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Sweet Potato Waffles with a Citrus Curd

By
Samuel
-
0
A stack of sweet potato waffles with citrus slices and a drizzle of honey over top.

Wishing your friends and family good financial fortune in the New Year is a gift in and of itself. Express that hope with golden foods like a silky citrus curd paired with crispy-edged Sweet Potato Waffles made savory and complex with the delicate anise note of roasted fennel. A bit of fresh dill cuts through the richness with a grassy freshness. If you’re feeding a crowd, you can make the waffles in batches and keep them warm in a low oven. The citrus curd can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Why Does Sweet Potato Puree Work in a Waffle Recipe?

Sweet potato puree is an excellent addition to waffle recipes because it adds moisture and natural sweetness without requiring a large amount of extra fat or sugar. The starch that’s in this puree helps to bind the batter and creates that tender and crispy final texture with a slight chew to it. Besides the texture, it infuses the waffles with a subtle earthy flavor and a beautiful golden-orange color. Make your breakfast more nutritious by packing it with vitamins A and C and extra fiber in this recipe.

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A stack of sweet potato waffles with citrus slices and a drizzle of honey over top.

Sweet Potato Waffles with a Citrus Curd

  • Author: Chef Marijke Uleman
  • Yield: Serves 8
Print Recipe

Description

Belgian waffles are no match for a waffle made from sweet potato puree.

Ingredients

Scale

For the sweet potato waffles: 

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 can (13–14 oz) coconut milk
  • 1 1/4 cups pureed sweet potatoes

For the citrus curd:

  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 2 egg yolks, lightly whisked
  • 90 g citrus juice (orange, lemon, blood orange)
  • 2 tbsp citrus zest
  • 200 g sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 6 tbsp butter, cubed

Instructions

For the sweet potato waffles:

  1. Preheat waffle iron.
  2. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange zest, and ginger.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients: melted butter, eggs, coconut milk, and sweet potato puree.
  4. Combine wet and dry ingredients until smooth.
  5. Cook in the waffle iron until golden and crispy.
  6. Serve warm with citrus curd or other toppings or freeze for later use.

For the citrus curd:

  1. To make the citrus curd, add eggs, citrus juice, citrus zest, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan.
  2. Stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, about 8–10 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and add butter, mixing until completely melted.
  4. Strain mixture, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for a minimum of 2 hours.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipes by Chef Marijke Uleman
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Styling by Jessie Baca
Photography by Tira Howard

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Canelazo Cocktail

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A tall stemmed glass containing a vibrant orange Canelazo cocktail, garnished with a lime slice and cinnamon stick, set on a red wooden background with pine boughs.

When mixologist David Pecorari of Joe’s Tequila Bar-fame was growing up in Quito, Ecuador, Canelazo was the winter beverage of choice. He and
friends would gather on a chiva – an open sided bus – with a band on the roof and cruise through the city at night. “Because we would be partying on an open bus into the early morning the canelazo would keep us warm in more ways than one,” he says. They’d fill old Gatorade sports containers to the brim with this warming brew that traditionally uses aguardiente – a distilled spirit. This spin on one of his favorite drinks is now one of ours. Salud!

About Our Canelazo Cocktail Recipe

Canelazo is a traditional Ecuadorian hot drink made with spiced tea, citrus, and a splash of spirits for warmth and flavor. This cozy version blends passion fruit, cinnamon, and aguardiente for a festive sip that’s perfect on chilly nights.

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A tall stemmed glass containing a vibrant orange Canelazo cocktail, garnished with a lime slice and cinnamon stick, set on a red wooden background with pine boughs.

Canelazo

  • Author: David Pecocari
Print Recipe

Description

Your winter cocktail go-to.

Ingredients

Scale

For the canelazo tea:

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup passion fruit concentrate
  • 3/4 cup panela (or organic sugar cane)
  • 6 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 star anise
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 allspice
  • 1/4 scrape of vanilla bean

For the non alcoholic portion:

  • ½ oz orange juice
  • ½ oz lemon juice
  • 3 oz canelazo tea

For the alcoholic portion:

Instructions

For the canelazo tea:

  1. Cook over a low temperature until all sugar has dissolved.
  2. Pull off heat and let steep for at least 3 days. Strain.

