Pecan Cake (Pastel de nuez)
Pecan Cake (Pastel de nuez) This is one of the popular Mexican desserts that I learned at the Instituto Familiar y Social in Guadalajara. It is especially beloved in the central region of Mexico. The texture is dense and moist, something like a fruitcake, and the cake...Raisin Icing (Betún de pasas)
Raisin Icing (Betún de pasas) Most people will not be able to obtain cajeta, which is often served with Pecan Cake, but this variant of a seven-minute icing — actually very close to a favorite Maida Heatter recipe — that I learned on the ranch is a...
Sweet Potato Casserole
I’ve been making this sweet potato casserole since I arrived in New York in 1983, when a friend brought one, and it is always on my Thanksgiving menu. But a little about Alex: If a Nordic God were to appear to me he would look like Alex Baker. He’d be tall and...
Frozen Lemon Torte
Frozen Lemon Torte This frozen lemon torte is another fabulous Jack Lirio dessert. Layers of crunchy meringue filled with lemon curd whipped cream. I’m not a natural baker, and this is particularly difficult to make and I only do this when I want to honor someone. For...
Manu’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
I am not a natural baker nor do I particularly enjoy the process. Fortunately, I did not have to do it for many years. We had an excellent pastry chef, Ed Bonuso, at Zarela Restaurant, and my then daughter-in-law Victoria Munro, and my stepdaughter Marissa and her...
The many lives of Zarela Martínez
Culinary legend Zarela Martínez introduced finely tuned, highly researched regional Mexican cuisine to a national stage, and has continued to blaze trails for more than three decades.