The Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, is the festival that Halloween was intended to be. Halloween, the shortened word for All Hallows’ Evening, occurs on October 31, the night before the Feast of All Saints, which falls every year on November 1. Another important celebration, All Souls’ Day, follows immediately on November 2. On this day, in traditional Christian cultures, people remember and celebrate the lives of their dead loved ones. Indeed, in most cultures throughout the world, people set aside special times to honor the dead. The Dia de los Muertos celebration is still alive and well and true to its original purpose in Mexico.
The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico with a frank and even humorous recognition that death is indeed a part of life and that the dead remain our friends even after their time on earth has ended. For this celebration, Mexican families create an altar in their homes, elaborately decorated with skeletons, coffins and other reminders of death, but also with photographs of dead loved ones, religious symbols and images of favorite saints. Sometimes these festivities even take place in graveyards where family members are buried. The Day of the Dead also includes music and naturally, delicious snacks.
Our Dia de los Muertos Afternoon Tea is an upbeat recognition of the precious brevity of life and a fond remembrance of our friends who are no longer among the living. It is also a time to enjoy the creativity and variety of Mexican cuisine and the abundance of the autumn harvest season. We encourage you to repurpose some of those Halloween decorations into a sacred space, which might also include candles, marigolds, the traditional flowers of Dia de los Muertos, fresh loquats and a few photographs of your beloved ancestors. Visit your local Mexican market for the Day of the Dead Bread, Horchata, Mexican sodas, sugar or chocolate skulls and Dulce de Leche.
Our Dia de los Muertos Afternoon Tea is an upbeat recognition of the precious brevity of life and a fond remembrance of our friends who are no longer among the living. It is also a time to enjoy the creativity and variety of Mexican cuisine and the abundance of the autumn harvest season. We encourage you to repurpose some of those Halloween decorations into a sacred space, which might also include candles, marigolds, the traditional flowers of Dia de los Muertos, fresh loquats and a few photographs of your beloved ancestors. Visit your local Mexican market for the Day of the Dead Bread, Horchata, Mexican sodas, sugar or chocolate skulls and Dulce de Leche.
Menu
Beverages:
Orange Spice Tea
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Horchata (a Refreshing Mexican Rice Beverage)
Mexican Sodas such as Lemon or Tamarind
Savories:
Mini Fish Tacos
Sweet Pepper Miniature Corn Muffins with Chili-Cumin Butter
Pickled Carrots and Jalapenos, Fresh Radishes
Breads and Scones:
Pan de Meurtos (Day of the Dead Bread, a Sweet Egg Bread Available in Mexican Markets)
With Butter and Dulce de Leche (Mexican Milk Caramel)
Pumpkin Empanadas
Sweets:
Tres Leches Cake
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Mexican Chocolate Cookies with Chili,
Molded Sugar and Chocolate Skulls
Beverages:
Orange Spice Tea
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Horchata (a Refreshing Mexican Rice Beverage)
Mexican Sodas such as Lemon or Tamarind
Savories:
Mini Fish Tacos
Sweet Pepper Miniature Corn Muffins with Chili-Cumin Butter
Pickled Carrots and Jalapenos, Fresh Radishes
Breads and Scones:
Pan de Meurtos (Day of the Dead Bread, a Sweet Egg Bread Available in Mexican Markets)
With Butter and Dulce de Leche (Mexican Milk Caramel)
Pumpkin Empanadas
Sweets:
Tres Leches Cake
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Mexican Chocolate Cookies with Chili,
Molded Sugar and Chocolate Skulls
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Recipes Included:
Mexican Hot Chocolate Everyone loves Hot Chocolate, and this Mexican version, almost like spicy liquid chocolate custard, rises above the ordinary cocoa more familiar to Americans. Serve this frothy treat with cinnamon stick stirrers instead of marshmallows along with Mexican Wedding Cookies. If you have a chocolate pot or even an earthenware teapot, now is the time to use it. Horchata This refreshing beverage is made from rice and almonds, soaked overnight in water to create a milky appearance. After grinding and straining, the end product is flavored with the perennial Mexican favorites, cinnamon and vanilla, sweetened slightly and served chilled over ice. If you have never tried Horchata, we think you and your guests will enjoy this classic Mexican drink. Mini Fish Tacos Fish Tacos are one of Mexico’s many generous gifts to the world, and now they can be enjoyed anywhere good fresh fish can be found. We recommend quickly stir frying the cubes of marinated fish just before serving time and inviting your guests to make their own Tacos. Pico de Gallo (Fresh Mexican Salsa) Pico de Gallo is the ubiquitous fresh tomato based salsa that we find in