Best ever?

L said the tamales were the best ever. I'm not quite so sure, but the dinner was a success, despite a last-minute series of unfortunate cancellations. But that just means more leftovers for us.

Let's review:

• Roasted onion soup with chilis, corn, and coconut milk.
  Calling this one 'roasted onion' soup is a bit of a misnomer. The onion is a minor (albeit yummy) note. It's more of a squash and coconut take on corn chowder: not at all thick, but the accent is definitely on the fresh corn. I'm still not sure what the achiote does for us other than add color, but the whole thing came together very well. It's a keeper.



• Grilled rabbit tamales with tomatillo salsa and queso fresco.
  Usually this is a dish I make with chicken, but that 4H bunny was calling. It turned out great. I think I followed the tamal recipe a little more closely than usual in the proportion of moisture to masa: They were much moister than previous attempts. Lacking an abuelita to properly teach me the art, I've been winging it for about 11 years now. It seems a half-and-half combination of butter and shortening does the trick, along with about the same stock and water. I've really got to try using pork lard one of these days, but until then, I'm sticking with this version. I also left a little extra water in the tomatillos when grilling them--that makes for a fresher tasting, less pungent, salsa.



• Orange marinated tacos carnitas.
  The tortillas weren't just fresh when L brought them home: they were hot. She said that she had to beg them straight off the conveyor belt when she got to the store. The marinade was a real winner here, taking $1 / pound pork and turning it into a delight. Orange marmelade, vinegar, and rosemary overnight, skewered with poblanos and grilled over high heat. The tacos included plantain, yam, and crema fresca. Too good.



• Mexi-slaw.
  More likely found on fish tacos, this was a simple side: red and white cabbage and carrots as a base, with mango salsa and bottled jalapeno ranch dressing over it. Yeah, kind of low brow, but it was a great side.



• Fresh fruit over ice cream.
  We were gonna poach these in syrup, but L decided they were just too perfectly ripe.

Success.