Cook Like a Secrets Chef at Home!

At Secrets® Resorts & Spas, we pride ourselves on our expansive array of international cuisine and our accomplished chefs who take pleasure in serving our guests!

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya’s Executive Chef, Jose Mena once said, “Humbleness is the essence of the chef. Let’s work, but always have fun.” At Secrets Resorts & Spas, we love putting in the work to make incredible dishes that you will love.

Read on to check out a recipe from Chef Mena and learn how you can cook like a Secrets Chef at home!

screen-shot-2017-02-28-at-12-47-05-pm

Learn to cook like a Secrets Resorts & Spas chef!

Continue reading

Make It At Home: Blue Margarita!

Our guests at Secrets Resorts & Spas are always raving about our Blue Margaritas, so today we decided to share our recipe.  This way, everyone can enjoy our delicious tropical drinks after returning home from vacation!  They are easy to make and sure to refresh your vacation spirit. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt185910_10150105194479835_6191310_n
  • 4 ounces Tequila
  • 2 ounces Triple Sec
  • 2 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 2 ounces Blue Curacao
  • 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
  • 2 (1/4-inch) slices star fruit for garnish (optional)
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation:

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.

Place Tequila, Triple Sec, lime juice, Blue Curacao, and sugar in the shaker; shake hard for 30 seconds.

Serve in Margarita glasses with coarse salt or Margarita salt on the rims of the glasses. Strain the Blue Margarita into the glasses. Garnish each with a slice of star fruit or a lime wedge.

NOTE: To create a salt-rimmed glass, take a lemon or lime wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of the glass into the salt.

Make it at Home: Molletes (Mexican Bean and Cheese Sandwich)

Here at Secrets Resorts & Spas, we are dedicated to providing our guests with the very best in world-class amenities including gourmet dining.  Just because you are at home and dreaming about your next visit to one of our resorts, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the great Mexican fare offered at our resorts!

Today, we are featuring Mollete, a Mexican Bean and Cheese Sandwich. It’s perfect for lunch or a late Saturday afternoon snack!

Mollete
From Saveur Magazine

Credit: Todd Coleman

Credit: Todd Coleman

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SALSA:
2 lbs. plum tomatoes, cored, and cut into ½” cubes
⅔ cup roughly chopped cilantro
6 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 large white onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt, to taste

FOR THE BEANS AND ROLLS:
½ cup lard or canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock
3 (15-oz.) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 bolillos or kaiser rolls, split
12 oz. queso Oaxaca, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the salsa, combine tomatoes, cilantro, chiles, and onion in a bowl, and season liberally with salt; fold gently to combine. Cover, and refrigerate, for about 1 hour.

2. To make the refried beans, heat lard in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add stock and beans, and cook, stirring and mashing, until almost all beans are smooth and mixture is slightly soupy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and keep warm.

3. Heat broiler to high. Using your fingers, scoop out and discard the insides of rolls, leaving a ½”-thick shell. Place roll halves on a foil-lined baking sheet with their cut sides up, and broil until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Pour about ½ cup refried beans over each roll half so that the beans are spilling over the edges, and then sprinkle with cheese. Return to broiler, and heat until beans are heated through and cheese is just melted, but not browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer one roll half to each serving plate, and top each with a couple large spoonfuls of salsa. Serve immediately.

Cinco de Mayo Treats

At Secrets Capri, we are enjoying a number of yummy treats for Cinco de Mayo. In the spirit of the holiday, we thought it was only right to let you in on the secrets of our delicious guacamole and coconut margaritas.

Enjoy!

Secrets Capri’s Guacamole

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Several leaves cilantro, finely chopped
1 small jalapeño, diced (optional)
1 small tomato, diced (optional)
1 ½ tbsp of freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mash avocados in a medium sized bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Chill and serve.

Secrets Capri’s Coconut Margarita

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 cup cream of coconut
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup triple sec
1 cup ice
Toasted shredded coconut for garnish

Rim two glasses with the toasted shredded coconut. Combine the lime juice, cream of coconut, tequila, triple sec and ice in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared glasses and don’t forget the tropical drink umbrella!

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine