café des artistes
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njoy this traditional Mexican dish prepared by hand in our kitchen with the recipe and original ingredients from Calpan, Puebla, Mexico. Try our original Sweet Chile Habanero with passion fruit mousse and vanilla ice cream, that serves complimentary as an petit dessert.
Sept. 6 - 12, 2018 www.vallartatribune.com
Delight yourself with our delicious and traditional Chiles en Nogada
at Café des Artistes Puerto Vallarta and now in our Tuna Blanca Punta de Mita. SPECIAL ALL SEPTEMBER
The history
“Chiles en nogada” were first served for Agustin de Iturbide (Mexican army general and politician during the Mexican war of Independence) on August 28th, 1821, when he was on his way back to Mexico City through Puebla, after signing the “Treaty of Córdoba” with Don Juan de O’Donojú, who was the last viceroy of Spain. On that day it’s also celebrated “Saint Augustine”; therefore, it is how the chiles were served in the midst of an effervescence of nationalism and decorated with the colors of the Trigarante army flag, the green of the parsley, the white of the sauce and the red of the pomegranate. For the celebration banquet, dishes were sent for preparation to different convents in Puebla, asking to the Augustinian Recollect nuns of the Santa Monica Convent, to prepare the “chiles rellenos bathed in walnut sauce”, a recipe that existed since 1714. Agustin de Iturbide was delighted with the dish and consequently it became famous. For its colors, and historical facts, this dish is considered an emblem on Mexican cuisine.
The Ingredients
The ingredients to prepare the original recipe are: “panochera” apple, pear from San Juan, yellow or creole peach -which it’s texture is crunchier and sweeter-. “Acitrón” -caramel obtained from bisnagais present in the classic recipe, but since this kind of prickle is in danger of extinction, it can be skipped or replaced with confit pineapple; this is the only change that is considered valid. Another ingredient is pine nut instead, it has to be the pink Mexican pinyon because it is endemic to Mexico.
Battered or un-battered
Chiles must be battered (authentic recipe), the dish corresponds to a period in which the use of egg was very important. Flan, Jericalla, “patín” and other preparations, all egg-based, are from that time. Nonetheless, chiles can also be served un-battered. At Café des Artistes and Tuna Blanca, we prepare both, ask for your favorite or try both!
The Nogada Sauce What makes them really valuable is that they should be prepared with round walnut, known as walnut from Castilla brought from Europe. It takes meticulous work to peel the nuts, the fresh peel is very bitter, a single piece of this ruins the whole
mixture, so you have to make sure to remove it. To prepare 16 chilies, you need 200 nuts, so at least you have to allocate 8 hours to carry out this task. They can not be soaked for a long time because the sauce loses consistency.
They are served at room temperature, as the nogada sauce is raw and if heated it can be cut.
Our Sweet Habanero Chili
This Café des Artistes creation, is served right after enjoying the delicious chiles en nogada. It is a
perfectly deveined habanero chilli, stuffed with passion fruit mousse and vanilla ice cream. This is a must and inseparable from the chiles en nogada we serve every year. ENJOY