Faith Middleton's Food Schmooze: Latin Flavors By Daisy Martinez

Enjoy empanadas filled with creamed corn, a crispy-edged, juicy skirt steak doused in tangy chimichurri, or the divine layers of moist angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped cream of the Strawberry Delicia, all of which Daisy Martinez brings to life in her latest collection of recipes.

Growing up in her mother's and grandmother's kitchens, Daisy became an expert in traditional Latin-American cuisine. Here she "Daisifies" those classics and includes a hearty sampling of dishes from her travels across Spain, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Argentina.

To Daisy, food is about bringing family together, and so she peppers her collection with anecdotes and family vacation photos. Each recipe is as much about the memory the flavors recall as the love that goes into preparing the dish; for her, the succulent grilled meats of a parrilladabring back memories of a Christmas spent floating in a pool in Argentina, while the flaky, gooey vegetable potpie recalls an extravagant dinner party in the Dominican Republic. As a busy mother of four, Daisy lives the time crunch every day and has crafted her recipes to be quick, adaptable, and easy to understand. She deftly demystifies the ingredients of the Latin-American kitchen, explaining everything from the spectrum of color in plantains to the degrees of heat in chiles.

Cinnamon-Scented Coffee CAFE DE OLLA

A distillery may seem like an odd place for a memorable meal, but Rancho Zapata restaurant, at the Mezcal Beneva distillery in Oaxaca, was the setting for one of the best meals we had in Mexico. The tour included a trip through the agave fields and the cellar of the distillery, where the hearts (or piÑas) of the agave plant are ground by mule power between two millstones before they are fermented and distilled intomezcal. Lunch at Rancho Zapata featured caldo de gato, or "cat soup," which thankfully featured no cat, but rather ox spine (which looks similar to oxtail) that was roasted and made into a beautiful, rich broth finished with noodles and a squeeze of lime. There were tamales, as well, and cochinita pibil—the classic pit-roasted pork that is to the YucatÁn what barbecued brisket is to Texas. All we could manage after the meal was a light fruit dessert and this delicious, fragrant coffee, which we asked for everywhere we went in Mexico. The cinnamon provides a lovely top note of flavor, and the chocolate adds richness and depth.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS • PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES • COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

4 whole cloves

1 tablespoon molasses

5 heaping tablespoons Latin-style coffee, such as Bustelo or El Pico, or ground espresso beans

2 cups milk

¼ cup finely chopped unsweetened chocolate (about 1½ ounces)

Dark brown and/or granulated sugar, for serving

1. Bring 6 cups water, the brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the molasses and return to a boil, skimming any foam from the top.

2. Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the coffee, and let steep for 6 to 7 minutes. Strain and set aside.

3. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until the edges begin to bubble. Discard any skin from the top of the milk and whisk in the chocolate until it is melted.

4. Divide the milk among 8 warm coffee cups. Fill the remainder of the cups with the hot coffee. Pass brown and/or white sugar at the table for people to adjust the sweetness as they like.

(Courtesy of Simon & Schuster)