For the non alcoholic portion:

  1. Combine the juices with the tea.

For the alcoholic portion:

  1. Combine the Chawar Blanco, Amaro Nonino, Smith & Cross, and the two bitters.
  2. Warm up the tea and citrus mixture.
  3. Add the alcoholic mixture to heatproof mug or glass along with the tea mixture.
  4. Garnish with cinnamon on top.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipe by David Pecocari
Photography by Laura Petrilla

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Boozy Mexican Hot Chocolate

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A multicolored striped ceramic mug of Mexican Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream and a toasted marshmallow, next to a gold spoon and pine cone, on a red wooden surface.

Tumbleroot Pottery Pub turns up the heat this winter with a decidedly adult (and decadent) Boozy Mexican Hot Chocolate from Jason Kirkman, its owner and master distiller. Rich, spiced, and distinctly New Mexican, this hot chocolate features a house-made cocoa mix, a subtle red chile kick, and a generous pour of Tumbleroot Oro Rum, all served in one of their handmade mugs. What more could you ask for?

About Our Boozy Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe

This recipe turns into a rich and spiced winter drink, blending house-made cocoa with a touch of red chile and smooth Oro Rum. Topped with whipped cream and cinnamon, it’s a cozy, grown-up treat that warms you from the inside out.

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A multicolored striped ceramic mug of Mexican Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream and a toasted marshmallow, next to a gold spoon and pine cone, on a red wooden surface.

Boozy Mexican Hot Chocolate

  • Author: Jason Kirkman
Print Recipe

Description

Everything is better with a bit of spice.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Tumbleroot house-made cocoa mix:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1⁄2 cup dry milk powder
  • 5 tsp cornstarch
  • 3⁄4 tsp kosher salt

For the cocktail:

  • 4 heaping tbsp house-made cocoa mix (see recipe below, or substitute with a high-quality store-bought mix)
  • 2 oz Tumbleroot Oro Rum
  • Hot water
  • Whipped cream (for topping)
  • Cinnamon stick (for grating)

For the Tumbleroot house-made red chile-infused vodka:

Instructions

For the Tumbleroot house-made cocoa mix:

  1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor for about 30 seconds until uniform.
  2. Store in an airtight container.

For the cocktail:

  1. Add cocoa mix to your favorite mug.
  2. Fill halfway with hot water and stir until dissolved.
  3. Add Oro Rum, then top with more hot water, leaving about 1⁄2 inch of space at the top.
  4. Turn up the heat if you wish with 1⁄4-1⁄2 oz of house-made red chile–infused vodka (see recipe below).
  5. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a fresh grating of cinnamon.

For the Tumbleroot house-made red chile-infused vodka:

  1. Lightly crush dried chile pods and place in a quart jar.
  2. Top with vodka and infuse for one week.
  3. Strain before using.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipe by Jason Kirkman
Photography by Laura Petrilla

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

Biscochito Old Fashioned

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A Biscochito Old Fashioned cocktail in a rocks glass with a cinnamon sugar rim, orange peel, and smoking cinnamon stick, on a red wooden surface with pine branches.

Among many “firsts,” New Mexico was the first state to have an official cookie. In 1989, the legislature named the biscochito as our cookie of choice. It’s also the inspiration for Dorothea Fine Greek mixologist Aliya Harrison’s riff on a classic Old Fashioned that dazzles with winter warming spices, evoking a cookie in a cocktail. Her Bischochito Old Fashioned uses demerara sugar syrup instead of granulated sugar syrup for a toasty warmth and that hanging-out-by-the fireplace vibe. The allure of butterscotch schnapps is, perhaps, self-explanatory!

Our Biscochito Old Fashioned Recipe

This Biscochito Old Fashioned is a festive twist on the classic cocktail, inspired by New Mexico’s beloved state cookie. With warm spices, rich demerara syrup, and a hint of butterscotch, it’s a cozy drink that tastes like the holidays in a glass.

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A Biscochito Old Fashioned cocktail in a rocks glass with a cinnamon sugar rim, orange peel, and smoking cinnamon stick, on a red wooden surface with pine branches.

