I had leftover Mexican rice for lunch the other day and, even though I didn’t heat it back up, it tasted pretty good.

10 foods that are always better the next day:

Homemade vegetable soup (unless it has tiny noodles that will get soggy)

Mom’s Christmas Eve posole (made with hominy and fresh green chili)

Birthday cake (but only when eaten for breakfast)

Lasagna (the cheese gets even crustier when reheated)

Gaspacho (with lots of tomatoes)

Thanksgiving leftovers (no comment)

Steamed green beans (sprinkled with soy sauce/sesame seeds, served cold)

Curried lentils (they only get stronger)

Hummus (with garlic)

Chocolate mousse (if it lasts that long)

It’ll still be good tomorrow, even cold:

Omelet (really, it’s not bad)

Leek Quiche (to eat with your hands)

Mexican rice (to eat with a fork)

Pizza (yeah, I think I’m over the breakfast thing though)

Elbow pasta (turn it into a salad)

Baked salmon (on a sandwich)

Vinaigrette (…and the next day, and the next day…)

Moelleux au chocolat (though it’s no longer moelleux)

Basil pesto (so many uses)

Homemade apple pie (or any pie for that matter)

Devour it now, ‘cause it won’t be the same in the morning:

Guacamole

Caesar salad

Half a banana saved in the fridge

Nachos

Homemade sushi

Vegetable tempura

Grilled cheese sandwich

Bagel with cream cheese

Fresh spring rolls

Mayo and sprout sandwich

(Do I really have to comment on these?)

Back to the Mexican rice. It’s kind of like risotto, in the sense that you begin by browning the uncooked rice in olive oil. I was inspired to recreate the flavorful rice that accompanies the “northern” New Mexican food back in Santa Fe, so I put in several familiar ingredients such as onions and hot chili powder. Since we don’t have freshly roasted hatch green chili in Paris, I used some fiery red peppers from the local farmers’ market. Though I didn’t do it this time, I think fresh corn (which is in season right now) or red beans (for example) would be welcome additions.

This recipe makes enough for four – or for two with leftovers!

Shopping List

1 cup white rice

2 large pinches saffron powder

Chili powder (adjust according to spiciness)

½ chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 small, spicy red pepper or prepared green chili (diced)

2 bay leaves

½ cup diced tomato

Olive oil

Salt

Cilantro (on top)

Black olives (on top)

Recipe:

1. In a cast iron skillet, sauté the rice in a bit of olive oil with the saffron and chili powder (about 5 minutes).

2. When the rice begins turning translucent, add the onions, garlic, peppers or green chili and brown (about 5 more minutes).

3. Cover with water and add the bay leaves, tomatoes, and some salt. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer until the rice is completely cooked (about 20 minutes). Keep adding water in small amounts as needed (avoid letting the water run out and the rice burning on the bottom). Stir occasionally.

6. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Top with cilantro and black olives. Serve with your favorite Mexican classics: enchiladas, fajitas, rellanos…

I think it’s funny that I learned to make salsa in  Paris- out of pure necessity, really.

Ever since leaving for college, one of the reasons I find myself regularly returning back to sunny Santa Fe is for the unmatched northern-style New Mexican food – warm flour tortillas, chunky green chili sauce, cheese tamales wrapped and steamed in corn husks… and, of course, the world’s most cheerful tomato salsa. When you grow up on this fresh local fare, your life just isn’t the same without it.

Thus, the reason I taught myself to make this tomato salsa in our tiny kitchen in Paris. Fortunately, we have a bigger kitchen now, but when I first tried it a few years ago, we had neither a countertop nor an appropriate sieve. It took me hours to chop up all the ingredients, strain out the extra liquid, and try to add spice without… well… any spice.

Since then, I’ve simplified my approach- a fine sieve and admitting I wouldn’t have exactly the same ingredients as in Santa Fe helped. This recipe, which I made in about 30 minutes the other day, is based on traditional New Mexican salsa, but uses ingredients that are very easy to find in Paris!

