Black Bean Sopes w. Avocado Mousse, & Petite Tomato Salad

                                      

Petite tomato salad tossed in cilantro oil, avocado & lime mousse, crema, queso añejo, Napa cabbage & black beans.

If you aren't of Mexican decent, or not familiar with Latin American food, sopes are fried chewy corn cakes filled with basic ingredients. In my home, we used potatoes, beans, crema, cabbage and salsa. You can add whatever you'd like to them. I refined the ingredients a bit, for the sake of creativity.  They're really fun to make with the family on a cozy Sunday. 

Sopes:

3 Cups Masa de Maiz (corn flour) You can find this in the ethnic food section of your grocer. 

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 TSP Baking Powder

1 TBS Kosher Salt

2 Cups Warm Water (using warm water helps keep the sopes chewy and yummy after they've been fried.)

Combine ingredients. You may need to add a little more warm water since corn flour tends to absorb it quickly. What I do is I add it to my hands and work it into the dough gently. 

Let dough rest for about 10 minutes under a damp cloth

If you want your sopes to be uniform in size, I suggest weighing your masa (dough) and  dividing it by the amount of sopes you'd like. You don't have to do this though if you don't have a gram scale. Rustic food is great anyhow ;) 

Gently form a little cup. You can make a square one or the traditional circle ones. If you need more water, wet your hands.

Do not be intimidated. Connect with your food. 

Let sopes set in the fridge for at least an hour before frying. This way they won't break apart and will be sturdier to handle. 

I use canola oil for frying these.  Remember to always fry in a large pot to avoid over spilling and only fill large pot half way with oil. Oil should be around 375. 

Fry sopes for about a minute. They will turn a golden blonde and float. Drain excess fat on a paper towel covered plate. 

Petite Tomato Salad

Making a petite salad, and concentrating the flavors will make for an amazing product. This is the perfect time of year to work with tomatoes. I took a few tips from The French Laundry to make this simple salad to a memorable level. 

To thinly slice your pearl onions and peppers, use the first 1/3 of your favorite kitchen knife. This portion of your knife is used for precision. Remember to take your time. Always start out slowly. There is no need to slice and dice with so much flash like you see on tv. 

This is my take on pico de gallo. 

Ingredients:

Variety pack of petite tomatoes
2-3 Red Pearl Onions
1/2 -1 Serrano Pepper
1/2 English Cucumber
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Cracked Pepper To Taste
1/2 TSP Red Wine Vinegar
1 TBS Cilantro Oil (recipe below)

To skin the tomatoes, score an X on the bottom of each tomato. Drop into oiling water for no longer than 5 seconds. Immediately drop tomatoes into an ice bath Once cooled, carefully peel the skins of. The X makes peeling much easier.

Set tomatoes in a strainer (chinois) shin•wah over a bowl, and add salt. Let the excess liquid slowly drain out. This will take about an hour.

While that is working, seed and small dice half an English cucumber.

Thinly slice your red pearl onions. An easy way to get the husk off is to quickly blanch them, like we did with the tomatoes. Exact method. The husk will pop off easily when you slightly pinch the little onion.

Thinly slice your serrano pepper. The slices should be paper thin. Texture is key. 

Cilantro Oil:

Blanch cilantro in boiling water for 10 seconds. Transfer to ice bath to shock. Remove from ice bath onto a paper towel. 

Removing most of the water, add cilantro to a neutral oil such as canola. Blend together at low speed. 

When you're ready to use it, drain out the cilantro. You will be left with a vibrant, fresh green oil. 

Always use infused oils within 48 hours. Do not store for months in a container in your dry storage. 

When tomatoes are ready, combine ingredients and add salt and pepper to your liking. Add 1TBS red wine vinegar. Finish with some of the oil we made.

Set in the fridge for at least two hours before serving. This will give the salad time to marinade.

Avocado Lime Mousse

If you are uncomfortable with using raw eggs in your cooking, you can skip the egg whites. Mousse is traditionally made with stiffened egg whites. It makes for a luxurious product, but it's quite uncommon for home cooks to use raw eggs. Skip this step if you are uncomfortable. Your mousse will still be super velvety. 

Ingredients:

2 Hass Avocados

1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Egg Whites

1/8 TSP Cream of Tarter

Kosher Salt to taste

1/2 TBS lime zest

1/2 Lime Juice

In a mixing bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream until whipped cream consistency. Set aside in the fridge. 

In separate mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until peaks form. Add Cream of Tarter to stabilize egg whites. 

In another separate bowl, smash Hass avocados and lime juice. The lime juice will prevent the avocados from turning brown, and help soften them up. Use a sifter or siv and rubber spatula to smooth the avocado mixture. You should be left with almost a puree of avocado and lime. You can use a food processor as well for this. I suggest straining even if you use a food processor. 

Add Salt. 

Fold gently, the whipped cream and avocado mixture, adding a little whipped cream to the avocado at a time. After completely combined, gently fold in egg whites. Adjust seasoning and zest lime over mousse right before serving. 

You can use these recipes for other dishes as well.  

Get creative! 

Amber~