Biscochito Old Fashioned

  • Author: Aliya Harrison
Print Recipe

Description

New Mexico’s state cookie in cocktail form. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 oz Woodford Reserve
  • 1 ½ tsp of rich demerara syrup
  • ¼ oz butterscotch schnapps
  • 2 dashes of cinnamon
  • 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • 1 dash of cardamom bitters
  • Ouzo rinse
  • Cinnamon sugar dust on half of the glass
  • Toasted cinnamon stick and orange peel, garnish

Instructions

  1. Add about a quarter of an ounce of ouzo into dusted glass, add ice, and set aside.
  2. Combine all ingredients except the ouzo into a mixing tin, stir for approximately 30 seconds.
  3. Dump ice and ouzo out of dusted glass, add large cube and strain cocktail into glass.
  4. Add toasted cinnamon stick and expressed orange peel and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipe by Aliya Harrison
Photography by Laura Petrilla

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

Jungle Bird Cocktail

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A Jungle Bird tiki cocktail being poured from a shaker, garnished with a pineapple wedge, cherry, and fronds, on a vibrant red wooden surface.

Fantasizing about a wintertime holiday in the sun? Sip no further. The Jungle
Bird is a perennially popular cocktail created by ace mixologist Beth Gieske.
You’ll find her at The Bitter Nun – the mezzanine cocktail lounge at the downtown Albuquerque location of Ex Novo. “The Jungle Bird is tropical and
refreshing without being overly sweet; fresh pineapple and lime keep it bright,
while bitter liqueur and Angostura add a sophisticated edge,” say the folks at Ex Novo. “Layers of rich Jamaican and Guyanese rums bring warm spice and just a touch of funk, making it a slow-sipping tiki classic with a modern twist.”

What’s a Jungle Bird Cocktail Recipe?

The Jungle Bird is a bright and tropical cocktail that balances fresh pineapple and lime with the bold edge of bitter liqueur. Layered with rich Jamaican and Guyanese rums, it’s a modern tiki classic that’s refreshing yet sophisticated.

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A Jungle Bird tiki cocktail being poured from a shaker, garnished with a pineapple wedge, cherry, and fronds, on a vibrant red wooden surface.

Jungle Bird Cocktail

  • Author: Beth Gieske
Print Recipe

Description

This cocktail has us dreaming of summer days. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ oz Jamaican gold rum
  • ½ oz Jamaican black rum
  • ½ oz Guyana demerara river rum
  • ½ oz bitter liqueur
  • 1 ½ oz pineapple juice
  • ½ oz lime juice
  • ½ oz dark simple syrup
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • Pineapple, garnish
  • Drunken cherry, garnish
  • Pineapple fronds, garnish

Instructions

  1. Shake all ingredients vigorously in a shaker tin for 7 seconds, strain over ice.
  2. Garnish with a pineapple wedge, a drunken cherry, and three pineapple fronds. (The cherry as the “eye” and fronds as the “mohawk” give it that birdlike look.)

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipe by Beth Gieske
Photography by Laura Petrilla

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

Pear Hot Toddy

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A clear glass mug containing a warm orange Pear Hot Toddy, garnished with a clove-studded lemon slice, set on a red wooden background with pine needles.

Made with pears from the Tumbleroot orchard infused into their own house-crafted Oro Rum, this warm and fragrant cocktail layers spice and citrus, creating a cozy wintertime favorite. If your grandmother, like ours, considered the hot toddy a valuable and effective cure for symptoms of the common cold, add this to your pharmaceutical options this season.

What’s in Our Pear Hot Toddy Recipe?

The Pear Hot Toddy is a warm, spiced cocktail made with pear-infused rum, ginger, and citrus for a cozy winter drink. Comforting and fragrant, it’s the perfect way to unwind on a chilly evening.

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A clear glass mug containing a warm orange Pear Hot Toddy, garnished with a clove-studded lemon slice, set on a red wooden background with pine needles.

Pear Hot Toddy

  • Author: Jason Kirkman
Print Recipe

Description

Nothing is quite as soothing as a hot toddy.

