Remembering Susana Trilling
Plus, the secret to Oaxacan Festival Chicken
EK: Last week, I learned about the passing of another one of my favorite culinary friends, Susana Trilling. She was an early female chef-owner in the days before there were a lot of recognized female chefs. She first made a name for herself in NYC before she moved to Mexico in 1988. You can read a little more about how she fell in love with Mexico here.
When I worked with Weber grills, I went to Memphis, TN, to set up our sponsorship booth for the “Memphis in May” BBQ Contest. I had an extra day so I signed up for a cooking class at the local cooking school to help pass the time.
EK: It was my luck that Susana was in town to teach the hands-on class. She presented us with recipes for a gorgeous simple Oaxacan menu topped off with her version of a Tres Leches cake.
Instantly, I loved her energy, vibrance, and easy way of teaching a cuisine that was foreign to most of the students in the class (who mostly associated Mexican food with American TexMex). When she spoke of the cuisine that she loved so much, it was like she was lit from within—her eyes bright and her enthusiasm contagious.
No one in the class wanted to make the cake—the recipe was three pages long—so I volunteered. The cake was a classic French Genoise, filled with a liqueur-spiked whipped cream, rolled-up and soaked with the three milks—evaporated milk, cream, and sweetened condensed milk. I frosted the whole cake with more whipped cream and decorated it with a layer of overlapping pave strawberries. I can still see that masterpiece in my mind’s eye and wish that I had a photo of it!
Because I was making the cake by myself, it took me the whole class to make it and Susana kept coming to my station to help and chat. We discovered that we both knew Rick Bayless and his family, loved their Oaxacan restaurant, Frontera Grill, and that we belonged to some of the same culinary groups. It was a serendipitous meeting.
That class was the beginning of many wonderful experiences and Mexican lessons with Susana, the best of which was a very adventurous culinary discovery tour of Oaxaca that I took with Bob Blumer. And, if this sounds like your dream culinary adventure, you can experience it with Susana’s son, Kaelin Ulrich, a very experienced chef, who continues to run Seasons Of My Heart.
EK: The tour was unlike most tours, as we went into the kitchens of the best home cooks, and learned from the locals.The whole trip was magical and being included in their indigenous life was only possible because Susana paved the way. The locals loved and respected her and thus, we were granted entry.
The trip was organized during the February festivals, a.k.a.Vela, and that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Out of respect (and fun!), we went to those dressed in traditional festival clothing and were the only gringos at the vela—again because Susana was invited, we were invited.
EK: If you are curious what we (and all the attendees) wore, it was black pants and classic Guayabera (white cotton) shirts for the men, and Huipil tops and skirts, and headbands and flowers for the women. The skirt that I borrowed from Susana was 100 years old! And, the black velvet embroidered Huipil that I wore with the skirt (pictured above) was new, and one of my souvenirs of the trip.
At each neighborhood Vela, the women brought platters and platters, and bowls and bowls of homemade food. And, the men walked into the Vela with a case of “Coronita” (mini bottles of Coronas) on their heads. It was truly a sight to see! Our group didn’t bring any food, but all the men in our group walked proudly in to the vela with cases of baby Coronas on their heads!
EK: Hands down, my favorite dish was a pit-fired chicken dish that had been marinated in a thick chipotle mixture. The minute I tasted the rich meat with a tangy, slightly smoky crust, squirted with a burst of fresh lime juice…I knew that this was one recipe that I had to bring home with me, and include in my first cookbook, Taming the Flame.
I asked Susana if she could find someone who would make this dish with me. That was easily accomplished, because Susana made anything we wanted happen! In fact, after buying and trying Iguana stew in the food market, Bob Blumer decided he wanted to go Iguana hunting with a local, and she made that happen, too! (And, that is a story for another day!)
The next day we went to the home of the village’s best cook to learn this festival dish. The gracious woman had everything set out on the counter for the dish: chipotles in adobo, onions, limes, chicken thighs and…mayonnaise!! Ah, I thought to myself, so that is her secret.
As we made the marinade, I realized how smart the mayo was. You can add a lot of flavor to mayonnaise and it stays suspended where traditional marinades have a tendency to separate. Because the flavors are spread evenly through the marinade, the food you are flavoring gets a more intense and consistent flavor and the mayonnaise tempers any harshness and protects the meat from becoming mushy from the acidic ingredients.
EK: If mayonnaise sounds weird to you, think about it this way, mayonnaise is an emulsified mixture of oil, egg yolks, and acid (lemon juice or vinegar) and seasonings, and I always coat my food with a little olive oil, or add oil to a marinade, so mayonnaise actually makes a lot of sense!
The chicken was not only delicious and memorable, but taught me a great cooking lesson. The thickness of the mayo encapsulates the chicken in the big flavors of the chipotles and adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic and cilantro. This not only flavors the chicken but turns into a delicious crust as it dries out and crisps up over indirect heat.
When I got home, I adapted the recipe and created my version for inclusion in the book. I wanted to include the recipe as a nod to Susana and the glimpse that she gave me into the home cooking of Oaxaca. But, I had no idea how popular it would become. It became and is still one of the go-to recipes from my first cookbook, and I’ve demoed it multiple times on national television.
Today I frequently use mayonnaise as my “secret” way to impart foods with flavor. A classic Nantucket swordfish steak is made better slathered with mayo, pork chops are kept flavorful and moist with a flavored mayonnaise, and haven’t we all tried to make a grilled cheese with mayo instead of butter??!!
Needless to say, my favorite “mayo” recipe of all-time is this Chipotle Chicken adapted from a tiny village cook in Mexico and introduced to me by the lively, and extraordinary Susana Trilling.
You can make it the traditional way on a grill, over indirect heat, or roast it in the oven. Either way, it will turn an ordinary day into a fiesta!!
Thank you for sharing your memories of my dear, dear friend Susana. She is missed terribly.
What a great story! So beautifully told and full of exquisite details I feel like I can picture it all. Thanks for this.