Cerveza? So cliche. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style with a celebrity chef-approved feast — and a cocktail to wash it all down!
Padma Lakshmi, Guy Fieri, More Celeb Chefs Dish Up Their Cinco de Mayo Recipes
“I wanted something really fresh and different. Everyone always adds a lot of sweetness to margaritas, but with this recipe, I’ve taken the sugar down a bit," the Top Chef host explains to Us. "It's simple syrup with ginger and turmeric, but instead of doing it with the classic recipe of equal parts sugar and water, I reduced it so it's slightly less sweet. And it has a beautiful color, too, that looks like marigold flowers. For the final ingredient, I of course couldn’t forget the Patrón Tequila. That’s definitely what pulls together the entire recipe.”
Ingredients:
• 2 oz Patron Silver
• 1 oz ginger Tumeric Simple Syrup (1 cup water, 3/4 sugar, 4 inches fresh ginger root peeled and sliced, 1 tsp tumeric powder)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3-4 mint leaves
• Orange wedges
For the rim:
• 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
• 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 2 tsp coarse salt
Instructions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and sliced ginger. Place over medium heat and bring to boil. Cook until sugar dissolves. Let steep for at least 10 minutes. Add the turmeric powder and stir until incorporated. Strain syrup through a coffee filter.
2. Combine ancho, turmeric and salt on a small plate and mix to combine.
3. Wet the top of a rocks glass with a wedge of orange and dip in spice mix.
4. Tear mint leaves and add to a cocktail shaker with ice.
5. Add the Patrón, lime juice and ginger turmeric syrup and shake vigorously.
6. Pour into prepared rocks glass and garnish with an orange wedge.
"Our Romanesco is inspired by a crowd favorite, L.A. Street Corn. This version is delicious and unique – the tahini aioli becomes a glaze on the grilled vegetable over open fire, and the Romanesco itself has a nice roasted flavor," the season 9 Top Chef alum, who just opened her new Santa Monica restaurant Native, tells Us Weekly. "For texture, we garnish the dish with crumbled cotija cheese, smokey cumin oil, cilantro leaves, and Korean chili flakes. It's perfect for Cinco de Mayo because of its beautiful Latin flavors and mixture of L.A. culture."
Ingredients:
• 3 large Romanescos, blanched and halved
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cloves of garlic, blanched and pureed
• 1 1/2 cups canola/olive oil blend
• 2 limes, juiced and zested
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 5 oz cotija, crumbled
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Tahini aioli:
In a medium bowl, beat eggs well with a wire whisk. Stir in the garlic and chili powder. Gradually add oil in a thin stream, beating constantly until light and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lime juice and tahini, and refrigerate.
Romanesco:
1. Grill the Romanesco and continuously baste it with the tahini aioli until charred on all sides.
2. Place the Romanesco on a plate and garnish with crumbled cotija.
3. Finish with cilantro leaves.
If you think you know guacamole, think again. "It's way beyond smashed avocados, and it works so well with so many flavors," the Food Network star explains to Us. Here, he explains how to turn the popular side dish into a main event with the help of DIY extras.
Ingredients:
• 1/2 lb Mexican chorizo, browned
• 1/4 cup frozen, shelled edamame, cooked according to package instructions
• 1/4 cup pepitas, toasted and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 fresh corn cob, husked and silks removed
• 4 ripe Haas avocados, pitted and peeled
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 small radishes, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1 oz (about 1/4 cup) cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup diced fire-roasted poblanos
• 1 cup pico de gallo
• Tortilla chips for serving
Pico de gallo:
• 4 roma tomatoes, cored and finely diced
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp fresh celery juice (optional)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Pico de gallo:
1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld together.
2. Drain any excess liquid, and serve.
The guac bar:
1. Set the chorizo, edamame and pepitas aside, each in their own small serving bowls.
2. Heat a grill to high, or set an oven rack 6 inches from heat source and turn broiler to high. Grill or broil the corn for 4 minutes on each side, until charred. Let cool slightly, then stand the corn upright in a large bowl and use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cob. Set kernels aside in a small serving bowl.