Ingredients

Scale

For the pear-infused rum:

For the Tumbleroot house-made ginger syrup:

  • 3 cups water
  • 6 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ g star anise (about 1 small piece or a generous pinch)
  • 12 ½ g mixed whole peppercorns (about 2 1⁄2 tsp)
  • 2 ½ g whole cinnamon (roughly 1⁄2 stick)
  • 1–2 cardamom pods
  • 3/4–1 ¼ g dried red chile pod (a small piece, to taste)
  • 1⁄8 stick vanilla bean (or a small segment, split)
  • Citric acid to taste; start with around 2 tsp

For the pear hot toddy:

  • 1⁄4 oz agave syrup
  • 1⁄4 oz ginger syrup, house recipe or substitute store-bought
  • 1⁄2 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 2 oz pear-infused Tumbleroot Oro Rum
  • Hot water (to top)
  • Lemon wheel, studded with 3 whole cloves (for garnish)

Instructions

For the pear-infused rum:

  1. Place the pear pieces into a clean quart-sized jar.
  2. Fill the jar with Oro Rum, covering the fruit completely.
  3. Seal the jar and let it steep at room temperature for 3–5 days.
  4. Strain out the pears and discard or save for another use.
  5. Store the infused rum in a clean bottle or jar.

For the Tumbleroot house-made ginger syrup:

  1. Toast all spices (except chile) in a pot until aromatic, just before they begin to smoke.
  2. Add chile, then immediately pour in the water.
  3. Stir in ginger juice.
  4. Once warmed, add sugar and stir until fully dissolved.
  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30–60 minutes.
  6. Add citric acid to taste.
  7. Strain and store chilled.

For the pear hot toddy:

  1. In a mug, combine the agave syrup, ginger syrup, lemon juice, and pear-infused Oro Rum.
  2. Top with hot water and stir gently.
  3. Garnish with a clove-studded lemon wheel.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipe by Jason Kirkman
Photography by Laura Petrilla

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

Winter Cocktail Recipes from Northern New Mexico’s Bartenders

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A multicolored striped ceramic mug of Mexican Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream and a toasted marshmallow, next to a gold spoon and pine cone, on a red wooden surface.

A bevy of Northern New Mexico’s finest bartenders jumped at the chance to share their favorite warm-ups with TABLE readers. Whether nostalgic or innovative in their inspiration, these cocktails are sure to spice up an evening with friends, next to a roaring fire, with a platter of the hors d’oeuvres that make you the happiest.

Winter Cocktail Recipes

Biscochito Old Fashioned

Recipe by Aliya Harrison, Dorothea Fine Greek

A Biscochito Old Fashioned cocktail in a rocks glass with a cinnamon sugar rim, orange peel, and smoking cinnamon stick, on a red wooden surface with pine branches.

Among many “firsts,” New Mexico was the first state to have an official cookie. In 1989, the legislature named the biscochito as our cookie of choice.
It’s also the inspiration for Dorothea Fine Greek mixologist Aliya Harrison’s riff on a classic Old Fashioned that dazzles with winter warming spices, evoking a cookie in a cocktail. Rich demerara syrup uses demerara sugar instead of granulated sugar for a toasty warmth and that hanging-out-by-the-fireplace vibe. The allure of butterscotch schnapps is, perhaps, self-explanatory!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Recipe by Jason Kirkman, Tumbleroot Pottery Pub

A multicolored striped ceramic mug of Mexican Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream and a toasted marshmallow, next to a gold spoon and pine cone, on a red wooden surface.

Tumbleroot Pottery Pub turns up the heat this winter with a decidedly adult (and decadent) Mexican hot chocolate from Jason Kirkman, its owner and master distiller. Rich, spiced, and distinctly New Mexican, this hot chocolate features a house-made cocoa mix, a subtle red chile kick, and a generous pour of Tumbleroot Oro Rum, all served in one of their handmade mugs. What more could you ask for?

Canelazo

Recipe by David Pecocari, Joe’s Tequila Bar at Inn on the Alameda

A tall stemmed glass containing a vibrant orange Canelazo cocktail, garnished with a lime slice and cinnamon stick, set on a red wooden background with pine boughs.

When mixologist David Pecorari of Joe’s Tequila Bar-fame was growing up in Quito, Ecuador, canelazo was the winter beverage of choice. He and friends would gather on a chiva – an open sided bus – with a band on the roof and cruise through the city at night. “Because we would be partying on an open bus into the early morning the canelazo would keep us warm in more ways than one,” he says. They’d fill old Gatorade sports containers to the brim with this warming brew that is traditionally made with aguardiente – a distilled spirit. This spin on one of his favorite drinks is now one of ours. Salud!

