Rabo de Mestiza

The main ingredient of the dish is a thick roasted tomato broth that contains strips of poblano chilies and onions, and minced garlic. Safest Choice eggs are poached and placed on top of this broth and “islands” of melted cheese. This dish shouldn’t be confused with Mexican caldos or soups, but this is a very hearty entrée that lends itself to brunch or dinner. It is typical of Mestizo recipes combining Old and New World spices and techniques to create what I consider “craveable” flavor experiences.

This is a dish that originated in the town of San Luis Potosi in the state of the same name. It is hearty and very flavorful with noticeable spicy notes. The overall flavor described as almost decadent, when actually the ingredients are really very humble.

The first step, as shown here in my Huevos de Rabo de Mestiza recipe, is to make the Tomato-Chile Broth. You start by charring and peeling poblano chilies. Followed by the charring of large tomatoes, the tomatoes are left unpeeled as the charred skin adds to the finished stock. The onions, garlic and Poblano chile strips are sautéed.

Then tomatoes, after being pureed, are added and simmered to develop the flavors of the finished stock. A small amount of chicken broth is added at the end of cooking to bring the finished stock to the proper thickness; similar to that of a medium thick pasta sauce. The Tomato-Chile Broth is allowed to rest for several days in the refrigerator to marry all of the flavors together. This step is a very important part of the recipe.

On the day of service the heated stock is ladled into suitably sized soup bowls or 2” deep pasta bowls and dotted with cubes or slices of Queso Oaxaca, a creamy cow’s milk cheese that melts well under the broiler. Once the cheese has melted a poached Safest Choice egg is placed in the center of the bowl and sprinkled with thinly sliced green onions.

I like to serve Rabo de Mastiza with bowls of accompaniments such as cooked and crumbled chorizo, diced avocado, extra cheese such as Queso Fresco, lime wedges and leaf oregano so guests can add additional flavors to the dish as they like. Mexican Hot Chocolate goes well with this dish in the winter and Mango Agua Fresca in the spring or summer but a great Margarita works well no matter what the season.

¡ Buen provecho!

Huevos Motuleños

While not considered a Lebanese dish Huevos Motuleños was the creation of a local restaurateur, Jorge Siqueff Febels, whose family were the proprietors of the region’s first Lebanese restaurant located in Motul called La Sin Rival. The restaurant was known to frequently serve “political power meals” to the governor of the Yucatan, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a native of Motul. He was reputed to be a gourmand with a taste for having his meals served with a large variety of accompaniments.

On one particular occasion Felipe brought so many people with him to enjoy desayuno at La Sin Rival that the restaurant was unable to provide the necessary tableware. Chef Febels served all of the individual accompaniments on top of the tortillas and eggs due to lack of proper bowls.  His desayuno dish was an instant success and given the name Huevos Motulenos in honor of the town and citizens.

The restaurant, La Sin Rival,  later moved to Merida and is still in operation. Although now called Restaurante Siqueff, Huevos Motuleños are still served in the early mornings. The city of Motul continues to be known as the birth place of this dish and Huevos Motuleños are sold in a number of small, family run Fondas near the town square, only for desayuno, never at lunch, unless you know the proprietor of the establishment very well.

Huevos Motuleños combines the earthy flavor of crisp corn tortillas with mashed or refried Mayan black beans, sunny side up Safest Choice eggs, salsa jitomate habanero (Yucatan tomato salsa), crisp diced ham, fresh green peas, queso fresco, minced cilantro and garnished with fried plantains slices, lime wedge and sometimes a fresh habanero chili for those that really love the burn of a truly hot pepper.

I have seen this dish made with tortillas para panuchos, puffy corn tortillas, stuffed with black bean paste but it is a difficult tortilla style for the typical kitchen to reproduce so I prefer the crispy fried tortillas with mashed black beans and topped with the traditional ingredients. In Mexico the peas are usually canned but the vibrant color of fresh peas lends more to the overall beauty of this craveable desayuno classic. Huevos Motuleños is classic comfort food with a historical beginning and makes a perfect entrée for brunch or a quick evening meal.

¡ Buen provecho!

Huevos Divorciados are served as a one plate breakfast with Mexican breakfast potatoes, black beans from the pot or refried pinto beans or occasionally “tastefully naked” with just the tortillas, eggs and sauces. The plate is always garnished with crumbled Queso Fresco and minced fresh cilantro to accent the flavors of the two distinctly different sauces.

