Jun 29, 2012

June Potluck

A word to the wise...
If you have never worked with masa dough
and are rushing lunch since you dinked around too long on one internet time suck or another
and your husband is in the room to your left practicing accordion (over and over and over.  And loudly.)
and your son is in the room to your right bouncing on the yoga ball like a monkey on speed


do not attempt.

This is one of those recipes that requires concentration.  Attention.  Focus.
Maybe even a little finesse.
None of which I had.


Not even a proper tortilla press.

I did still have red plastic wrap leftover from Valentine's Day.
Surely that counts for something, somewhere, to someone?

The Husband says I always blame myself when a recipe from a celebrity chef doesn't work out.  And I never take credit when one does.

Between us, I think he's just trying to take some of the blame from his accordion.

I also think Rick Bayless would know a thing or two (or three or four) about masa dough.

Me, not so much.  I never could get the dough to the consistency I wanted.  (Although who knows if what I wanted was all that right in the first place.)

While I've made plenty of flour tortillas (yum!), I've never worked with corn.  Making this recipe has taught me that it'll take a couple of (or three or four) tries.

In Authentic Mexican, Bayless offers various fillings for these Quesadillas Fritas.  I chose the simple queso fresco option.


Why?
See above about rushing lunch, accordion playing, and speed monkeys.



The filling was too simple, though, and was overpowered by the dough.  The Husband and I ended up dousing our quesadillas in hot sauce for more flavor.  The Boy went with Cajun Power Garlic Sauce.


There's a Rick Bayless potluck going on at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Stop by and visit!
Rick Bayless @IHCC button rounded


The recipe can be found HERE at Frontera Recipes.
I used the cheese filling (queso fresco) without the roasted poblano, as found in Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless.



8 comments:

  1. I love that Cajun Power stuff. My husband brought it back from LA when he was coming off a job one time and I've never had it since. Your tortillas look much like my first (and last) go of them. : )

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  2. We all have those moments. Bravo to you for sharing and using it as a "good, recipe, but don't do it this way" opportunity. :) BTW, those shrimp tomatoes look wonderful.

    I had to give a whole bunch of love back by giving you the Versatile Blogger Award. Have a great weekend Michelle!
    http://whitelightsonwednesday.blogspot.com/2012/06/award-time.html

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  3. Your story makes me laugh! (I love the accordian by the way) Masa is HARD TO WORK WITH. I think we tried it years ago. I will hopefully get a post in tomorrow for I Heart Cooking Clubs.

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  4. I had a horrible time the first time I tried to make Masa!! I love Rick Bayless recipes, they are delicious! I'm so glad that you commented on my blog, your blog looks like one I will enjoy :)

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  5. ::giggle:: FOCUS seems to be the key word lately :)

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  6. Oh Michelle. I love the whole monkey on speed analogy...LOL! I give you kudos for even attempting an involved recipe like this. I don't have it in me to try anything complex or involved these days. I think they turned out great, although I can see what you mean about the masa overpowering the cheese/filling.

    Have a great 4th!

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  7. Hot sauce makes everything better!
    I love that you gave the corn tortillas a try - I find the thicker plastic of a cut up freezer bag to be easier to work with than plastic wrap - if you do them again.

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  8. This is why I buy tortillas and I have a press. ;-) I am just lazy and always seem to be rushing my recipes.

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