Jungle Bird

Recipe by Beth Gieske for The Bitter Nun

A Jungle Bird tiki cocktail being poured from a shaker, garnished with a pineapple wedge, cherry, and fronds, on a vibrant red wooden surface.

Fantasizing about a wintertime holiday in the sun? Sip no further. The Jungle
Bird is a perennially popular cocktail created by ace mixologist Beth Gieske. You’ll find her at The Bitter Nun – the mezzanine cocktail lounge at the
downtown Albuquerque location of Ex Novo. “The Jungle Bird is tropical and refreshing without being overly sweet; fresh pineapple and lime keep it bright, while bitter liqueur and Angostura add a sophisticated edge,” say the folks at Ex Novo. “Layers of rich Jamaican and Guyanese rums bring warm spice and just a touch of funk, making it a slow-sipping tiki classic with a modern twist.”

Pear Hot Toddy

Recipe by Jason Kirkman, Tumbleroot Pottery

A clear glass mug containing a warm orange Pear Hot Toddy, garnished with a clove-studded lemon slice, set on a red wooden background with pine needles.

Start with pears from the Tumbleroot orchard. Infuse them in their own house-crafted Oro Rum. Craft a warm and fragrant cocktail that layers together spice and citrus, creating a cozy wintertime favorite. Did you grandmother, like ours, considered the hot toddy a valuable and effective cure for the common cold? Add this to your pharmaceutical options this season.

Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Styling by Star Laliberte and Anna Franklin
Photography by Laura Petrilla

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

Lemon Meringue Tarts from Cafe Pasqual’s

By
Kylie Thomas
-
0
Four individual lemon meringue tarts with toasted meringue peaks, arranged on white platters next to fresh lemons and a white bust statue.

Cafe Pasqual’s always has a lemon dessert on the menu, and these individual Lemon Meringue Tarts are a firm favorite with guests at the restaurant. The crust is made with pine nuts (piñon), filled with a luscious lemon curd, and topped with meringue which is piped and browned to perfection before service. It’s the perfect combination of creamy, tart, crispy, and buttery. No wonder it’s rarely off the menu.

Try these delicious Lemon Meringue Tarts from the kitchen of this legendary Santa Fe restaurant. You’ll come back to it again and again.

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Four individual lemon meringue tarts with toasted meringue peaks, arranged on white platters next to fresh lemons and a white bust statue.

Cafe Pasqual’s Lemon Meringue Tarts

  • Author: Katherine Kagel, Cafe Pasqual’s
  • Yield: Makes 8 4-inch tart shells 1x
Print Recipe

Description

These lemon meringue tarts from Café Pasqual’s feature a buttery pine nut crust, silky lemon curd, and a perfectly toasted meringue topping. 

Ingredients

Scale

For the tertlet crust:

  • 10 oz raw unsalted shelled pine nuts (piñon)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 8 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the lemon curd:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of 8 Meyer lemons or medium-size lemons
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ cup lemon juice
  • 7 oz butter, softened

For the meringue:

  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 pinches Kosher salt

Instructions

For the tertlet crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Toast the pine nuts in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes – or less – watch closely so they don’t burn!
  3. Remove the pine nuts and allow to cool. When they are cool, place them in a food processor and pulse only 3 to 4 times – they should be chunky. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the sugar and butter until well incorporated. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix until blended, and then add the flour. Do not over mix. Add the piñon, just to combine.
  5. Press the pine nut dough into the tart shells and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until golden.
  6. Remove the shells from the tart pans before filling. Do not fill the shells until completely cooled.

For the lemon curd:

  1. Place the sugar, zest, salt, and eggs into a large non-reactive saucepan and stir until incorporated.
  2. Over medium heat, stir until the mixture is thickened, approximately 8 minutes.
  3. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a mixing bowl. Extract and discard the zest.
  4. Whisk the softened butter into the mixture until incorporated.

For the meringue:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer (free of any oil), whip the egg whites for 2 minutes on high speed.
  2. Gradually add ¾ of the sugar and whip for 3 minutes more.
  3. Add the remaining sugar and whip until the meringue appears shiny and holds stiff peaks.
  4. Fill the tart shells with curd, dividing evenly between the eight shells.
  5. Place the meringue in a piping bag and pipe onto the filled tart shells.
  6. To toast the meringue just before serving, use a kitchen torch to evenly brown.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipe by Katherine Kagel, Cafe Pasqual’s
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Tira Howard

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

Upside Down Bejeweled Citrus Cake from Cafe Pasqual’s

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A round, vibrant upside-down citrus cake topped with sliced oranges, blood oranges, and pomegranate seeds, next to a cup of coffee.

