Taco Adobe

Taco Adobe is one of my most cherished places to eat. The restaurant is nestled deeply (almost hidden) on Main Street in downtown Santa Ana, down the street from the Bowers Muesum. I frequent this Mex-Southwestern Grill often, although I still have yet to stray too far from my favorites on the menu. My absolute favorite thing to eat at Taco Adobe are the Enchiladas De Camarones (shown here), which are two enchiladas stuffed with shrimp in a garlic sauce and covered in a tomatillo sauce topped with sour cream, avacado slices, and cojita cheese, served with rice and black beans.

I am equally in love the Pescado Guaymas, which is grilled mahi mahi sauteed on spinach cilantro garlic and walnut pesto sauce with a touch of serrano chiles. The Tacos De Camaron (shown here) are also quite appetizing.

Also be sure to check their daily specials, I believe that's where you'll find the mouthwatering Tacos De San Miguel or the Green Pazole, which are just a couple more thing I'd recommend trying. As of yet, I have not managed to get to Taco Adobe for breakfast. As far as liqour is concerned, they serve beer and wine only.

Taco Adobe is located at:
1319 N Main St
Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714) 543-2411

Postre De Pina

I've posted about the Dona Tomas Cookbook before (last month in fact), but last week we decided to try out a new recipe for our dinner guests and naturally we reached for this cookbook first. We made some delicious Enchiladas De Veduras (Roasted Sweet Potato and Poblano Chile Enchiladas with Tomatillo and Jalepeno Sauce), but this Postre De Pina dessert stole the show. The rum, sugar, and vanilla sauce melds perfectly with the pineapple and puff pastry. I will definitly be adding this to my "keepers" list for the next time I have friends over.

Here's the recipe...

*Postre De Pina*

Ingredients:

6 (1 inch-thick) round slices fresh pineapple, cored
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 (9 by 18-inch) sheet puff pastry
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup crema, for garnish

(For Rum Sauce)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons Myer's dark rum (I mistakenly used )
1 pinch kosher salt

Directions:

To prepare the sauce, combine the cream, the butter, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a fentle boil, being careful to not scorch the bottom. Place a seperate saute pan over medium-high heat. *ile the granulated sugar in the center of the pan and drizzle the edges of the pile with the water to prevent burning. As the sugar begins to heat, fold the melted edges itno the center, gently stirring to break up any large lumps and prevent syrup from sticking and burning on the sides. Melt the sugar for 7 to 10 minutes, until it thins and turns an even shade of reddish brown.

Increase the heat to high, carefully add about 1 tablespoon of the rum, and allow the mixture to flambe. Once the flames die down, carefully whisk in one-third of the cream-butter mixture. Alternate this process two more times until all the rum and cream have been added. This method will prevent the sauce from becoming too thick (and breaking) or too thin (and not emulsifying). Bring the sauce to a full boil and add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Sprinkle both sides of the pineapple slices liberally with the sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then drizzle the slices with the pineapple juice. Meanwhile, take the puff pastry out of the freezer to defrost. Continue to baste the juice with the juice for 10 to 20 minutes, until the pineapple is fork-tender.

When the puff pastry is defrosted but still cold, roll it out on a well-floured surface, stretching slightly both lengthwise and widthwise. Select a bowl with a 4-inch diameter to use as a template. Place the bowl upside down on the pastry, and cut and cut around the edge with a sharp knife. You should get 6 rounds of pastry. Place the dough rounds on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or a silicone baking mat; prick each dough round with a fork. Whusk the egg yolk and milk together in a small bowl. Evenly brush the egg wash on the dough rounds. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry rises and is golden brown.

Place 1 piece of the puff pastry on each plate. Place a slice of warm pineapple on each and cover with the sauce. Drizzle with crema right before serving.

Purchase this cookbook here.

La Calle

I'm not sure where to begin. I had read good things about this restaurant tucked deep into a tiny strip mall years prior, but every time I happened to be in the area the place was closed. These days however, it is now my good fortune to live a hop, skip, and a jump away from what may be the best Mexican food I've ever had.



The first thing I'd highly reccomend ordering is the Panbaso, which is a soft bollillo roll dipped in a mild red sauce, filled with chorizo and potatoes, and topped with lettuce, sour cream, and green salsa. This is quite simply delicious...and at only a few dollars a pop you can't afford not to try one. The Potato and Chorizo Tacos in a hard shell (also shown above) are also especially tasty.


I'd also recommend you try the Chicarron (deep fried pork skin) Quesadilla. The crisp homemade dough is finished with lettuce, cotija cheese, green salsa, and sour cream and is light years away from any quesadilla I've ever eaten.



The Carne Asada Tacos (shown to the left) are also great, as are the Mole Enchiladas. I'm slowly beganing to work my way through the entire menu and I have yet to try a dish I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. The place boasts a new name now (El Moctezuma #3), but the food (I'm told) is still the same muy excelente comida as always.






La Calle (or El Moctezuma #3) is located at:
1740 W. Chapman Ave. Orange, 92868
Tel: (714) 456-0800

Dona Tomas Cookbook

We got a few new cookbooks for Christmas and this was one of the one's we were most anxious to cook from straight away. So the next morning I ran to the grocery store and purchased all the necessary ingredients for the Chilequiles with Guajillo Sauce...and were very pleased with the outcome.





The Dona Tomas cookbook comes from Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky's recipes from their Oakland, CA restaurant of the same name (located in the Temescal Distrcit). The Lima Soup (almost identical to their Tortilla Soup) is especially delicious. The soup is not quite as flavorfull as my variation of Rick Bayless' Tortilla Soup, but it is far easier to prepare (perfect for a weeknight) with no blending or frying required. We're looking foreward to trying our hands at some more recipes, as of yet the only other thing we've made from the cookbook are the Tacos De Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo, which were also excellent with a tomatillo salsa. Here's the recipe for the Sopa De Lima. I like to tweak the recipe by adding diced avacado, queso fresco, corn, and extra jalapeno for flavor.

*Sopa De Lima*

Ingredients:

1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 white onion, cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 jalapeno chile, chopped
2 heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch dice
juice of 2 limes
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
about 6 teaspoons kosher salt
2 to 3 cups loosely crushed tortilla chips

Prep:

Place broth in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to simmer.
In a sepearate soup pot, heat the oil over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until translucent, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly until the aroma is released. Add the jalapeno and tomatoes, and lightly saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and half of the cilantro, then remove the pan from the heat.

Pour broth into the pot of sauteed vegetables. Place the pot back on the stove top over high heat until it boils. Add a few pinches of salt, reduce heat to medium, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, until the flavors completely fuse. Add half of the shredded chicken (reserve the remainder for another use) and simmer for about 5 minutes, adjusting the seasoning with salt if necessary.

Ladle the soup into large bowls and top each with 1/2 cup of tortilla chips. Divide the remaining cilantro among the bowls. The garnish must be crispy and fresh and sized so that it fits on a soup spoon and provides appropriate contrast.

The soup can be refridgerated in a covered container for up to 3 days and reheated as necessary, but the tortilla and cilantro garnish should always be added at the last minute.

See Dona Tomas' site for more info.