Tex/Mex Cuisine with Chef Michael Beriau  (download PDF version here)
by Roxanne Fox (Member, Get Together Gourmets)

 According to Executive Chef Michael “Mickey” Beriau at the White Cliffs County Club in Plymouth, Massachusetts, “Tex/Mex cooking has been around for a long time, but those of us who reside outside the Southwestern region of the US have barely scratched the surface of this colorful, flavor-packed, historical cuisine.” 

                                  
 Tex/Mex is a combination of Texan and Mexican cultures.  It has its origins in Mexico and features the early influences of the Mayans and Aztecs.  Europeans came along later and added the use of meat, wheat, rice, nuts, cloves and cinnamon.  As Mexican cooking spread along the Southwest border of the United States, American Indians and cowboy cooks added new ingredients such as corn, and squash.   

 Today, Tex/Mex is available just about everywhere in the United States and is standard fare on the menus of most conventional restaurants.  Dishes such as nachos, tacos, burritos, and fajitas have even become the norm in most school cafeterias.  Frequently used ingredients consist of beans, avocados, tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, and chile peppers.  Most Tex/Mex recipes can easily be adapted to provide a lower fat, more nutritious version for dieters and health conscious individuals.

 In recent years, Tex/Mex gastronomy has gone mainstream and includes more complicated recipes requiring unusual ingredients and specialized preparation techniques.   Menu items such as chiles rellenos (stuffed poblano peppers), mole poblano (spiced chocolate sauce laden with fruits, nuts, and chiles served over shredded meat) and bunuelos (fried bread sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon) are popping up on more and more menus everywhere.  Cookbooks specializing in Tex/Mex abound.

 Chiles are a common ingredient in Tex/Mex cooking and come in all sizes and shapes as well as degrees of “heat”.  Capsaicin is the chemical in chiles that makes them hot.  Because capsaicin is found in the oil of the chile, drinking water or beer to put out a fire in your mouth will only spread the heat and make it worse.  So don’t immediately down that cerveza the barkeep just poured!  The best remedy for red-hot taste buds is the cooling properties of dairy products; thus the appearance of sour cream, cheese and custard in many Tex/Mex dishes.

 Chile peppers are considered vegetables when they are green and spices when they are red.  Chile pepper “heat” is measured on the Scoville Scale named for its inventor, Wilbur Scoville, in 1912.  The hottest pepper is the Red Savina Habanero and the mildest is the bell pepper, Sweet Banana, or pimento.

 Chef Beriau credits two books that he frequently references while planning and preparing Tex/Mex:  Healthy Mexican Regional Cookery:  A Culinary Travelogue by Lotte Mendelsohn, Font and Center Press and Texas The Beautiful Cookbook:  Authentic Recipes from the Regions of Texas by June Hayes and Patsy Swendson, HarperCollins Publishing.  “Both are loaded with exciting recipes and incredible historical facts”, says Mickey. 

 The recipes that follow are shared with us compliments of Chef Beriau.  While proper measurement and preparation is always important in good cooking, Chef Beriau reminds us that, “A recipe is a guideline for the chef or the home gourmet to look at and review.  Adapt it to your target audience or your family’s personal taste.  You will still be able to capture the essence of the culture.”  He also advises,“ Great cooking is all about building flavors.  Season as you go, and don’t be afraid to add a little smoke.  Be careful when using mesquite, however, as the dish can easily go from a sweet smoky taste to a burned one in a heart beat!”

 Chef Beriau has over 35 years of extensive culinary experience.  Trained and graduated top in his class at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, he has won numerous accolades and honors.  His areas of expertise include menu design and recipe generation.  He is a well-known speaker and culinary demonstrator throughout the United States and the Caribbean.   