every Mexican restaurant. This is the salsa that is brought to your table along with a bowl of corn chips for you to enjoy while you are reading the menu. This uncooked summery salsa is also good as a topping for tacos, quesadillas and other Mexican favorites. Because it is made with fresh garden vegetables, it is best the day it is made, but it can be refrigerated overnight to be enjoyed the next day. Sweet Pepper Miniature Corn Muffins These Sweet Pepper Miniature Corn Muffins with Chili-Cumin Butter will pair well with both the zesty Pickled Carrots and Jalapenos and the unadorned Fresh Radishes on your Mexican inspired menu. The chopped chives and minced red bell peppers in these little golden bites add a festive appearance and a fresh flavor. Chili-Cumin Butter Serve this spicy seasoned butter with the Sweet Pepper Miniature Corn Muffins for an intriguing flavor combination. Mix ¼ teaspoon chili powder and ¼ teaspoon ground cumin with ½ cup (1 stick) very soft butter until the spices are well distributed. Place in a small attractive bowl with a butter knife and serve next to the muffins. Pickled Carrots and Jalapenos This spicy and addictive pickle combination is a taco’s best friend, and good with every kind of savory Mexican food. We load up on these at the salsa bar every time we go to a taqueria. Serve them in an attractive glass jar with a serving spoon next to the Fish Tacos, but warn your guests: these are HOT! Pumpkin Empanadas Empanadas are little individual turnovers, formed in the shape of half moons and eaten as finger food. Empanadas can be either sweet or savory, and we offer you a recipe for each. You can decide whether your guests would prefer sweet or savory Empanadas. The sweet version reminds us of Pumpkin Pie while the savory version features fresh herbs and Mexican cotijo cheese. Either would be appropriate for this autumn celebration. Pan de Muertos (All Souls’ Day Bread) This aromatic yeast bread is the foundational food of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. While it is readily available in Mexican bakeries, you can bake this bread yourself using this easy recipe adapted from the September 1977 edition of Better Homes and Gardens. Pieces of the dough are used to decorate the loaf with a skull and crossbones pattern, and the whole thing is sprinkled liberally with bright pink colored sugar. Our recipe calls for crushed aniseed, but if you think your guests might be squeamish about anise, just leave it out. You can start the dough the day before your party, as it can rest in the refrigerator overnight. The dough will also need 30-40 minutes to rise before you bake it, so schedule your time accordingly. Dulce de Leche Dulce de Leche, or Sweet Milk, is a rich caramel sauce made from milk. Ice Cream manufacturers have discovered this tantalizing flavor, and you can buy Dulce de Leche ice cream, which is vanilla ice cream swirled with dulce de leche caramel. This versatile sauce is also good on bread, puddings, or as a filling for sandwich cookies or cakes. You can buy this addictive sauce ready made, but it is easy to make your own by simply baking two cans of sweetened condensed milk. Our recipe makes perfect Dulce de Leche, but you can make a rum flavored version by adding the optional ingredients after the baked sauce has cooled completely. Tres Leches Cake This delight of the Spanish-speaking world is called Tres Leches Cake because three kinds of milk are poured over the hot sponge cake after it is baked—whole milk, canned evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. The result is a luscious, moist, pudding-like cake that will please everyone. We top our version with mounds of toasted coconut. This cake is also glorious at Easter with a few decorative chocolate eggs nestled in the coconut. Mexican Wedding Cookies You may have discovered after perusing some of the menus in this book, that Mexican Wedding Cookies and Russian Tea Cakes are in fact identical twins. This cookie, one of the best ever invented, appeals to many cultures and is appropriate for any number of special occasions. Your guests will love these cookies as you celebrate Dia de Los Muertos together, as they are especially good with Mexican Hot Chocolate. But we also recommend them for our Easter Menu, our June Wedding Reception Tea, and of course our Russian Tea. Mexican Wedding Cookies/Russian Tea Cakes are a lovely combination of simple butter cookie dough with ground nuts—either almonds, pecans or hazelnuts. The dough is quite flexible and can be rolled into logs, refrigerated and sliced or shaped into balls and baked without refrigeration. This recipe follows the latter and simpler procedure. Mexican Chocolate Cookies with Chili These innocent looking drop cookies pack a triple punch with chocolate, cinnamon and chili pepper, three flavors that will always be popular in Mexico. Do no over bake these little marvels, as they are intended to be chewy, chocolaty and spicy in the middle. You will be amazed at how quickly they disappear. |
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