JennyChef

About me....

 

I was born and raised in Chihuahua Mexico. Cooking in my family has always been the way to express our love and care for others so it was no surprise that I quickly picked an interest and passion for it at an early age. 

 

My mother used to prepare weekly feasts where family would gather for hours over delicious food. She never liked making desserts, so it became my area of opportunity to learn and explore the joy of cooking for others. As I grew up I expanded my interests and started to experiment with a full range of traditional dishes under my mother’s direction, progressing to the point of creating my own original food. 

 

I moved to Michigan 10 years ago and it was then when I discovered a new set of challenges. Being a mom of two young girls and having a full time job, I had to create dishes that would fit my busy lifestyle as well incorporate fresh local ingredients that were different in flavor and texture from the ones I was familiar with in Mexico.  I adopted my favorite traditional recipes that I’ve grown up with in my homeland without compromising flavor by streamlining many of the time-consuming techniques of Mexican cookery.

 

My reputation as a good cook started to spread in the community, when I was approached by the Whirlpool Hispanic Network to present a cooking class during the Hispanic Heritage month to help raise funds for the migrant families of southwest Michigan. The event was so successful that the KitchenAid Culinary Center had asked me to come back and teach more classes.  I accepted the invitation and discovered how much I enjoyed sharing with others the dishes that I grew up with and also making them easy enough to prepare so the class participants feel comfortable trying them at home.

 

I have been teaching cooking classes for 8 years and I am fortunate to always share my food with a full audience. I prepare my classes based on themes and my students’ interest and/or curiosity for dishes, ingredients and flavors. I take pride in my heritage and feel is important to help others find a comfortable way to share their love and care for others through food.  My classes introduce the audience to a cultural experience in a relaxed and interactive atmosphere where students learn and take a “something with them”; something that will enable them to enjoy cooking and share their care and love through new flavors.

 

This year I have taken a new direction on my passion and have been donating dinners for local fundraisers such as LMC, Curious Kids Museum, Lory’s place and Brookview school. My dinners have not only been a great experience for the winners but also a perfect way to get involved with the community raising funds for great causes and sharing my heritage and what I love doing the most: COOK.

Please join me on this wonderful journey to discover new flavors and tradition behind Mexican cuisine through my own experiences and the way I view and interpret my heritage....

BIENVENIDOS!

Red pepper and leek quiche with cheese crust ( Quiche de pimento y poro en costra de queso)

Last night I had a group of friends over for apps, drinks and jewerly! I made this recipe but in small bites to make them easy to eat and serve when you have large crowds... I can't tell you  how amazing these flavors are! Give it a try.. perfect for an entertaining night with good company. I removed the chopped jalapeno peppers in the recipe to be conscious about larger crowds that don't always eat spicy food but if you know your group and they love spicy, then add 1-2 finely chopped jalapenos (with or without seeds depending how much heat you want on the dish!)

Provecho!

 

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. white cheddar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chilled butter- cut into pieces

1 egg - lightly beaten

3-4 tbsp iced water

1 1/2 tbsp butter

2 leeks

1 small red bell pepper

1/4 dry white cheddar (parmesan cheese consistency)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

3/4 tsp dijon mustard (or use a mustard with “heat” for a variation such as horseradish, habanero, etc)

Salt to taste

 

Directions:

 

to make the crust, place the white cheddar cheese in the food processor or blender (whatever you prefer or have) and cut in chunks and pulse until crumbly. 

Add the flour and salt and pulse until finely crumbled. Add the butter then when incorporated, add the lightly beaten egg over the mixture. Scrape down bold and add about 2 tbsp of water (iced) until forms a rough mass, if it still not coming together add a bit more water but being careful not get it too sticky and runny. Set aside

Preheat the oven at 400F

Place the cheddar dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a thick circle and place in a spring form mold. Keep refrigerated until ready to use

Clean and slice the leeks into small pieces. In a small saute pan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Add the leeks and saute until soft but not browned. Remove from heat

In a bowl combine the cooled leeks, bell pepper and cheese (grated)

In the stand mixer, whisk the cream, eggs, mustard and a pinch of salt. When fluffy, incorporate all ingredients together without mixing too hard to keep the creamed ingredients as intact as possible.

Pour egg and vegetables mixture into the chilled crust and bake for 30-40 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

Apple almond tart for dessert tonight... a real indulgence!

My first private cooking class in the city.. what a wonderful beginning in this new chapter doing what I love the most: cooking for others... Menu and recipes coming up!

Fall calls for harvest recipes... Upside down Toffee apple brownies

Ropa vieja (Latin style shredded beef)

I think that this dish is one of the most classic ones in latin culture; every single country in Latin America has its own interpretation of how this dish is made, eaten, prepared and enjoyed. For people who live in the United States I think that their first contact with this dish is through Cuban food but as I said, everybody has its own version.

For me this dish brings me memories of my aunt, one of the most important and relevant women in my life who I love like my own mother and even call her as such. She is my mother's sister and raised me for a few years when I was little so I became extremely close to her. As I was growing up, part of the highlights of my summers was going to spend it with my aunt who lives in a different city from the rest of my family. When I was there, it was about enjoying what she liked to cook and prepare and living in a southern city (Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara) the flavors were different yet familiar with a similar flavor that my mother had. She would prepare this dish and serve them in tostadas but what it was the star of the dish was that she would make a spicy salsa with the broth of the meat and put it on top of each tostada when serving.... I can't tell you how watery my mouth is getting just of thinking of those flavors and the great memories along with it.