                               SCOVILLE HEAT SCALE

                  Habaneros                   100,000 – 550,000 units

                  Chipotle                       60,000 – 100,000 units

                  Thai                             50,000 – 100,000 units

                  Cayenne                       20,000 – 55,000 units

                  Tabasco                       30,000 – 50,000 units

                  Serrano                        5,000 – 15,000 units

                  Jalapeno                      2,500 – 5,000 units

                  Cherry pepper              100 – 250 units

                  Mild bell pepper            0

                            RECIPIES (Courtesy, Chef “Mickey” Beriau)

                                

 Venison Consommé with Avocado and Chipotle Essence (6 servings)

3 green onions (including green tops) thinly sliced

2 lg. plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, ¼ inch dice

1 medium green chili pepper, ¼ inch dice

1 ear corn, cooked and cut from cob

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, ¼ inch dice

9-10 oz venison from leg, ¼ inch dice and seasoned

½ Tblsp. ground cumin

½ Tblsp. chili powder

½ tsp. black pepper

5 cups venison consommé at 200 degrees 

Chipotle essence:

2 Tblsp. chipotle peppers in adobe sauce

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup cream fraiche
Pulse, process and place in a disposable pastry bag or squeeze bottle. 

Garnish:
1 ea. Tortilla – fine julienne fried and drained on paper towels.

Fresh cilantro

Procedure:
Just before service, steam all vegetables together except avocado for 3-4 minutes until heated through.  Place 2 Tblsp. of vegetables into six, heated bouillon cups and divide avocado amongst them.  Quickly pan sear seasoned venison in a very small amount of fat and divide among cups.

Ladle 5-6 ounces of consommé into each cup.  Garnish with drops of chipotle essence, tortilla chips and cilantro.

Smoked Shrimp Quesadilla with Black Bean Sauce and Shaved Machego
(6 servings)

For Shrimp:
1 Tblsp. olive oil

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

salt/pepper

juice of ½ lime

6 oz. shrimp broken into pieces

Season the shrimp 5-8 hrs. Hot smoke shrimp over sweet wood.  Let cook and hold for assembly.

For Quesadilla:

6 oz. cream cheese

1 Tblsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

With electric mixer combine cheese, cumin and cinnamon and beat until smooth.  Hold for assembly.

1 lg. green bell pepper, peeled, seeded, sliced thin

1 lg. red bell pepper, peeled, seeded, sliced thin

1 lg. white onion, peeled, cored, sliced thin

1 Tblsp olive oil

1 Tblsp. cumin

salt/pepper to taste

1 Tblsp. dried oregano

1 Tblsp. garlic puree

Toss peppers with oil and seasonings and roast until slightly browned on edges.  Hold for assembly.

 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8-10 tortillas, any flavor

 For the sauce:
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup chicken stock, heated
1 jalapeno pepper seeds and ribs removed, and minced

Puree all ingredients in food processor and heat.  Hold until serving.

 To assemble quesadilla:

On a large work surface, lay out tortillas and spread evenly with cream cheese mixture.

Divide roasted vegetables between tortillas and spread evenly.

Divide smoked shrimp between tortillas and spread liberally.

Combine Jack and cheddar cheese and spread evenly over the shrimp and peppers.

Roll tortillas lightly.  Spray with pan spray and grill on all sides or pan fry.

 To Serve:

 Heat grilled tortillas until cooked through.  Trim both ends at diagonal and cut tortilla in half.  In the center of six heated plates, ladle 1-2 oz. black bean sauce.  Place tortilla on each plate.  Garnish with sour cream, pico de gallo and cilantro.

Mango and Cheese Empanaditas with Cinnamon Gelato and Strawberry Margarita Sauce (6 servings)

 For the empanadita pastry:

5 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. butter

2 cups flour

½ Tblsp. cinnamon

Cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.

Sift together flour and cinnamon.  Add to cheese and butter mixture until well blended.  Roll into a ball.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

For the filling:

1 lg. ripe mango, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch dice

8 oz. cream cheese

2 Tblsp. sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese until softened with sugar and cinnamon.  Fold in diced mangoes.

To assemble:

Roll out empanadita dough to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut six, 6 inch round circles.  Pipe 1 ½ to 2 ounces filling in center.  Dampen edges of dough with water and fold in turnover style.  Press edges with times of a fork to set.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Keep warm.

For strawberry sauce:

4 cups hulled strawberries

2 Tbls. Sugar

½ cup Tequila (optional)

2 Tblsp. strawberry liquor

Juice of one lime

In a food processor, place all ingredients and pulse to a salsa consistency

To serve:

On six heated plates, place one empanadita.  Garnish with strawberry sauce, purchased gelato and hippen paste cookie or tuille.