Photo courtesy Jimador Tequila.

Today’s tip concerns thinking outside the box.

Have you ever had ice cream and hot sauce? If it sounds strange, try this cocktail from El Jimador Tequila.

Ratchet up the heat on Cinco de Mayo with a “hot” ice cream cocktail.

The recipe includes ice cream, coffee liqueur, tequila, mango nectar and a few dashes of hot sauce. It’s an unlikely combination of ingredients that will delight your guests.

It uses reposado tequila, which is aged for at least six months until it mellows and achieves a light yellow hue. Aging takes the edge off and makes the tequila more compatible with ice cream.

This “hot ice cream shake” recipe will fill a large Martini glass. Have it for dessert with your choice of garnishes: chocolate shavings or a chocolate rim.

Ingredients Per Cocktail

Preparation

1. PREPARE optional chocolate rim: Shave chocolate OR grind chocolate wafer cookies or chocolate shavings into a coarse powder OR use cocoa mix (with sugar). Place ground chocolate in a shallow bowl. If you’ve opted for chocolate shavings, reserve to sprinkle on the finished cocktail.

2. DIP the rim of a Martini glass in a bowl of water 1/4 inch deep. Place the rim in the chocolate powder and twist to coat.

3. PLACE all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth and creamy.

4. POUR into glass and garnish with chocolate shavings.

 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE COCKTAIL RECIPES & ICE CREAM RECIPES.

There are sweet cheesecakes for dessert and savory cheesecakes for appetizers and first courses. Here are one of each for Cinco de Mayo, each with south-of-the-border flair. Both recipes come from TasteOfHome.com.

First up is the Nacho Cheesecake. The Dulce De Leche Cheesecake is below.

> The History Of Cheesecake
 
 
RECIPE #1: NACHO CHEESECAKE: AN APPETIZER OR
FIRST COURSE

This recipe can be served in individual slices and eaten with a fork, or can be a cocktail hour centerpiece served with crackers and/or tortilla chips.

Ingredients

Nacho cheesecake, a Mexican spin on the appetizer cheesecake (photo © Taste Of Home).

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE crushed tortilla chips and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

2. BEAT the cream cheese, mayonnaise, taco seasoning and flour in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the chicken, cheese blend and onions. Pour over crust. Place pan on a baking sheet.

3. BAKE at 325°F for 60-70 minutes or until center is almost set. Gently spread sour cream over the top; bake 10 minutes longer or until set.

4. COOL on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

5. REMOVE sides of pan just before serving. Garnish with corn, avocado, tomato and olives. Serve with salsa and crackers if desired. Yield: 24 servings.

 
> Check Out 5 More Appetizer Cheesecake Recipes, From Blue Cheese To Salmon
 
 
Now onto dessert! In addition to dulce de leche caramel, this Mexican-accented cheesecake has chili powder mixed into the chocolate swirl.

 
RECIPE #2: DULCE DE LECHE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients For The Crust

Dulce de leche cheesecake, a Mexican spin on the creamy dessert (photo Taste Of Home).

1. PLACE a greased 9-inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inches square). Securely wrap foil around pan. (If you have a leakproof springform pan, you can omit this step.)

2. COMBINE the cookie crumbs, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and butter in a large bowl. Press onto the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of the prepared pan.

3. BEAT cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the milk, flour and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust.

4. POUR dulce de leche into a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at 50% power until softened. Drop dulce de leche by tablespoonfuls over batter; cut through batter with a knife to swirl.

5. PLACE the springform pan in a large baking pan; create a water bath (bain-marie) by adding 1 inch of hot water into the larger pan. Bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes or until the center is just set and top appears dull.

6. REMOVR springform pan from the water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of the pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

7. MELT chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl; stir until smooth. Stir in chili powder. Spread over cheesecake.

8. REFRIGERATE overnight. Remove sides of pan. Yield: 16 servings.
 
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE CHEESECAKE RECIPES HERE AND ON THE PULL-DOWN MENU AT THE RIGHT.
  

BOHEMIA CHIPOTLE

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. MAKE chipotle rimming salt: Thoroughly mix 2 tablespoons coarse (kosher) salt and 1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile powder in a small bowl. Pour out onto a small plate to use for rimming beer glasses.

2. WET the rim of a tall glass with lime wedge. Then dip the rim of the glass into the chipotle rimming salt.

3. SQUEEZE the juice from the remaining lime pieces into the glass. Stir in the chipotle hot sauce or chipotles in adobo.

4. FILL the glass with ice. Pour in the Bohemia beer. Mix gently. Garnish glass rim with a cucumber slice. Serve.

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE BEERS IN OUR BEER SECTION.