Marian Platt

It is the fifth of May - Mexico's liveliest national holiday, Cinco de Mayo. Today is the day Mexico commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla in which a poorly equipped Mexican army, outnumbered 3-1 by Napoleon's toughest troops, drove the French from Mexico.

So, no better time than now to prepare a Mexican meal - always popular, Mexican food matches today's appetite for fast, fresh and flavorful foods.

The food of Mexico today is a blend of Indian, Spanish and other acquisitive or peaceful cultures. It has complex Hispanic, Indian and Anglo roots. It preserves the virtues of all. New dishes have been invented by ingenious chefs using old ingredients in sophisticated new ways. The resulting cuisine is a delight of contrasts - colorful and earthy, exciting and soothing, primitive and polished - robust and brassy as a mariachi band.

We all enjoy desserts and sweets with which to end a meal and satisfy our sweet tooth, and a Mexican meal is no exception. Luscious puddings and custards called flans are most popular. Other typical desserts are pastries, such as bunuelos, or turnovers called empanadas filled with a variety of sweet mixtures.



CARAMEL FLAN -

12 vanilla caramels

1/4 cup milk

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

In saucepan heat caramels and 1/4 cup milk over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels melt. Divide caramel mixture among six 6-ounce custard cups or spoon into the bottom of an 8-inch flan pan or an 8- x 1 1/2-inch round baking dish. Set cups, pan or dish in a shallow baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Carefully pour egg mixture over caramel mixture. Place pan on an oven rack. Pour hot water into pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven about 25 minutes for individual flans, 35 minutes for large flan or until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Serve warm or chilled. Just before serving, invert onto dessert plates. Spoon any caramel mixture remaining in the cups or dish over the flan. Top with orange rind strips and serve with orange wedges.

When I prepare a Mexican meal, I often will serve a very simple and easy dessert such as lemon sorbet topped with Kahlua and a plate of Mexican wedding cakes or Mexican hot-chocolate cookies.



MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add salt, vanilla, flour and pecans. Blend well. Refrigerate until easy to handle. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet; bake in preheated 350-degree oven 12-15 minutes, until very lightly browned.

While still warm, roll cookies in powdered sugar.



MEXICAN HOT-CHOCOLATE COOKIES

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened

cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)



In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar with electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.

In small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and chili powder. Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place abut 3 inches apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Then there is the deliciously moist TRES LECHES CAKE. This cake draws on influences from outside Mexico, such as Spain, Cuba and Costa Rica, and was adopted into Tex-Mex tradition more than a generation ago. The cake absorbs the milks, making it a cross between a custard and a cake.

1 box Pillsbury Plus white cake mix

3 eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix above ingredients; pour into 9- x 13-inch greased baking pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 25-35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then with a large fork poke holes every inch in the cake's top surface.

Mix the following and pour over the cake:

1 cup whipping cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

1/3 cup rum

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Before serving, whip 1 1/2 cups whipping cream with 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and spread on cake.

Top with 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts and 1/2 cup toasted flaked coconut.

If there are any leftovers, be sure to refrigerate cake.

recipe from Maggie - all others from my files.

Fruits always can bring a Mexican meal to a close - such as



BAKED PINEAPPLE -

Lay a large pineapple on its side and cut a thick slice from one side, not including the green top. Carefully scoop out the insides and cut into bite-sized pieces. Sweeten the pieces to taste with about 1/4 cup sugar; flavor with 2-3 tablespoons rum. Put pineapple pieces back into pineapple shell. Dot with 1/4 cup butter, cover with foil (including the green leaves) and bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Replace the sliced off piece as a top and bring to the table.

Marian Platt can be reached at 683-4691 or

mlplatt@olypen.com.