If we eat with our eyes first, then Cafe Pasqual’s Upside Down Bejeweled Citrus Cake is everything we hunger for in life. The citrus rounds on top
create what Kagel thinks of as a kind of edible stained glass window on the cake’s surface. The pomegranate seeds are dotted between the citrus, for a glistening surface that speaks of sun and warmth even in the darkest days of winter. “There’s a shine that we’re all needing,” Kagel says. We couldn’t agree more.

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A round, vibrant upside-down citrus cake topped with sliced oranges, blood oranges, and pomegranate seeds, next to a cup of coffee.

Cafe Pasqual’s Upside Down Bejeweled Citrus Cake

  • Author: Katherine Kagel, Cafe Pasqual’s
  • Yield: Serves 8 – 12 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Cafe Pasqual’s Upside Down Bejeweled Citrus Cake is a stunning dessert topped with bright citrus slices and sparkling pomegranate seeds. With its golden sponge, honey-orange soak, and jewel-like finish, it’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

Ingredients

Scale

For the pan syrup for the fruit:

  • 1⁄2 cup sugar
  • 1⁄4 cup water

For the cake:

  • 1–2 organic oranges – or a combination of oranges, blood oranges, tangerines, or tangelos, zested, set aside
  • 2 organic lemons, zested, set aside
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch of kosher salt
  • 1 1⁄4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1⁄2 tsp baking powder, sifted
  • 1⁄3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 oz melted unsalted butter

For the soaking syrup (for the baked and cooled cake):

  • 1⁄2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1⁄2 cup honey
  • Pomegranate seeds to garnish

Instructions

For the pan syrup for the fruit:

  1. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch cake pan with softened butter or a spray of cooking oil release. Flour the sides and bottom of the pan discarding any excess flour.
  2. Line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper cut to fit the base.
  3. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan on the stove top over low heat to dissolve the sugar or in a microwave safe pan for approximately 40 seconds.
  4. Pour the dissolved sugar and water in the prepared paper-lined cake pan.

For the cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Slice the oranges in uniform rounds, either 1/4 or 1/2 inch.
  3. Slice the lemon in uniform rounds, either 1/4 or 1/2 inch (the same thicknesses as the orange) and then cut into quarters.
  4. Arrange the citrus rounds and lemon quarters artfully in the bottom of the parchment paper-prepared pan.
  5. In a large mixing bowl place the eggs, sugar, salt, all the zest, and stir until well incorporated.
  6. Add in sifted-together flour and baking powder and then the heavy cream, stir to blend. Stir in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven.

For the soaking syrup (for the baked and cooled cake):

  1. Heat all the ingredients together briefly over low heat in a small saucepan until the mixture is warmed.
  2. When the cake has cooled completely, loosen it from the sides of the pan with a table knife. Place an inverted serving plate or platter over the cake pan, then quickly flip over. Remove the parchment paper.
  3. With a wooden toothpick, poke holes in the interstices of the fruit slices and pour the warm soaking syrup carefully along the trail of the holes.
  4. Decorate the same interstitial trail lines between the citrus slices with pomegranate arils (seeds) to “bejewel” the cake.

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Recipe by Katherine Kagel, Cafe Pasqual’s
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Tira Howard

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Winter Citrus Recipes at Café Pasqual’s

By
Abdul Rafay
-
0
A dark red cocktail in a stemmed glass with a sugared rim and a slice of blood orange, flanked by two other citrus cocktails and festive cut paper decorations.

A spritz of citrus juice or some freshly grated zest may be the secret to cooking success. It makes everything taste fresher and livelier. And there’s no time when we need that more than winter. Self-confessed citrus fanatic Katharine Kagel, owner of legendary Cafe Pasqual’s, shares her citrus love affair with us through their winter recipes.