The culinary history of this dish is somewhat questionable as it is a contemporary dish and not a part of traditional or historical Mexican cooking. I can remember seeing the name on menus 40 years ago, but, 40 years is not a long time in terms of Mexican culinary history. More than likely the dish came about by a lack of sauce during a busy breakfast period causing an unplanned substitution that was quickly named by a spirited and perhaps bitter cook with a sense of humor.

Some people think changing the name to Huevos Navideños or “Christmas Eggs” would give this “red and green” dish a more pleasant reference, but Huevos Diviorciados can now be found on just about every desayuno menu in Mexico.  The dish has become a main stay when talking about “serious eggs” in Mexico. Once you try them you will understand the popularity as they are rich, very flavorful and definitely what I consider “Mexican craveable.”

Huevos Divorciados is a wonderful choice as a center of the plate item for a Saturday or Sunday brunch. The dish is very visual, offers pleasant non-polarizing home-style Mexican flavors and allows for any number of buffet style accompaniments from fruit yogurts, to Mexican pan dulces, to fresh fruit, as well as savory vegetable based side items such as Mexican breakfast potatoes or whole beans from the pot or Mexican-style rice.

¡Buen provecho!

Huevos de Albanil

Bricklayer Eggs are usually served with beans or rice, fresh fruit, and traditional garnishes of diced avocado, crumbled Queso Fresco, fresh cilantro, and perhaps a drizzle of Crema…depending on the whims of the Chef and his guests.

This is not to be considered a light breakfast and has been best described as “sustaining, savory and satisfying” and relegated to lazy weekend breakfasts or breakfast for dinner as this dish should not be made when you are strapped for time and in a hurry. It will definitely satisfy your inner need to reconnect with the bold, early morning flavors of Mexico.

The origins of this dish aren’t really known but as with Huevos Rancheros the Huevos al Albañil was probably typical of a Desayuno meal served to inner city workers starting their day. In this case the workers were “bricklayers” or those involved in the masonry trades of some type.

This is a great lazy day brunch recipe as it shows the Mestizo approach of blending the New World ingredients and techniques with food from old Mexico.  The tomatillo sauce recipe that follows can be made a day or two ahead of need and reheated on the day of service…..with the other ingredients staged and ready to serve the plates can be easily assembled.

¡Buen provecho!

Huevos Rancheros can be made with a number of variations but always from a base of three common ingredients: corn tortillas, a spicier roasted salsa roja, better known as Salsa Ranchera, and sunny side up eggs. Every cook in Mexico tries to recreate this dish with a sense “specialness” that sets his or her style of preparation apart from all others, usually in the form of accompaniments. Refried or whole beans, arroz mexicano, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheeses, chilaquiles, pico de gallo, and the list grows depending on the Chef and the cuisine in their native state.

Huevos Rancheros with Safest Choice Eggs

The Spanish had an enormous influence on Mexican kitchens having brought with them foods that nurtured and enriched all areas of the existing Mexican diet.  Items such as chicken, beef, pork, cheeses, grains and spices played an important role in the development of the Mexican cuisines we enjoy today. Eggs were used in many forms from breakfast to desserts. This fusion is certainly evident in our classic desayuno dish where eggs are featured with locally made corn tortillas, tomato based sauces, and garnished with cheeses, beans and sausage in the form of chorizo, incorporating spices and techniques unavailable in Mexico up until that point.

The Spanish culinary influence was initially practiced in the Catholic convents and known as cocina conventual but eventually it emerged as an important culinary advancement for Mexico and slowly spread throughout the country. Mole poblano and tingas from Puebla, carnitas from Michoacan are but a few examples of the conventual blending of food and cultures.

Huevos Rancheros were and still are a primary desayuno meal served to workers on estates and ranches where first meals are substantial and filling to carry workers through the day. In the farm kitchens Huevos Rancheros are served in the traditional form and always with frioles de olla (pot beans), corn tortillas, crumbled cheeses, ranch-style spicy chorizo, roasted Salsa Ranchera and mugs of steaming coffee or Mexican hot chocolate. Any entree cooked with a chile, onion and tomato combination qualifies to be called “ranch-style” or Ranchero.

We have experienced the traditional Mexican-American version of Huevos Rancheros that are usually served on a large oval platter with refried beans, cold over cooked eggs and a red sauce of dubious distinction. But, that really doesn’t allow us the “specialness” associated with a dish of this stature. There will always be the basic version for a fast weekday breakfast but there is also a version relegated to “lazy weekend” breakfasts that could be served for breakfast or dinner in a more elegant form with all of the flavors necessary to satisfy our Mexican cravings.