Shopping List

6 cloves of garlic

½ red onion

6 medium-sized tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Hot chili sauce (sauce piquante in French)

Ground chili pepper flakes

Salt

Pepper

A bunch of fresh cilantro (look for coriandre in France)

Recipe:

1. Mince the garlic and onions. Set aside.

2. Gently mix the tomatoes in a blender. Don’t smash them too much! Just until they are the right size – small chunks.

3. Strain the extra juice from the tomatoes through a fine sieve (set aside for use in another recipe, so you don’t waste it). You may leave some liquid of course, but you want the chunks to dominate.

4. Add tomatoes, garlic and onions in a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients to taste. I add the cilantro last, but lots of it!

Be careful – disappears quickly next to a bowl of tortilla chips.

What happens when you add New Mexican chili powder to a traditional moelleux au chocolat?

You get an intense chocolate dessert that makes you feel like you’re traveling continents by simply lifting your spoon.  At first, you’re in France.  You bite into tradition- smooth, rich chocolate.  Then you’re transported across the Atlantic with a spicy kick- only for the most adventurous!

A moelleux au chocolat was the first thing I wanted to make in the new oven.  It’s a common French gateau, soft and moist inside and slightly drier on the outside.  I first learned to make it a few years ago, thanks to a friend who passed me her recipe.  I was still in grad school and at a huge loss for time, but even that couldn’t keep me away from the kitchen.  I was planning a surprise for Sébastien and needed something easy, quick and, of course, decadent.  The first recipe was a success and I’ve since been toying with it- making it my own.  I’ve experimented with different doses of butter and sugar (preferring less to more) and different types of chocolate and cacao content (preferring more to less).  When I made my moelleux au chocolat last weekend, I figured a new kitchen needed some real spice and decided to add the chili powder.  My sister warned me not to add too much so it wouldn’t overtake the chocolate- fortunately, I listen to her!  With or without the chili, this recipe for the moelleux has been my best to date.

First, a note on chocolate: What kind should you use?  Dark, quality chocolate.  The minimum cacao content should be 50%.  I’ve started using a combination when I cook.  This time, I used two-thirds at 52% and one-third at 70%.  Always avoid a high sugar content, as it corresponds to a poor cacao content.  Also make sure your chocolate includes cocoa butter and not its substitute: vegetable or animal fat.

And if you’re curious: What is cacao?  First off, cacao is an evergreen tree that sports a fruit (or a pod) inside of which you find seeds.  Chocolate liquor, also known as cacao, is extracted from these seeds. Both cocoa (note the spelling difference) butter and cocoa powder are extracted from this “liquor.” Unsweetened chocolate is made from the chocolate liquor, whereas bittersweet contains a combination of both the liquor and cocoa butter.  When looking at the cacao content on a package of bittersweet chocolate, you’ll usually be looking at a combination of these two.  Sometimes, however, you’ll see the cocoa butter listed separately.  Now for the recipe…

Shopping List:

1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
8.8 ounces (250 grams) bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (75 grams) granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (50 grams) white flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons chili powder*

*Adjust according to your taste buds and the chili you are using.  I used medium-hot from Chimayo and it gave a good kick.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

2. Slowly begin melting butter over low heat.

3. Separate eggs.

4. Put sugar in mixing bowl, add egg yolks and mix.

5. Begin melting chocolate in double-broiler.

6. Add butter to sugar/egg-yolk mixture and mix.

7. Combine flour, salt and chili powder, then add to the rest of the batter and mix.

8. Add melted chocolate and mix.

9. Beat egg whites until they are stiff and carefully fold into batter.

10. Butter a round baking pan and pour in mixture.  (Optional: sprinkle sugar and/or small pieces of chocolate on the bottom before pouring in the batter.)

11. Cook until the edges begin to dry and break away from the pan (10 or more minutes). The inside should remain moist and stick to a knife when tested.  Keep an eye on it and don’t overcook!

A “fiery” moelleux au chocolat is best served warm, right out of the oven.