jane's joint: Salsa Heaven

I hesitate to write this post. You know that feeling. You had your favorite little restaurant, or hair salon, or mechanic. It was perfect, they knew you, you could always get in, it was amazing and a steal. Then the word got out, and while you're glad for the owners, because excellence should be rewarded, you're wistful, too. So I hesitate to write about Rancho Pescadero, because it is, well, heaven, and I hope it stays that way. But when one blogs about food, one must write about her time at Rancho Pescadero.

Doug and I first went here six years ago, for our 20th anniversary. The trip started off as something of a debacle. Doug was biking home from the city and I was printing our boarding passes at 9pm for our 6am flight and found, to my utter shock and horror, that my passport was expired. I had never even thought to check, as I've had an active passport since age 20. But, alas, it had expired. And we were screwed. Doug was incredibly understanding and cool about it, suggesting we just pivot to another, domestic location, since we had a sitter and five days off. But, having spent months looking at pictures of Rancho, I couldn't accept this alternative. And it turns out, if you live in Chicago, one of six regional passport centers, you can get a passport in a day. In a few hours, even. Obviously we had to change our flight and it cost a fortune but, 24 hours after originally planned, we arrived at Rancho Pescadero, and had one of the most amazing five days of our married life. Incredibly relaxing. Amazing attention to detail. Total sensory satiation. Casual but elegant, comfortable but stylish, Rancho Pescadero is a boutique resort on the pacific ocean about an hour north of Cabo. Doug had found it on a NYT story and we absolutely loved it and vowed to come back.

Six years have gone by, but we are still on their email list. We got an email a couple months ago saying, Rancho is closing for a remodel and expansion - and there was a special offered. I emailed a couple couples to whom we'd raved, one of whom had gone on our recommendation last year, and boom, it was on the calendar.

Two weeks ago, we drove back up. I hoped it would live up to my memories of it. It did. I hoped it would impress our friends as much as it did us. It did. I hoped it would be a respite, a recharge, a chance to just be in a beautiful place and appreciate the simple beauty of the pacific and baja. It was. It slayed.

One of the highlights of the trip was the cooking class that Jean, Dave, Celeste and I attended one afternoon. The food at Rancho is sublime. They grow 60% of the food they serve (and all of the ubiquitous flowers.) Chef David Coronce taught a class on Mexican salsas: tomatillo, borracho, molcajete and a simple enchilada salsa.

The setting, like everything at Rancho, is stunning. The class took place in the open-air restaurant in the Garden Restaurant, which is immediately adjacent to the resort's vast organic gardens.

Chef talked a lot about the basics of Mexican salsas, and the most common peppers.

chipotle, pasilla, guajillo, serrano, jalapeno, habanero chiles

some are smoky, some are sweet, some are extremely hot.

Mexican food is such a pleasure in every way. Such simple ingredients with a premium on transforming simple ingredients in a variety of ways. Charring, blending, sauteing, roasting - it all tastes good. The chef shared these recipes with us after we returned. They are all worth making.