The basic components are still in place but the accompaniments are incorporated into the dish to allow us a “Huevos Hacienda” approach featuring poached or sunny side up Safest Choice eggs on top of layers of flavor and texture.

The texture and roasted notes within the Ranchero Sauce are key elements when preparing Huevos Rancheros. In this recipe we used three corn tortillas and place specific flavors on each layer. The first layer is cheese, the second layer black beans, and the third layer Safest Choice eggs sunny side up, Ranchero Sauce, chorizo, and slices of avocado with a garnish of queso fresco and cilantro.

The result is a very “craveable” version of Huevos Rancheros. Our classic desayuno dish worthy of the name “Huevos Hacienda” and reserved for a special weekend breakfast or breakfast for dinner.

¡ Bueno provecho !

Huevos Motuleños

A desayuno menu will feature many of Mexico’s boldly flavored egg dishes served with home-style choices, from sweet and sinful, to bold and energetic, representing the regional culinary flavors of your visit. The desayuno is a meal to be savored as it is only available in the mornings and is not to be mixed in with or confused by traditional mid-day meals (almuerzo) or evening offerings.

My favorite city for desayuno is Guadalajara, in the State of Jalisco. Quintessentially Mexican, Jalisco is the home of Tequila, Mariachis, the Ballet Folklorico, and a number of regional culinary specialties. From hearty soups like Pozole, to sandwiches such as their famous Torta Ahogada, to the breakfast stew, Birria, to luscious fruit filled Tamales.

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo I have created five (cinco) authentic Mexican breakfast recipes for Safest Choice Eggs. The five recipes in my series are Huevos Rancheros, Huevos de Albanil, Huevos Divorciados, Huevos Motuleños and Huevos de Rabo Mestiza. With each dish I have highlighted regional flavors and culinary specialties so you can enjoy an authentic desayuno at home. And even though desayuno mean breakfast and these dishes are typically served in the morning, they would all make great breakfast for dinner options.

¡Buen provecho!

If you are pregnant or just thinking of starting a family, read on….

Egg Nutrients and Baby’s Brain

Maybe it’s not surprising that eggs deliver critical brain nutrients your baby needs for healthy development. Take a look at these top 3:

1 – Choline in eggs supports a developing nervous system and brain. If you’re pregnant, your recommended choline intake goes up to 450 mg/day. (It goes even higher when you’re breastfeeding.) Two eggs (252 mg choline) provide more than half your recommended daily choline intake.

2 – Folacin (also called folate or folic acid) rates as a game-changer in pregnancy nutrition. Starting right away in the first trimester of pregnancy, folacin helps protect your baby’s developing nervous system from neural tube defects, explains the American Dietetic Association in its position paper on nutrition and healthy pregnancy.

As your pregnancy progresses, folacin continues to protect against other birth defects as well. Eggs are a reliable source of folacin in your diet. Experts say pregnant women, on average, are running low.

3 – Iron is a key nutrient, too, because pregnancy requires building up the blood supply. Red blood cells use iron to deliver oxygen to mom and baby. Just think of iron as the growth nutrient.

About 3 out of 10 pregnant moms aren’t getting enough iron, says the American Dietetic Association. Iron-deficiency anemia is common in pregnancy. It can lead to low birth weight and other risks.

Egg yolks give you iron in a form that’s easy for your body to absorb and use. They’re a great complement to a healthy eating plan.

Making Eggs Safe for Pregnancy

During pregnancy, you and your baby are at higher risk for foodborne illness. So, attention to egg safety keeps you both safe and healthy. Pasteurized eggs, just like pasteurized milk and cheeses, are great choices for healthy eating.

Check out the Safe Eggs website for more nutrition info on Safest Choice eggs, and visit the Moms & pregnancy page of the Safe Eggs website for wellness tips during pregnancy.

Happy growing!

There’s no question that I get obsessed with certain foods from time to time.  I like to say that it’s an occupational hazard of being a food blogger who really does dream about food all day.  Like a catchy tune, sometimes a flavor or a food item will just get stuck on replay in my head, going around and around until I have to find a new way to use it.  Lemon curd has been the tune I’m singing of late, ever since I made some for an Easter brunch with friends.  It’s so sweet and tangy, and so…so…lemony, it just screams spring.  But here in New England, we skipped over spring entirely and went straight into summer.  So my head has also been playing the tune of ice cream and other frozen treats.  It wasn’t much of a leap to combine the two and churn up some Lemon Curd Ice Cream.

