Hi, but I have to find out what is a Mexican Crema.. I might have had it all of my life but.. I see that it is not sour cream nor cream itself, and that is has a french name (crème fraîche)

So, were do I buy in mexico mexican crema? Or I might wait and try your recipe to identify the flavor.

Is this "crema" something available at stores or its a part of a chefs creation?

Making your own is very easy, but you can also buy it. It is usually fairly expensive ($5 to $7 dollars for a container). I am lucky enough to have a great Mexican store near me, and they sell one that is pretty cheap and delicious.

I believe in Mexico you should be able to buy it. We have a few people here at Rouxbe that are from Mexico (not Mexico city) and they use it all of the time as well.

Try following the recipe though, so you can see how easy it is to make yourself. Mexican crema, crème fraîche...whatever you call it, is deliciously tart and creamy.

http://wwww.rouxbe.com/recipes/86 - see step 2 for making crème fraîche.

I just tried this, but was a bit nervous about putting 2 of each of the dried chilies in the soup, as I am still experimenting with the HEAT of these when cooked. I used only one of each and the soup was fairly bland, and I think maybe I had too much stock added; didn't measure. Anyway, with a bit of tweaking (more corn - the Mexican elote I bought was very woody - I will use canned next time as it's easier and more reliable) it is pretty good. The toppings and tortillas (I just use the bought ones) with crema really make it a meal. Will go 'full out' next time. Thanks.

Made the Azteca Soup today. It was very good and fairly easy to make. Roasting the vegetables really adds a depth of flavor. I am always looking for new dishes to use at my restaurant that require ingredients I already have in stock. I recommend passing the chilli puree through a strainer as little bits of the guajillo escape from being blended.

I'm in the process of making this dish and the timing is a bit ambiguous. When should I add the crushed fried tortillas? I know the strips go in at the end; do we cook the crushed tortilas in the soup?

The crushed tortillas are added to the soup after you fry them and crush them - Step 5. Hope this helps!

I made this soup, and it turned out very well.

My only comment is that the soup base doesn't quite stand on its own, and its the garnishing really makes the soup delicious. The cilantro, citrus, and tortilla complement the soup very well and help to bring out the flavor of the vegetables and chilies.

So don't skimp on the finishing stuff.....

I haven't made this exact recipe, but certainly made similar versions and used this as my inspiration once. I always add cumin, preferably toasted. To me that tastes of Mexico. Is it a Mexican spice? Or just one I associate with Mexican food? Thoughts about adding it?

Cumin is used in many cuisines throughout the world. Here is a link to more on cumin.

As for adding it to this recipe, give it a try and see how you like it. Cumin and Mexican food are totally friends! Cheers.

Thanks Dawn - I so appreciate Rouxbe's always quick response time. Upon reading the wiki page on cumin it does say that it isn't so traditional in Mexican cooking; good to know as we are doing a Mexican cooking night next week and it will be good to let people know. Also I found it interesting that many languages don't differentiate between cumin and caraway. When we first moved to (the German speaking part of) Switzerland I bough a bottle of Kümmel/Cumin/Cumino (German, French, Italian) and thought it would be cumin. It is caraway, of which I now have an abundance. I guess I get to search for recipes using caraway now!