A Different Take On Mexican

Warm days of early fall bring to mind still summery foods. One that fits the bill perfectly is sea bass with garlic chips, in warmed tostada. It brings the taste of bright flavors of Mexico to the fall table.

Regular contributor and chef David Tanis wrote about this and a side and dessert in today's Wednesday New York Times Food section. Early fall, with its' lingering summery warmth is the perfect time  for a meal like this. it reminds Chef Tanis of his time in Veracruz Mexico. He ate in a lovely seaside restaurant there that now unfortunately gone. Their specialty was a whole fried fish topped with a liberal amount of garlic chips.Next to it was warmed and steamy tortillas along with lime wedges and a bowl of salsa. His variation calls for fillets of any kind of meaty fish from red snapper to halibut. Corvina, rockfish or snapper can also be used. Fry very thinly sliced garlic in oil and then reserve the oil for frying the fish Mr. Tanisha,however recommends grilling or baking th elfish to avoid any extra oiliness. Serve it with salsa matcha ,a condiment made from dried Chiles, peanuts, garlic and sesame seeds. Shower it with the garlic chips and then serve with rice ro potatoes. It could be flaked and put into warmed tostadas for a truly Mexican experience.

What would go with this? A dish that would be perfect on its' own - avocado black bean tostadas. It's pickling such vegetables as onions and jalapenos with black peppercorns, cinnamon, white sugar and apple cider vinegar for pickling. The tostadas fillings are a tasty mix of canned  refried.black beans , fresh avocado slices and queso freso sprinkled on top.. Warm oiled tostadas then build layers of the beans , spices such a as cumin, an d the avocados. Top with the pickled salsa and the cheese. Slivered radishes and a dab of crema can be added too. The meat should be finished with a cooling flan.Chef Tanis prodives flan de Coco or coconut flan made without the usual dairy. Two kinds of coconut milk are used instead, one is sweetened condensed while the other is just plain coconut milk. Since flan is very egg, four large eggs plus two large yolks are used for giving it richness and density. A caramel of just Palin white sugar is made first, heated ,melted and then poured into the bottom of a flan pan. It;'s then beating the eggs and coconut milks a long with a pinch of salt . This is paced into the flan pan and baked for an hour at 350 degrees Farenheit for an hour. After its';cooled, remove it from the pan, sprinkled shredded coconut on top and then serve.

A taste of Mexico is still a great way to hold onto the summer. Make this dinner to enjoy bright flavors and colors/. It's the perfect blend of spices ,both sweet and savory.