Although this would technically be my third recent feast, this will be the first officially hosted feast to mark my beginning documenting and giving access to the event itself via Instagram. That being said, I am a practical man and I like to build on the groundwork laid before me, so I decided to take inspiration from prior experiences making a kamayan feast and a giant quesarito by taking from the two concepts. The result is the concept of a large modern Mexican feast, or a “feastival” (aptly coined by one of the “staff” members) as I’d like to call it going forward.
But first a test. What would taking some notes from popular Mexican ingredients and flavors yield when put against a little creativity. So with a couple leftover ingredients supplemented with a quick trip to a nearby grocery, I concocted a proof of concept for the framework that would support this upcoming feastival.
The Components
- Black bean puree – seasoned with dashi, yuzu, black pepper, dark amber, garlic, and Chile Morita Seco
- Queso Fresco Pancho
- Queso Cotija Don Francisco
- Crema Oaxaquena blended with Chile Morita Seco
- Lime marinated avocados seasoned with salt
- Lime marinated cilantro
- Sliced baby tomato rolled in Chile Morita Seco
- Roasted Chile Pasilla stuffed with Oaxacan cheese
- Aleppo pepper
- Corn Tortilla
How Does It Taste?
The smooth starch of the black bean is blended with the depth in umami of dashi and garlic, while brightened with notes of yuzu and cut by peppery tones from the black pepper and chile morita seco as dark amber syrup rounds everything out.
Richness from the cheeses and avocado are cut by notes of lime and a creamy heat is brought forth from the smoky spiced crema Oaxaquena. Roasted chile pasilla adds a tinge of roasted bitterness and textural contrast as sweetness from the tomato and herbal cilantro keep it from getting overpowering.
When served with a semi-crunchy, roasted tortilla you get another layer of textural depth complemented by strokes of corn flavor. Take out the roasted chile pasilla and play with the ratios when served as a quesadilla, and now you have similar flavors yielding a subtly different result as milder tones take precedence.
The most successful aspect in this proof of concept was the showcase of the versatility of a few components. Everything works with everything else in different subsets within this limited set as every combination something new. Needless to say I am excited with the potential of scaling this up and adding more ingredients to cross match with while adding more notes from other cultures to provide unique flairs. Up next is planning the broader structure to this feastival.
Epicurean Experience 