Birria, the regional stew from Mexico saw a meteoric rise in popularity recently, as a soupy style made with beef, popularized by birria vendors in Tijuana, took off in the United States The chef Josef Centeno, who grew up eating beef and goat birria in Texas, makes a delicious, thickly sauced version based on his grandma Alice’s recipe, mixing up the proteins by using oxtail, lamb on the bone and even tofu (you can, too). Preparing the adobo takes time, as does browning the meat, but it’s worth it for the deep flavors in the final dish The best way to serve birria is immediately and simply, in a bowl, with some warm corn tortillas
This recipe for chocolate mousse made in a blender comes via the pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz, who got it from a cook named Monica Stolbach, who in turn got it from her mother-in-law, who got it from a Junior League cookbook published in the 1980s Straightforward, adaptable and extremely satisfying, it’s one of those recipes that you want to pass along to as many people as you can Instead of separating the egg yolks and whites, this technique simply involves pouring hot sugar syrup into a blender with chocolate and whole eggs, then folding that mixture into softly whipped cream