Lemon Curd Ice Cream using Safest Choice eggs

I’d seen Lemon Curd Ice Cream before on other blogs and food sites, and it was pretty easy to figure out how it should be made.  Lemon curd takes a lot of eggs as it is, so I knew it wouldn’t be necessary to  add more to create a custard-based ice cream.  I also really wanted the tang of the lemon curd to come through and not get swallowed up by the cream and the sweetener.  I’ve seen some recipes that add a lot more sugar after adding the curd, which is plenty sweet in my opinion.  But I kept my additional sweetener to a minimum, to allow for a tangy, creamy frozen treat.

This really is a perfect recipe for Safest Choice Eggs.  If you’ve ever made lemon curd before, you know that it’s about getting the eggs and yolks to just the right temperature so that they are cooked through.  But sometimes your curd begins to thicken before it reaches the required temperature and if you continue cooking it, you will end up with a curdled mess.  But since Safest Choice Eggs are already pasteurized, you can disregard getting the eggs up to temperature and just remove the curd from the heat as it starts to thicken.   And it will thicken up quickly and suddenly, so make sure you keep your eyes on it at all times!

Click here to see my Lemon Curd Ice Cream recipe using Safest Choice eggs.

Or you can visit my blog, I Day I Dream About Food, to see the recipe there as well.

This year I’m making this Dreamy White Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie.  My family loves pie, so I’m certain this will be the perfect dessert for them on Easter.  This is a rich dessert, yet light.  You’ll have no problem eating a large slice… or two.

I used a basic pie shell, but you could use a graham cracker crust would work also.  The pie shell is filled with homemade white chocolate coconut custard.  The delicious custard is made from Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Egg Yolks, coconut milk, sugar, white chocolate chips and sweetened flaked coconut.  Heavy cream is folded into the custard to make it light and airy.  The custard is placed in the pie shell, and frozen.  So yes, this is an icebox pie, and should cool down all of your Easter guests from these unseasonably warm temperatures.

Right before serving, a meringue is made from Safest Choice Egg Whites.  The meringue is spread on top of the pie and broiled until golden brown.  I broiled mine a few seconds too long, as you can see.  The topping got a little burned, but still tasted great.  I love using Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs in meringue and mousse, because you don’t have to worry about salmonella.

This coconut cream pie will make your Easter dreamy, I promise!

• Protein: One large pasteurized egg offers up 6 grams of protein. At just 70 calories per egg, that translates into a healthful entrée ingredient or snack. Egg protein classifies as “high biological value,” meaning it’s easy for the body to use for health. In fact, eggs are the gold standard in biological value. Every other protein source is compared with eggs.
• Antioxidants:  Lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that are highly bioavailable from eggs, can help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.

• Vitamins A, D, and E: Revised USDA nutrient data shows that eggs higher in vitamin D than previously thought. All three of these essential fat-soluble vitamins—A, D, and E—are readily available from eggs.

• Iron: Egg yolks are classic source of easy-to-absorb iron. Not as trendy as some nutrients, iron is nevertheless essential for preventing iron-deficiency anemia and supporting growth. Iron helps deliver oxygen throughout the body, and deficiency can lead to fatigue. Children, women of reproductive age, and athletes all need to pay special attention to iron. Did you know that iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world?

• Omega fatty acids: These essential fatty acids continue to capture nutrition headlines. We now know that they can help prevent chronic illnesses like heart disease, arthritis, and cancer. They reduce many kinds of inflammatory processes in the body. Even better, they support healthy brain functioning and memory. They can reduce the risk of Alzeheimer’s disease.

• Choline: Speaking of healthy brain functioning, choline is another nutrient you’ll find in eggs that’s good for the nervous system and the brain. This nutrient, found in egg yolks, is especially crucial during pregnancy. Even before birth, choline and folate—also found in eggs—contribute to healthy nervous system development for babies. Its benefits persist throughout the life cycle, optimizing brain function.

Safest Choice™ is proud to support getting your plate in shape for National Nutrition Month® with safe, pasteurized  eggs that eliminate the risk of Salmonella while powering you up with great egg nutrients.

Did you know? National Nutrition Month grew from just a “National Nutrition Week” in 1973. I think sound nutrition deserves a full month of conversation. How about you?