THE BEST MARGARITA YOU CAN MAKE IS A MARTINI
Plus your new favorite barbecue sauce with a smoky spicy twist!
Happy Friday! It’s so dang hot everywhere that we decided to abide by the golden rule of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid). So today we’re bringing you the easiest recipes of all time: Honey-Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas and a Mexican Martini to wash ‘em down. Of course, we’re putting our own W4D twists on them both…
THE BEST MARGARITA YOU CAN MAKE IS A MARTINI…
EK: As many times as I have been to Austin, and as many margaritas as I have had the pleasure of sipping in Austin, I had never heard of either the originator—Trudy’s—or the drink until Anthony let me in on the secret…
AU: I spent many a college night at Trudy’s in Austin, TX, guzzling down these Mexican Martinis! My go-to order was always with Herradura Blanco tequila, and the Grand Marnier floater on the side, so I could add as much or as little as I wanted. They only let you order two when you dine in, because they serve each one with the martini shaker to refill your empty glass!
EK: That sounds both delicious and dangerous! No wonder they have a 2 drink [which sounds like 4] maximum! My favorite straight up margarita is made with Grand Marnier and top shelf blanco tequila, so this already has my name on it… but the secret martini ingredient of olive brine made me stop everything and make a Trudy’s MexMart copycat.
Anthony sent me a copycat recipe that included making your own sweet and sour mix, and I read through half a dozen recipes that included ingredients like sprite and orange juice.
I wanted to honor Trudy’s and try the copycats, so I bought Sprite and oranges. I love the Palomas made in Mexico with the soft drink Squirt and thought like that drink, it might be unexpected but good. I tried both the orange juice and the Sprite, but it wasn’t for me. I felt that it took away from the purity of a really good margarita or a really good martini!
After another discussion with Anthony, he said, “make your favorite margarita and add the olive juice.”
EK: I was lucky enough to find small limes from Mexico, a.k.a. Limones del Carmen and I juiced those, added a generous amount of best-quality Blanco Tequila, Grand Marnier, Martini olive brine that was heavy with Vermouth, and added my own little touch.
AU: This one’s always got something up her sleeve!
EK: That touch was to make mini olive ice cubes! I took small pimento-stuffed green olives and placed them in the center of a hexagonal ice tray. I covered half the olives with the brine and half with filtered water and let them freeze overnight. The mini ice cubes were both cute and tasty and kept the drink cold longer without diluting the flavor. I am so excited about these little ice cubes that I plan on experimenting with making other variations.
EK: And, as cool as this little touch is, the real beauty of this Mexican Martini is that the olive brine provides the salty element, so you don’t need to salt the rim of the glass to get a perfectly balanced drink to sip along with your favorite quesadilla!.
AU: Elizabeth, you have cracked the code again!! I cannot wait to shake up some of these with dinner tonight… It will feel like I’m celebrating the end of the semester at Trudy’s in ATX! Now if I could just get my college metabolism back…
Mexican Martini
Forget the rest! If you are a cocktail purist, this will be the best margarita that you will ever taste. The sweetness comes from the Grand Marnier liqueur and the salt comes from the olive brine to make a perfectly balanced, cool and refreshing sophisticated margarita.
Makes 8 ounces
3 ounces best-quality Blanco Tequila
1.5 ounces Grand Marnier
2 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice, Limones del Carmen if you can find them
1/2 ounce Martini olive brine, preferably a Vermouth brine
Fresh lime wedges for garnish
Martini Olive Ice Cubes for serving
Fill a cocktail shaker full of ice. add the tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice and olive brine. Close, seal and shake until frothy and very cold.
Place a Martini Olive Ice Cube in the bottom of the Martini glass. Pour the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with another ice cube and a wedge of lime.
Serve immediately with your favorite quesadilla. ;)
HONEY-CHIPOTLE BARBECUE SAUCE MAKES FOR AN EXCELLENT QUESADILLA
AU: You may be reading this thinking that we’ve officially jumped the shark… a quesadilla?! Who needs a recipe for that?! I get it. But I also love quesadillas, and if you don’t love quesadillas, I’m not sure we can be friends.
EK: So that is why we are such good friends! Quesadillas are both easy and satisfying, and if you are like us, you always have tortillas in the fridge. Plus you can put just about anything into them.
AU: This quesadilla is different than my usual oh-shit-it’s-2:00pm-and-I-forgot-to-have-lunch quesadilla. That’s because the star ingredient isn’t the gooey cheese or the succulent chicken pieces, and it’s not even the perfectly crisped tortilla… it’s the Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce that I toss the chicken in before adding to the filling.
Y’all, this sauce has got it all… sweet, spicy, tangy, and salty. It’s incredible on pork ribs, divine on chicken wings, and perfection in a quesadilla or taco.
AU: It’s a pretty simple ketchup-based barbecue sauce. But with loads of minced garlic (8 cloves!) that you sauté over low heat ‘til it’s golden and sweet. Then you add in all of the other ingredients like chipotle chilies, honey, ketchup and Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce (or tamari), apple cider vinegar, and 2 big ol’ tablespoons of oregano (Mexican, if you can get it).
AU: Simmer the sauce until it thickens, about 15 minutes. You may need to move the pot to a smaller burner on your stove, if you have one, to keep the heat low (and keep your apron clean from splatters).
AU: Now let’s talk quesadillas. There are a few approaches to making a quesadilla, and I happen to think mine is excellent (bc of course I do lol):
Medium-Low heat is the way to go. If you want that crispy, golden brown crunch on your tortilla, you’ve gotta let it slowly crisp up in the pan. Too hot-and-fast and you’ll end up with a burnt tortilla and unmelted cheese in the center.
Don’t Overfill. You can go generously on the cheese, but keep any other fillings like meats, veggies, etc like you would top a pizza. You don’t need as much as you think you will. It helps if everything’s kept fairly small (like half an inch or smaller), and it goes without saying (but here I am, saying it), all meats should be fully-cooked and cooled before adding to the filling.
The Fold-Over Method™ Is Superior. For many years, I built quesadillas using two tortillas laid flat with the filling in the middle. No more! The easiest way is to place your toppings on one side of the tortilla when it’s in the pan, then fold the other side of the tortilla over to create a half-circle shape. It’s easier to flip, it’s easier to eat because the filling stays inside, and it’s easier to dip (somehow).
Dry skillet & Dry Tortilla. In my book, a quesadilla is all about simplicity, and usually I just want to get some food in me when I’m making one, so I go the dry skillet route. However, I will tell you a story: I once finished a live shot with Wolfgang Puck, and he made me a quesadilla afterwards because we were starving at 6am. He coated one side of the tortilla with mayonnaise and placed it mayo-side down in the skillet (then filled it and did the Fold-Over Method™, further proving my point that it is superior!). The mayo created this shattering sort of crust on the outside of the tortilla—it was fabulous.
Keep ‘em Warm, but not HOT. If you’re making multiple quesadillas, for say A QUESADILLA PARTY (which I would very much like to be invited to!), just place the finished quesadillas on a rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and keep them in a warm oven until they’re ready to be cut and served. (pictured above)
AU: So do yourself a favor, and make this Honey-Chipotle Barbecue sauce and slather it on ribs, chicken, pork, shrimp, or tofu—you won’t be sorry. And, if you get a craving, you’ll be well-positioned to be the quesadilla champ that you are. :)
