Ingredients for cake

1 Grated fresh coconut (meat only)

1 cup coconut milk

200 grs butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

Dash of sea salt

2 tsp Coconut extract

Procedure

Sift flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.  In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar, add eggs one by one, mixing well, then add sifted flour and coconut milk. Mix to ribbon point, add the coconut extract at the end.

Grease and cover with flour an 8-9 inch pan, shaking excess off.  Pour batter and bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 for 45 - 50 minutes. Inserting a toothpick to check if it’s done: if it comes out clean, it is.

Ingredients for cream

1 & 1/3 cup milk

1 Cup coconut milk

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp coconut extract

Heat a cup of milk & a cup of sugar together at low fire for 5 minutes; in another bowl, mix 1/3 cup milk with corn starch.  When milk mixture is softly boiling, add coconut milk and corn starch mixture, mixing very well to avoid lumps, until it thickens.  Let it rest until completely cool.

To put this dessert together, use a nice Martini glass and add small chunks of cake, then pieces of pineapple soaked in rum and honey, then the coconut cream.  Repeat two or three times more, and garnish with a slice of star fruit and a fresh mint leaf. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Salsa

2 guajillo peppers

1 ancho pepper

2 tomatoes

3 large garlic cloves

¼ medium size white onion

1/3 cup tomato puré

1 tsp dried oregano

10 oz crab meat

½ white onion (thinly sliced)

1 garlic clove (finely chopped9

1 Poblano pepper (thinly sliced)

1 tomato (chopped)

Small bunch of cilantro (finely chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp E.V.O.O.

Ingredients for Enchilada filling

12 corn tortillas

Crema fresca

Queso Cotija (crumbled)

½ white onion

Cooking oil (necessary amount)

Procedure

Put first 7 ingredients in a sauce pot, cover them with water, bring them to a boil & let cook for 10 minutes.  Cool off, blend & strain.  Season with salt & pepper.

To make the filling: Heat the oil in a frying pan at medium heat, add onion & Poblano pepper, cook for 3 minutes. Add tomato & garlic, cook 3 minutes, add the crab meat, season with salt & pepper & cook for 5 more minutes, add cilantro mixing well and turn off.  Set aside.

Put some of the Salsa on a large plate and place a tortilla in it, covering both sides with salsa.  Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil to a large frying pan & heat over medium heat.  Add tortilla and cook each side for 1-2 minutes. Place them on another plate and continue until you get all your tortillas cooked in the salsa.

Put  2 tbsp of crab filling in each tortilla, roll and put three in each plate, thin out the rest of Salsa roja with a little bit of chicken , beef or veggie broth and pour some over the enchilada plate, garnish with the chopped onion, a tsp of cremafresca and the crumbled Cotija cheese.  Serve them with shredded lettuce and sliced radish.

Notes from Chef:

You can use sour cream instead of crema fresca & feta cheese instead of Cotija.

Naturally, the filling can be substituted for shredded beef or chicken.

You can use Monterey Jack or Manchego cheese for a more "tex-mex" version, then bake in the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese melts. 

Ingredients

2 cups of Spanish rice (rounded & short grain)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 liters chicken stock

2 links of Spanish chorizo

20 Queen clams

500 grs cleaned squid, in rings

20 medium size shrimps

10 chicken legs

500 grs fish filet in cubes (bite size)

10 baby back ribs

SOFRITO (SAUCE)

1 large onion

1 large red bell pepper

1 carrot

½ cup green peas

4 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

8 peeled tomatoes

1 gr saffron

1 Spanish seasoning packet (Carmencita)

1 tsp of turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

The star of this traditional dish is the rice, therefore we cook the ingredients separately and once the rice is ready we assemble everything to create the presentation we wish to give.

We start early by cooking the sofrito in the following manner:

Heat half of the olive oil in a large pot: chop the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add the carrots & tomatoes chopped in small cubes, then the peas and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Add the turmeric, saffron and Spanish seasoning, bay leaves, salt and pepper, then cook until boiling point and let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, until all the flavors are mixed.

Put all the ribs in a large pot and cover with water. Cook for 2 – 2.5 hours until the meat separates easily from the bone. Once cooked, put them in the Sofrito and let them simmer for 10 minutes so they absorb all the flavors. Set aside. Do the same with the chicken legs. Set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil in the Paellera and cook the rice until it turns a pale gold shade. Add 2 cups of sofrito and 2 cups of chicken stock, saffron and Spanish seasoning packet, add salt and pepper to taste and the chorizo in thin slices, arranging it around the pan. Cover with tin foil and let cook for 10 minutes constantly moving the paellera so the heat reaches everywhere.

Uncover, check if liquid has been absorbed (perfect paella calls for soft, cooked rice that doesn`t stick), add sofrito and chicken stock as necessary, and in the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the cooked ribs and chicken legs arranging around it, then fish cubes, shrimps, clams and squid rings and heads. Cover again and let it cook for 10 minutes, moving every so often so the heats gets in all areas and paella cooks well.

Note: You can use chicken breast (cut in cubes) instead of chicken legs and add to paella during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Or you could add one whole and clean crab right at the center for a dramatic finish when you add all seafood.

Sprinkle finely chopped parsley and serve with a mixed salad and garlic bread.