Latin Recipes for your Holiday Dinner Party

I can eat Mexican food every day.  I am a huge fan.  Nestlé El Mejor Nido sent me these fantastic looking recipes for a Latin inspired holiday dinner.  Or an any day of the week dinner!  

Starting out with the Coquito Cocktail.....such a cozy drink, I can already envision tasting this one while sitting in front of the fire.  Then moving on to Shredded Beef Tamales with mole sauce for dinner.  And let's not forget dessert....Mexican Lime Pie and Meringue.

For these and more Latin inspired recipes, you can visit: http://www.elmejornido.com/en

Coquito Cocktail

Serves 8

Ingredients

·         2 cups coconut milk

·         1 cup NESTLÉ LA LECHERA Sweetened Condensed Milk

·         1 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk

·         1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         Rum (optional)

Directions

·         Place coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, cinnamon and nutmeg in blender; cover. Blend until combined.

·         Refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold. Serve cold, garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.

Shredded Beef Tamales with Mole Sauce

Serves 12 Tamales

Ingredients: Filling

·         Canola oil cooking spray

·         1 cup water

·         1 1/2 teaspoons NESCAFÉ CLÁSICO Pure Instant Coffee Granules

·         1/4 tablet NESTLÉ ABUELITA Authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate Drink

·         1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder

·         1/2 teaspoon MAGGI Granulated Chicken Flavor Bouillon

·         1/8 teaspoon whole cumin

·         1/8 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

·         1 1/2 pounds boneless beef brisket

·         1 bay leaf

·         24 dried corn husks

·         3 cups prepared masa for tamales

·         1/2 cup russet potato sliced into 2 x 1/2-inch strips (12 strips total)

·         1/4 cup yellow onion sliced into 1/2-inch strips (12 strips total)

Ingredients: Mole Sauce

·         1 cup hot water

·         1/2 teaspoon MAGGI Granulated Chicken Flavor Bouillon

·         3 ounces prepared mole

·         2 tablespoons NESTLÉ ABUELITA Granulated Chocolate Drink Mix

·         Toasted sesame seeds

Directions

·         SPRAY cooking spray in slow cooker, covering bottom and 3 inches up the side.

·         BOIL water in small saucepan; remove from heat. Add coffee granules and Abuelita chocolate tablet. Stir to dissolve.

·         COMBINE chile powder, bouillon, cumin and oregano in a small bowl. Stir until all spices are mixed

·         SPRINKLE brisket with spices, covering all sides and place in slow cooker. Add bay leaf and coffee/chocolate mixture.

·         COOK on low for 8 hours (or high for 6 hours).

·         SOAK corn husks in water for at least 1 hour.

·         REMOVE bay leaf, scrape off any excess fat and shred meat with two forks into 1 ½-inch shreds.

·         TO ASSEMBLE:

·         PLACE corn husk on a flat surface, pointy side down. Spread ¼ cup masa on husk, 2 tablespoons shredded beef, 1 potato strip and 1 onion strip.

·         FOLD sides, overlapping over filling.

·         ARRANGE tamales upright on steamer rack. Fill with hot water to right below the rack

·         COVER tamales with remaining husks and damp towel; cover with lid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, adding water as needed. Steam for 1 hour or until masa pulls away from husk.

·         PLACE hot water and bouillon in small saucepan; mix well. Stir in mole until dissolved. Add Abuelita chocolate. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until chocolate has dissolved and mixture has thickened.

Mexican Lime Pie & Meringue

By Pati Jinich

Ingredients

Crust:

·         3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more to butter the dish

·         1 tablespoon granulated sugar

·          Pinch kosher or coarse sea salt

·         2 egg yolks

·         2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust the dish and roll out dough

·         1/2 cup whole milk

Filling:

·         5 large eggs

·         1 cup NESTLÉ LA LECHERA Sweetened Condensed Milk

·         3 tablespoons heavy cream

·          Zest of 2 green Mexican limes

·         2/3 cup fresh-squeezed green Mexican lime juice

Meringue:

·         3 egg whites

·         1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

·         Butter and dust a 9-inch pie dish with flour.

To make the crust

·         In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar, salt, and egg yolks, and continue beating until well combined. Reduce speed to low, add a 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour at a time. Lastly add the milk and beat just until the dough is fully combined and comes together. Roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for a half hour, or until it is firm enough to roll.

·         Preheat oven to 350° F.

·         Generously dust your counter and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick circle large enough to fit the pie dish. Place the dough on top of pie dish and gently fit it into the inside of the dish, as well as covering the edge. You may cut around the edge with a paring knife. Poke the bottom of the pie crust 10 to 15 times with a fork, as well as 10 to 12 times around the edge. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with either pie weights or a cup of dried beans. Place pie dish on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the pie weights or beans and aluminum, and place back in the oven for 8 to 10 more minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To make the filling

·         In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed, until foamy, for a couple of minutes. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk, and continue beating for 1 or 2 minutes. Pour the heavy cream, along with the lime zest and lime juice and continue beating for a couple minutes more, until fully combined and thickened.

·         Pour lime mixture over pie crust up to the brim (right before it starts to spill!). Place on top of baking sheet and into the oven. Bake for 50 minutes, or until completely set. Remove from the oven.

To make meringue

·         In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites over medium speed until soft peaks start to form, or you start seeing soft shapes in the egg whites as the whisk moves along. Pour in the confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Continue beating until you achieve meringue consistency: the mixture is shiny, thick and you see deeply marked shapes as the whisk moves along; or if you stop the mixer and raise the whisk, the mixture should hold stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, spread the meringue on top of the pie, making waves or peaks as you cover the pie. Place on the baking sheet and into the oven for another 10 minutes or until the meringue has set and its top is lightly browned.

·         Remove from the oven. Let cool. Place in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.