastic squeeze bottle.  (Coronado makes several varieties of cajeta - any of them will work fine.)  If you cannot find cajeta, you can use dulce de leche which comes in cans or bottles.  We do NOT recommend substituting regular caramel syrup.

PALOMA'S WHITE CHOCOLATE-CAJETA CHEESECAKE

NOTE: I make this in a 12" pan with a removable bottom. A springform pan is fine. Your pan is likely to be much smaller. If so, you can either reduce the recipe or bake the extra in a soufflé dish for a separate snack.

This recipe makes a creamy, dense, rich cheesecake, not the poofy fluffy kind.

For the crust
In the Cuisinart, put
9 Tablespoons sugar
12 Tablespoons butter
2 cups flour
(for chocolate crust, instead of 2 cups flour, I use 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup good cocoa powder)
Blend until fully mixed. Spray springform pan with nonstick spray, then sprinkle crust mixture evenly over the bottom to a depth of about 1/4 inch, being sure it covers the seam where the base meets the ring. Pat down gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then remove. AS SOON AS YOU REMOVE the crust from the oven, sprinkle mini chocolate chips to cover the bottom in a single layer. This step is not necessary, but adds a nice crunch to the crust while creating a moisture barrier that will keep the crust from getting soggy. Set the crust aside to cool. DO NOT turn off the oven. Turn it down to 180 to 200 degrees.
 
TIP: I make a triple or quadruple batch of the crust mixture and store it in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Why clean the Cuisinart 3 or 4 times when you can do it once?

For the filling
Before you start, put 2 to 2.5 pounds of chopped white chocolate (or white chocolate chips) in a double boiler to melt. If you don't have a double boiler, you can put a large Pyrex measuring cup or stainless steel bowl into a pot of barely simmering water. Just take care that no water splashes into the chocolate. Check the chocolate frequently and stir when the sides and bottom start to melt. While the chocolate is melting, take a can or bottle of cajeta and immerse it in hot water to make the cajeta softer and more pourable. Let it sit and proceed with the batter:

In the bowl of an electric mixer (at least 4.5 quart), put six 8-oz. packages of cream cheese. Beat until softened. Add 1 cup sugar (if you are making a variation without the white chocolate, use 1 1/2 cups). Continue beating until fully incorporated and smooth. Add 6 large eggs, beating well after each addition. Add 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 3/8 tsp. salt, and 2 Tablespoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract. Beat well.

With the mixer running, add the melted white chocolate, little by little, to the batter. Beat until it's fully incorporated.

Place 2-3 cups of the batter (the amount is not critical - measure this by eye) into a bowl and add cajeta to taste, stirring vigorously with a spoon to blend it completely. Set aside.

Assemble
Spoon half of the remaining batter into the springform pan. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Spoon all of the batter/cajeta mixture evenly over the batter. Then carefully spoon the remaining half of the batter over the cajeta, covering the cajeta completely. (It's best to start with a thin layer to cover, then add the rest.)




Bake
Bake at 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 hours or so. Because the temperature is so low, there's a lot of wiggle room. You can put it in the oven before you go to bed and turn it off in the morning. This long slow baking prevents it from rising too fast and cracking. It also doesn't dry out. When it's finished baking, turn the oven off and leave the door closed, or open the door just a crack. Wait at least an hour before taking it out of the oven. Let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until the next day.

The ganache topping
In a large (4-cup) pyrex bowl or measuring cup, heat 1 1/2 to 2 cups of heavy cream in the microwave until it boils. Once it boils, remove it immediately. Wait about 30 seconds and then carefully add 12 to 16 ounces of good quality semisweet chocolate chunks or chips. (It may bubble violently when you add the first pieces - be careful.) Let stand for 10 minutes. Using a hand blender with ONE BEATER, blend until smooth and pour over the chilled cheesecake. (If you have too much, you can refrigerate the rest and roll the chilled ganache into balls, then roll in cocoa and serve like truffles ... yum.) Put the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight to chill.

To serve
The ganache should set up in less than an hour. To cut the cheesecake, run a large sharp knife in very hot water. Slice the cheesecake, being sure to cut through the crunchy crust at the bottom. Run the knife in hot water after each cut. You may need to go over the cuts with a shorter, sharp knife to be sure the crust is cut cleanly. (At the restaurant, we get 16 slices from a 12" cheesecake.)

The cheesecake freezes well, and lasts a surprisingly long time in the refrigerator if wrapped tightly. If the plastic wrap mars the ganache, run the side of a hot knife over the ganache to smooth it before serving.

VARIATIONS:  Instead of cajeta, you can mix in raspberry puree, blueberry puree, concentrated coffee, or whatever flavor strikes your fancy.  As noted above, if you don't make the base with white chocolate, increase the sugar to 1 1/2 cups.  You are limited only by your imagination!  Have fun!

Gotta start somewhere!

Welcome to the blog of PALOMA MEXICAN HAUTE CUISINE!  We're really good at cooking and baking, but new to this blog thing, so please bear with us while we get our sea-legs.

What better place to start than with food?!

Adan has begun testing news apps and entrees for our fall menu which will debut sometime this month.  He will bring back some old favorites that have been requested (repeatedly!) by many of the wonderful folks who have moved with us from the Northeast to Bella Vista.  Watch for the return of his rack of lamb, lobster bisque, and the phyllo-wrapped crab cake that won us a Best of Philly award.

I've been playing with some new desserts for fall.  The blueberry bread pudding that some of you had when we tried it out as a special will be in the starting lineup, as will some lighter - and liquor-soaked - layer cakes.

So please come back and visit us often.  We'll be posting recipes, announcements of special dinners, maybe even some cooking (or jewelrymaking) classes.

Buen provecho!

Barb