 

Taking inspiration from that dish I want to share with some tweaks because I've been editing the recipe a few times and now even my older daughter (who is an extreme picky eater!) is now enjoying this dish and asking for MORE! that is priceless for me! As a good Mexican I would serve this dish with rice and beans on the side but if you want to go the European route (like my husband) creamy polenta with roasted garlic makes an outstanding bed for this dish to enjoy.

Provecho!!!

 

Ingredients:

2 large organic carrots

2 organic celery stalks

1 big shallot ,peeled and roughly chopped

4 cloves of garlic

1 medium white onion roughly chopped

3 roma tomatoes roughly chopped

1 cup (or maybe more if needed) of red wine (not sweet.. prefer to use cabernet, chianti)

1-2 cups beef broth

1 tbsp freshly ground Mexican oregano

1 tsp black malabar pepper

Salt to taste

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 tsp cumin (optional for enhanched Latin flare)

2-3 lb. beef roast with some fat (not much) for flavor

 

Directions:

• One thing before you start is that as I said, my older daughter is an extreme picky eater and when chop the vegetables and leave them on the meat like that she would not even try them. My trick to sneak veggies on her food is I liquefy all ingredients making a sauce and that way she eats them with no problem.. even compliments how great the meat taste!! so chopped or liquefied is your choice!
• In the blender put 1/2 of the wine, 1/2 of the beef broth, the tomatoes, garlic, shallot, onion, celery and bell peppers. Liquiefy at high speed to make a sauce. Add more beef broth if needed.
• In a big pot (I use my Le Creuset largest one) place the roast, add the sauce and the remaining wine/broth making sure it gets cover with liquid for the most part. 
• Add the dry spices and bring to a boil.
• Simmer for about 2-3 hours on the stove or if prefer, in the oven at 350F until the meat is fully cooked, extra tender that falls apart when you press with a fork.
• Remove from heat and take the piece of meat out to allow cooling.
• Using two forks shred the meat into smaller pieces then put it back to the broth in the pot you still have. Simmer for additonal 20-30 minutes
• If you want to serve this the latin way you may do it with refried beans, tostadas and rice or going the European fusion of it... make roasted garlic polenta and serve it on top.. it is an outstanding dish!
• If you want to make the spicy broth reserve about 1 cup of the broth before putting the meat back to the pot. Take 1-2 del arbol peppers previously rehydrated in hot water for about 15-20 minutes and liquefy to a "hot broth" this sauce must be hot when pouring on top of the meat as ir or in the tostadas for better taste

Enjoy!!!

 

Before it was cut.... so yummy! Almond apple tart

To close the night I made this beautiful almond apple tart with home made vanilla ice cream... what a great night!

Second dish is already in the works... ropa vieja with my own interpretation of the dish... a cluster of Latin and European flavors... just like my house!

Crema de Elote (Corn soup or corn chowder)

The other night we had some new wonderful friends over for dinner... it all begun with a last minute cancelation of our sitter and having to "improvise" to still see our friends. As it was to be expected, we decided to move dinner to our new place in the city and from there the feast took off.

I was trying to prepare something that would feel like fall without really getting too wintery so I opted for a corn soup which is one of my youngest daughter's favorite soup and vegetable.

This is a very simple recipe that you can prepare rather fast and the flavors are just wonderful so now that the fall is here, give it a try I can assure you it won't disappoint you!

Provecho

 

Ingredients:

3 lb. fresh corn on the cob

1/2 medium size white onion roughly chopped/cubed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1-2 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp butter

Salt to taste 

Freshly ground pepper and chives to serve

 

Directions:

• Clean the fresh corn, remove husks and rinse it off. To make it easier to boil and also to peel, cut the cobs in halves
• In a big simmering pot, place all the corn and boil until fully cooked, soft and tender. Set aside, remove cobs from the hot water and let them cool down a bit (to make them easier to handle)
• In a pot put the onion with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and saute for 3-4 minutes without getting it brown
• When the corn has cooled, clean the cobs with a knife from top to bottom; when the corn is cooked is so much easier to remove from the cob as opposed when you try to do this while is fresh (it will jump everywhere!). Set the kernels in a bowl
• In the food processor or blender (I personally use the blender for pretty much everything and love mine!) put 2/3 of the corn kernels, the onion and the heavy cream. Liquefy for 1 minute until fully incorporated. Add some of the chicken broth to make it a bit runny and it's easier to strain
• Put the butter in a pot and melt at low heat. Add the corn puree as you strain it to avoid big pieces of the corn in the soup (this will give a much more velvety texture without chunks of fiber attacking your mouth), then add the reserved corn kernels to bring texture to the soup and the remaining chicken broth if any left
• Simmer for additional 10 minutes to incorporate all flavors. Salt to taste and set aside. 
• When you are ready to serve you may garnish with some chives

Enjoy!

This is where tonight's harvest feast begins... dinner in the city with girlfriends.. fun times ahead!