We all LOVE mexican food. I mean, who doesnt!??!?! So I was the lucky one to draw “mexican” from the theme bowl in supper club. The only problem? There are soooooooooooooooo many different possibilities for mexican food – tacos, burritos, tamales, flautas, traditional dinner, etc etc. I used Rick Bayless’s cookbook and a special edition of Cooks Illustrated magazine that focused solely on mexican dishes.
We had our first guest for Supper Club – our friend Beth was in from Cali for the weekend for some Supper Club and Haunted Mountain action. So this added to the excitement and deliciousness.
I decided to go very simple for appetizers, since my research revealed that mexicans dont really do “appetizers”. I think Americans have glorified what we think their apps could be……but they arent. I made a “medium” and a “spicy” Rustic Roasted Salsa from Rick Bayless. I also paired a simple, but tasty, salsa with a fresh guacamole.
After everyone had enough chips and salsa/guac, we decided to sit down for dinner……
I decided to go big and make Chicken Mole. For years I’ve only heard about how HARD mole is to make and how much time it takes. So I was nervous about it……I have to tell you that it was super super easy. I kept saying “I cant believe how easy this is” as I made it. It was so delicious, too. I dont think I’ve ever had a better mole in my life.
I decided to make something typically “american-mexican” and went with Beef Enchiladas! The beef mixture was simple and awesome and simmered for almost 2 hours so it was tender. And I even made my own flour tortillas to wrap them in. I bought store-bought tortillas in case mine didnt turn out, but they were easy to make and came together quickly. I think they also made a huge difference in the texture of the whole dish. I will always make my own flour tortillas in the future.
I also had a fresh salad with lime-cilantro vinaigrette. Here’s a shot of the dinner table as a whole.
And then came dessert…..I knew I wanted to make a Flan because that is very traditional. But I was nervous about flan because I’ve never made anything like it before. However, it turned out amazing. I had to make an emergency call to my mom (the master chef) to get advice on making the caramel top after the 3rd attempt, but other than that, it came out perfect!
Pulling the pan from the flan….perfection!
Just to play it safe since I was worried about the flan, I also made Mexican Wedding Cookies as a backup. They were flaky and melted in our mouths.
After dinner, we continued to celebrate Beth being able to join our group for the weekend, and then we took a trip down the road to Spring Mountain’s Haunted Mountain for a night of screams and frights 🙂
Our mexican feast kicked butt…..cant wait til next month at John’s for Francais!
A Sliver Of Each 
I want to dine with you.
Dennis……if only you could!!!!!!!
seriously-this was the BEST mole I have EVER had! I didn’t tell you at the time but it was WAY better than I have had in Mexico, or even at Rosa Mexicanos! The Spices were perfect!! People, you will be LOOKING for food to dredge in the sauce, long after the chicken is gone! SUPER YUM!
That is so awesome to hear!!!! YAY! I was worried it would be TOO simple, but it was simple and still intricate and flavorful. Thank you – I saved some of the sauce and then forgot about it in the back of my fridge……whomp-whomp.