CancúnTom's Mexico

To celebrate our 6th Anniversary we enrolled ourselves in a cooking school over in Puerto Moreles…..

These are our experiences of a wonderful day………..

The sign outside the school which is housed in a beautiful old Mexican Hacienda in the heart of Puerto Moreles

The outdoor chalk-board at the entrance to the property

The view from the street

Opposite view from the street

Susie pointing at the “cooking school” part of the sign

The grand entrance-way to the front veranda of the Little Mexican Cooking School

The dinning area on the veranda

Catriona Brown the proprietor and our hostess…..

Our first task was to make some miniature tortilla’s

Then cook them for 20 seconds per side….

Then we took our 3 tortilla’s over to the counter……and….

squished the edges to form a bowl for the re-fried bean paste

Adding the re-fried beans……these would be taken to the kitchen where fresh lettuce and a dollop of sour cream were added, we would enjoy them later. That’s Dave from Montgomery, Alabama to my left.

Next we started to make 2 different salsa’s….I worked on one called “Salsa Verde Asada” using the charred ingredients previously prepared. Here is the recipe……..

1/2 lb. tomatillos, charred

2 serrano chiles, charred

1/4 white onion, charred

1 clove of garlic, charred

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Salt

In a molcajete place the chiles and garlic and begin mashing to a paste. Add the rest of your charred vegetables and continue

mashing to obtain a smooth salsa. Taste for seasoning, add salt if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Add cilantro and serve

Here I am mashing the above ingredients in the molcajete………….

Chef Pablo Lopez Espinosa de Los Manterros

After preparing the salsa’s we were invited to join Chef Pablo in the kitchen to learn more……he had already given us a quick education on the various spices that we would be using on today’s menu…..

We started pealing, chopping, squeezing, cubing the various ingredients for next several dishes that we would be served later that day…

My tasks were to squeeze the limes, and make the custard for the desert tort…..

We all persevered without any cuts or major screw-ups…..

The beginning of our delicious soup…..

Finished soup…..

As to be served for lunch…..with a chile oil drizzle and some cilantro paste….

Next the chef prepared a marinade for the “Camarones Al Achiote” he would bake later on…..

When finished, this is how they looked….

Catriona later offered us a taste of various Tequila’s after explaining the various grades of the liquor, where it comes from and the plants it is distilled from.

In order of fineness they are: Blanco which is aged for only 3 months, Reposato, aged 3-12 months, Anejo, aged 1-3 years, and Extra Anejo aged 3-6 years.

Our table setting after the chef finished preparing our meals for 7, which we helped prepare earlier

 A few pictures of the picturesque landscaping surrounding the hacienda….

We had a great time from start to finish. We hope that if you’re visiting or living in the area you will take advantage of this little treasure of a place in Puerto Moreles.

The cost was 109.99 USD per person (including the IVA tax) and that included the lessons from 10am to 3:30 ish, plenty of beverages to keep us all hydrated, tequila shots, lunch, ice cold beer, and great company with our classmates, instructor/chef, hostess, and the 2 ladies doing the prep work and serving us all day long……..Oh ….one last thing a great “goodie bag” as we left!

The school has an excellent web site chock full of information about the school, gift shop, and hacienda, click HERE to visit it

One Response to “The Little Mexican Cooking School”

• ellecancun says:

  July 4, 2012 at 9:54 pm

  Great post, and pics!

  I really hope to convince hubby to spend the money for the two of us to go!! The soup looks absolutely delicious