3. In a large bowl or molacjete, crush the avocados with a fork or tejolote until well broken up. Add the lime juice, cilantro, flaky sea salt and black pepper to taste. Mix to combine.
4. Place the radishes, cotija, poblanos and pico de gallo in small serving bowls. Serve the guacamole and condiments with a big bowl of chips.
"These are irresistible, easy to eat and really bring flavor and fun to a Cinco de Mayo party," the chef of Minneapolis' eatery Revival tells Us. He adds that these tasty bites are easy to make: "It's just a matter of crisping it and assembling your tacos."
Ingredients:
• 2 lbs pork belly, skin off
• Salt and pepper
• 2 lbs lard, melted
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 avocados, sliced
• Fresh corn tortillas, warmed
Instructions:
1. Season pork belly heavily with salt and pepper, and leave it to sit overnight in the fridge uncovered.
2. Add belly to a large Dutch oven, making sure it lies flat.
3. Add lard just to cover, and cook in 275-degree oven for 4 to 6 hours, or until fully tender.
4. Carefully remove from oven and allow to chill overnight.
5. Remove pork belly from lard and slice into 5/8-inch pieces. Crisp in skillet as you would bacon. When crisp on both sides and hot all the way through, remove from pan and set to drain on a wire rack.
6. Slice the onion thinly and season with salt, pepper, cider vinegar, oil and chopped cilantro.
7. Build tacos with tortillas, the crispy belly, the marinated onions, sliced avocados and fresh squeezed lime, if desired.
Credit: Courtesy Morton Salt; Inset: huck Hodes/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Stephanie Izard's Seis de Mayo Next Day Avocado Toast
“We see a lot of recipes for Cinco de Mayo, but not a lot for what to do for with all the leftovers," the Top Chef season 4 champ, who has partnered with Morton Salt for its Erase Food Waste campaign, points out to Us. "With Cinco de Mayo falling on a Saturday this year, this fun pineapple salsa recipe transitions into Seis de Mayo, as a great way to use leftover guacamole or that avocado sitting around getting soft for your Sunday brunch. The idea is that people usually have these leftover ingredients if they cooked on Cinco, so avocado toast is perfect for the next day to use up those ingredients and cook a delicious brunch.”
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups guacamole
• 1 cup leftover pineapple salsa (recipe below)
• 4 fried eggs
• 4 tsp canola oil
• 4 slices crusty bread
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Morton Fine Sea Salt
• 3 tbsp cilantro, rough chopped
• 1 cup tortilla chips, crunched into small pieces
• Leftover lime vinaigrette
• 2 large avocados
• Lime vinaigrette (recipe below)
Instructions:
Guacamole:
Cut 3 diagonal lines down each side and scoop avocado pieces into a bowl. Add 1 1/2 tbsp lime vinaigrette and salt. Mix and gently mash avocados so you are left with a chunky, but spreadable guacamole.
Lime vinaigrette:
Whisk together 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp hot sauce, 2 tsp tamari or regular soy sauce, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 tsp Morton Fine Sea Salt, 2/3 cup canola oil.
Pickled peppers:
Heat 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 2 tbsp salt, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan until just bubbling. Whisk to dissolve solids. Place 1 pound of sliced peppers (Hungarian, Anaheim or banana peppers, sliced 1/8 inch thick) in a heat resistant container and pour the liquid over. Weigh the peppers down with a small plate and allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Pineapple salsa:
Combine 2 cups pineapple (small diced), 2 cups tomato (small diced), 1/4 minced red onion, 1/2 cup pickled peppers, and toss with 1/4 cup lime vinaigrette. Garnish with rough chopped cilantro.
To build the toast:
1. Griddle bread in a pan with butter over medium heat, until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes on each side, then set aside.
2. Spread 1 side of each piece of toast with guacamole.
3. Top with pineapple salsa and fried egg.
4. Sprinkle crushed tortilla chips over the top.
5. Drizzle with lime vinaigrette.
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