A Farewell to CDMX, and a recipe for Brown-Butter Frangipane Apricot Tart

my favourite city in Mexico, plus this lovely adaptable tart

What I’m reading: Bellies, by Nicola Dinan. I loved this - beautiful writing, thoroughly engaging

What I’m listening to: Zadie Smith on Changes with Annie Macmanus

What I’m eating: seafood at Mi Compa Chava in CDMX. This was pretty close to perfection - oysters, camarones zarandeados (grilled prawns), gorgeous margaritas, all in a cantina-style restaurant in Roma Norte. BIG fan.

Mi Compa Chava, CDMX

I’m a melancholy girlie today, because it’s my last week in Mexico. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster: I started in the western state of Jalisco, and wandered all the way east to the Yucatán peninsula, travelling through Guanajuato, Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca. Highlights included Guadalajara, Oaxaca City, San José del Pacífico, Mérida and Bacalar - but I can’t say I loved Cancún and Tulum. I’m already looking forward to my next trip, as there’s still plenty more I want to see in Mexico (the northern states, Chiapas, Veracruz etc.). I’ve been compiling all my favourite spots to eat and stay in Mexico in a spreadsheet and on a map, and I’ll share it next week!

My absolute favourite place in Mexico, however, is Mexico City (CDMX). I’ve been travelling since April, and can’t seem to stop coming back. I came here first in May, intending to stay 4 nights - and I stayed a month. I came back for a week in July, and now I’m back again: the last stop of the Mexican adventure.

Mercado Jamaica, CDMX

It’s hard to describe Mexico City without resorting to clichés. Yes, CDMX is a bustling metropolis with sprawling suburbs, cultural diversity and great nightlife. Yes, depending on where you are, it can be smelly, loud and dangerous. It’s unfathomably big, and the wealth inequality is striking. However, it’s also incredibly beautiful, and one of the friendliest cities I’ve ever been to - plus, the climate is a lot more temperate than some other Mexican states (it’s 2000m above sea level, so tends to be a bit more manageable heat-wise). It’s home to some of the best food I’ve ever eaten, and not just Mexican food: there’s a lot of modern European restaurants, natural wine bars and authentic Asian food. The city is full of green spaces, like Bosque Chapultepec, and Parque Alameda. There is no shortage of activities: it’s near the Aztec ruins of Teotihuacán and the famous canals at Xochimilco, and you can also go on day trips to Puebla and Cholula, or the mountains at Toluca. If CDMX had a soundtrack, it would consist of sirens and beeping, the steam whistle of the camote cart and the chorus of the tamal vendors. Neighbourhoods like Roma Norte and Condesa have the feel of a much smaller city, and I felt instantly at home here.

Inside Chapultepec Castle, CDMX

I’ve met a lot of fellow backpackers who didn’t love it, and I can understand why: most people tend to stay in the Centro, which, although perfectly located for cultural activities (like the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Museo Nacional de Arte), is not the most atmospheric spot. It’s kind of like if you went to Dublin, and never left Temple Bar - except that Mexico City is about 22 times the size of Dublin, and instead of overpriced pints of Guinness, you’re more likely to find street tacos and mezcal bars.

I think I would have had a similar experience had I not fallen in with the hospitality crew. I’ve spent most of my time in CDMX staying with friends in Roma Norte and Juárez, eating incredible food and going out (probably a bit too much). I feel really lucky to have experienced this side of Mexico City, and if I didn’t already have onward travel plans, I would really quite seriously consider moving here.

This time, I’ve been staying with my friend Odette, owner of Ella y Gatsby, a neighbourhood café in Juárez. Odette and I hit it off since meeting on a night out at Imbiss at approximately 4am. Since then, we’ve worked together on a bunch of pop-ups and events, including the one we did last night. We tend to be a bit too ambitious with our menus (and go out a bit too late the night before), so I wanted to keep this one super casual. We invited 15 friends, and did a lasagne night, with confit garlic focaccia, a rocket/fig salad, and this brown-butter frangipane tart (recipe below).

a LARGE lasagne

Recipe: brown-butter-frangipane apricot tart

I recently did a version of this tart with my friend Álvaro for his event at Xochimilco, but with cardamom-poached pears (see below). I think you could use almost any fruit here: apples or pears (but they would need to be poached first), stone fruit, berries, figs, etc. Technique-wise, it’s fairly straightforward: the pâte sablée comes together in seconds, and the frangipane only takes a couple of minutes to prepare. I made this one in a large rectangular tin, for ease of serving - but it would also be beautiful in a round tart tin. To serve, I opted for cardamom ice-cream, but vanilla would have also been lovely, or softly whipped cream or crème fraîche.

Brown butter frangi pear tart

The tart I made was a bit of a behemoth, so I’ve included two different sizes: one to serve approximately 10 people (in a * tin), and one for 20. I’ve also attached the recipe as a PDF, for ease of saving/following - let me know if you prefer this format!