The Sweet and the Sour of Cafe Pasqual’s Winter Citrus Recipes

“My father was obsessed with oranges – all fruits – but oranges made an appearance every day in his life,” says Katharine Kagel, executive chef and owner of Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe. “He was always peeling an orange at some point in the day or after dinner. And he got to be ninety-eight, so it seemed to work for him,” she laughs. Growing up in California, citrus was part and parcel of life and still is today. (In the 2023-24 growing season, California accounted for just shy of 80% of U.S. citrus production).

A round, vibrant upside-down citrus cake topped with sliced oranges, blood oranges, and pomegranate seeds, next to a cup of coffee.

Find the recipe for Cafe Pasqual’s Upside Down Bejeweled Citrus cake here!

It’s a fact that hit home when Kagel was on a Greyhound bus with her grandmother on a childhood road trip bound for Los Angeles. What captured her eye and her imagination were the unending citrus groves. “It was a fairyland to see grove after grove after grove uninterrupted, it seemed. And I was just entranced.”

Working with the Tang of Citrus Every Day

That love and awe for citrus plays out every day at Cafe Pasqual’s, the restaurant Kagel has owned and run for 47 years. And while we can find citrus year-round at the grocery store, it’s winter when it really comes into its own.

Four individual lemon meringue tarts with toasted meringue peaks, arranged on white platters next to fresh lemons and a white bust statue.

Find the recipe for cafe Pasqual’s Lemon Meringue Tarts here!

Cara cara, blood, and Seville oranges all arrive during winter, like a welcome friend here to lift our spirits. Kagel marks the arrival of Seville orange season by bringing them into Cafe Pasqual’s kitchen by the caseload and juicing them for their signature Cochinita Pibil – a Yucatan pork dish. “We squeeze and squeeze and set them aside in the freezer, so we have them all year, till the next Seville orange season,” she says.

Mini lemon meringue tarts with tall, stiff, white piped meringue peaks on a white surface.

A Bright Spot in Winter

And in the dead of winter when we’re faced with stews as dark as the nights are long and a seemingly unrelenting diet of root vegetables, citrus provides the lift – the umph – we’re all craving. “That’s why there is gremolata – zested lemon peel and garlic and parsley – and you put it on a lamb shank that is dark, serious meat, and all of the sudden it’s kind of lively and fun,” she says.

Kumquats – “itty-bitty miniatures” – make their way into salads; orange and grapefruit (both zest and fruit) find a home in Cafe Pasqual’s Citrus Gazpacho; while an individual lemon meringue tart is rarely off the menu as small scale riots occur when it’s not on offer. “I always, always have lemon on the list for dessert in some way,” she says. “It might be lemon ice cream with a honeycomb dribbling on top of the ice cream. Or it might be a lemon cream, which is lovely.” Recently she’s been playing with pouring a bit of French cassis in the bottom of a tulip glass, topping it off with Meyer lemon cream, berries, and then more cassis. “Because there’s nothing worse than getting to the bottom of a sundae and there’s no more fun and sauce!”

A martini glass filled with orange citrus sorbet melting into chocolate sauce, next to a partially peeled clementine on a mother-of-pearl plate.

Making Curds with Winter Citrus

Curds are another favorite citrus incarnation. Egg yolks, sugar, butter, and citrus plus some gentle heat and you have something creamy and lush. She says their reputation as tricky to make is undeserved and all that’s required is time and a little patience. “It’s magic. It’s going to come together. Those eggs are busy. They’re doing their own thing. No, it’s very simple to do a curd and to surprise people at breakfast, to have a curd to put on toast.” Even better, it will keep for a few days.

A bowl of housemade popovers, various citrus curds, jams, and fresh kumquats arranged on a gray and brown rustic table.

And it’s little wonder that citrus-based desserts are appealing even to those without a pronounced sweet tooth, as citrus’s acidity can act as a welcome palate cleanser. In cooking – sweet or savory – Kagel says it’s indispensable. “I don’t think I ever leave a grocery store without lemons and fennel,” she says. A aromatic notes and essential oils are released when you zest a lemon, while lemon juice has a clean, fresh flavor that can lift many dishes, giving them a brightness we crave.

Listening to Kagel sing the praises of citrus you realize just how transformative it can be. Citrus adds sparkle to dishes – sweet or savory – and makes them shine. And that lift, that shine, is welcome in every season but perhaps no more than winter when skies and palettes are dull and we need a bit of dazzle.

Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Food by Cafe Pasqual’s
Photography by Tira Howard

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