Cooking Class 120 ~ Street Tacos

Roasted Cauliflower and Lime Slaw Taco

I know I've been slacking as a blogger lately, but with "Street Tacos" on the menu for the February SdJ cooking class, I've been more into eating food, than writing about it. I take this "research" business very seriously and for the past two months have been on a whirlwind taco eating tour!

Guajillo Braised Short Rib Taco

From Texas in January to Mexico in February, one would think that we have died and gone to taco heaven.  But not so much. My little touch of OCD has caused me to knock tacos out of my kitchen faster than you can say Taco Hell. Just ask The Big Guy. As my official taste tester, he's had to eat all these tacos, night after night.
It sucks to be him.

Flank Steak, Cilantro Creamed Corn Taco with Cumin Crema 

Butternut Squash, Kale and Pepitas Taco with Cashew Crema 

Asian Pulled Pork with Kimchi and Wasabi Sauce

From a roasted cauliflower and lime taco to a Guajillo chile braised short rib taco, and from a butternut squash, kale, and pepita taco to a shrimp and mango taco, I have been making them all. Have you ever had a chicken and waffle taco? Been there, made that. Flank steak with cilantro and chipotle creamed corn taco? Did it, ate it, liked it. What about an Asian Pulled Pork with Kimchi and Wasabi Taco? Yep, made it, got the t-shirt. So here we are; dozens of tortilla shells later and we narrowed it down to our fave four.

This is what made the menu.

Kim, Cristina and Tom getting ready to cook

We started the night with the amazing Sashimi Tuna and fried leek tostada.

Vicki and Brandy prepping for the Tuna Tostadas. LOVE the Taco hat!

The recipe is from the famed San Fransisco restaurant, Tacolicious, who got it from the Mexico City seafood restaurant, Contramar. The raw tuna tostada is their signature dish, and for very good reason. We served it appetizer style, on a bite sized tostada, and it was one CRAZY-GOOD bite! Make this ~ I promise you won't be sorry. (Trip Advisor, Yelp ~ they both rave about it.)

The Guaco Taco is my own recipe. I had a fried avocado taco in Denver once and always remembered how good it was to bite into that creamy but crispy avocado (no need for guacamole). We gave them a nice panko breading and fried them up.

June and Paula making the corn and bean salsa

I slathered our tortillas with an Ancho chile sauce that everyone thought was the bomb, and it really made the Guaco Taco pop.  With a little black bean-corn salsa, fresh pico de gallo and a cumin-lime crema, it was muy bueno! You can find the recipe right here. 

While I usually prefer my fish tacos grilled, this version is breaded in a rice flour and club soda mixture so it makes for a light and fluffy piece of fish. The Fresno chile sauce has a killer bite, but the creamy-limey slaw off sets it perfectly. This is on my favorite (ever) fish tacos!

Because chicken and waffles are never wrong, I just had to turn it into a taco. No recipe is really needed...make your favorite waffles (If they aren't Carbon's Golden Malted Waffles, they should be. Getcha some! World Market, you're welcome).

We doctored up our waffle batter with some chopped up candied jalapenos, then put a smear of apple butter on a soft corn tortilla, a chunk of waffle, maple syrup, a chicken tender (that had been soaking in buttermilk all day, floured and fried), with a slice of crispy bacon lovin' up on the chicken, and then a little more syrup and a touch of Sriracha, and BOOM, you got your Boom Chickie Wah-Wah Taco! 

I'm no quitter and I was determined to make a dessert taco too. I played around with peanut butter, bananas, chocolate, dulce de leche.....this list goes on. I even got chocolate tortilla shells. (they sucked) I finally made an executive decision and tossed the dessert taco idea out the window, having decided that my SdJ chefs would rather drink their dessert than eat it. It was a good call. After the Boom Chickie Wah-Wah Taco we were all so stuffed that the Mucho Gusto Margarita was the perfect cocktail to finish up with.

The rim is coated in a mixture of toasted coconut, sugar and salt. I poured a bottle of tequila over a whole pineapple, chopped up and let it sit on my counter four days. Agave simple syrup, coconut water and lime finish it off. Sooooo goooood! The recipe is right here. 

It was another fun night, with a ton of great food! Thanks everyone for coming out for Street Tacos!  If you want any of the other recipes from the above mentioned tacos, let me know and I will either put them up or send them to you.

PRINT RECIPE: Tacolicious Tuna Tostadas

PRINT RECIPE:  Guaco Taco with Black Bean-Corn Salsa

PRINT RECIPE:  Mucho Gusto Cocktail

Someone please get Tom an apron that fits him! And put your pig away, it's time to make tacos!